Introduction
Ok people we will be studing the solar system in your school science class. Your mission: to discover fascinating information about all of the planets of our solar system. For example, which planet is so light it could float in a bathtub if we could find one big enough? Find out all of this crucial information and more about the planets and report back to mission control in Bathurst West with all of your discoveries. We here on earth are all counting on you...enjoy your mission...ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two and one.
Task
We will then be researching planets on the internet and recording information on this planet chart . Copy the planet chart into a Word document and print it out.
We will record each planet's distance from the sun, size, temperature, rotation, revolution, and even your age and weight on each of the planets.
We will find out more infomation about the sun and also land on it.
We will find out 3 interesting facts about each planet (include facts on the Earth and Sun, too).
Present your information in one of the following ways:-
- a 3-D model of our solar system with facts labeled.
- an oral report with drawings of the planets
- or perform a play about the planets and sun.
We will be researching the names of the planets and where they came from. We must provide information on all of the planet names, and then each group member will choose one to draw a picture of the god/goddess that the planet was named after, or read a story to the class about that god/goddess.
At the end of this WebQuest, there will be an quiz for each group member to fill out about themselves and their group.
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Process
In this part of your mission, we will be landing on your planets, investigating them, and recording your data. Enjoy your exciting adventure into the solar system!
Step 1:
Using the Kidzone website, record all needed information about the planets on your planet chart. On a separate piece of paper, record 3 fun facts about each planet which are not on the chart already.
http://www.kidzone.ws/planets/index.htm
Step 2:
The earth revolves once around the sun approximately every 365 days. This is our "one year." But other planets revolve slower or faster than the earth, making their "one year" come much slower or faster than ours.
Find out how old (in earth years) you would be on other planets. This also goes on your planet chart. Choose only one person from the group to record their ages on the chart.
When is your next birthday? is it on the same day on the other planets. It's funny to see how long you would have to wait for a birthday party there:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/age/index.html
Because of the different sizes and masses of the planets and their different gravitational pull they would have on you, your weight would be different on all of the planets. Explore this website and choose a different person from your group (different from the person who recorded their ages) to record their weight on all of the planets and the sun:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html
Step 3:
Using the data you recorded on the chart, do one of three projects:
1) Craft a 3-D model of our solar system, labeling each planet and listing three facts about each one on your model.
2) Give an oral report, describing each planet with at least three facts given about each. Show a drawing you have made of each planet as you talk about it. Each person in the group must speak about at least two of the planets.
3) Perform a play about the planets and sun, incorporating your three facts about each into the performance. For example, you could pretend to be four astronauts coming back from your mission, and you are reporting your information to your superiors. Or you could be an extra-terrestrial from each planet, describing what your planet is like to us earthlings. Please use some props and simple costumes in your performance.
Evaluation
Great job on your projects, crew members! Now you will need to print out this group evaluation. Here you will evaluate yourself and your group members on how well everyone contributed to your group.
Next, the teacher will evaluate you based on this rubric. You do not need to print this out. But you might want to look at it ahead of time so you know what the teacher expects of you
Conclusion
Ok.......... here they come in for the landing..........Whew, a smooth one.
As the crew emerges, we are anxious here in Houston to hear about all of the great data collected on this crucial mission. So crew, did you find out which planet spins backwards? Which one would float? How much did you weigh on Mars and how old are you there? And tell us about Pluto...is it always furthest away?
We thank you for your hard work and look forward to your next mission. Maybe on the next shuttle flight you can explore further....beyond our galaxy....to white dwarf stars...to black holes...anything is possible. What would you like to explore next????? Think of three questions you may have about our whole universe, write them down, and let's explore them together as a class. Great mission, crew!