Introduction
What if I asked you to name the tallest mountain in the Solar System. Would you say Mount Everest? Maybe you would guess K2? Are you surprised when I tell you that the tallest mountain in the universe actually exists on Mars? Most people know that there are eight planets in our solar system, you might know that too. But how much do you really know about each planet? By the end of this webquest, you should have acquired new information about each of our eight planets.
Task
During this webquest, you will visit the following websites to learn more about each planet.
- On each website, read about each planet.
- Take notes on new information you've learned and things you find interesting.
- Draw a picture of each planet (be sure to color it!)
Resources
NASA
National Geographic
ESA
You will be using all of the information you gather to create a poster showing the differences between the eight planets.
Process
Visit each website. Be sure to take good notes as you are reading. For your poster you will need the following information about each planet.
- Picture of planet. [Pictures must be drawn relatively to scale. Small planets should be drawn smaller than larger planets. Planets must be colored in correct colors]
- Size of planet.
- How did the planet get it's name?
- How many moons does the planet have?
- What is the temperature like on this planet?
- What is the landscape of this planet like [craters, mountains, valleys, water,etc]
- 4 other facts you found interesting.
Evaluation
You will be working independently on this assignment. This assignment is worth 100 points. Points shall be earned in the following manner.
- All eight planets are accounted for 10 points
- There is a picture of each planet 20 points
- 10 points will be deducted if picture is not drawn in correct colors.
- The size of each planet is listed 10 points
- Information is written on how each planet was named 10 points
- The number of moons for each planet is listed 10 points
- The average temperature, or temperate scale, of each planet is listed 10 points
- The landscape of each planet is listed 15 points
- You have included four other interesting facts about your planet 15 points
Conclusion
You should now have a better grasp of the solar system. By now you should have an understanding of how Earth is dramatically different from the other planets in our Solar System. Earth is the only planet that has the correct atmosphere and resources needed to sustain life. Some of our resources are nonrenewable, so it is very important we take care of our planet so that humans will always have somewhere to live.