Analyze Learners The students should be seven to eight years old and in the third grade. At this grade level, the students should know there are nine planets. They should also be able to know the names of each planet.

State Objectives SC study the lives and discoveries of scientists of different cultures and backgrounds. SC support statements with facts found through research in reference books, science-related magazines and the Internet. SC use models as representations of real things. SC given a set of objects, group or order the objects according to an established scheme (e.g., celestial objects, patterns of motion, constellations). SC describe the similarities and differences among the planets.

Materials Materials needed for this unit include: Internet Writing utensils Paper Construction paper Colored pencils/markers Styrofoam balls (different sizes) Paint and paint brushes

Web sites earnPlanets3.htm earnPlanets3.htm tml tml

Utilize Media and Materials Day One Introduce the class with the topic that we will be focusing on. Inform the students what they will be learning and the activities that will go a long with the unit on the solar system. Ask the students to create three columns on a sheet a paper and have them write down; “What I know”, “What I want/need to learn”, and “What I learned”. They will fill out the first two columns.

Day Two Students will use the internet, library, magazine articles, etc… to find as much information as possible about the solar system. The teacher will have the students write down in a notebook what they found most interesting about the solar system and then they will tell the class.

Day Three Students will use the internet and go to a website that will help them know where the planets are in the solar system. The student should explore the website for it has the many learning activities that are very helpful and educational. As the students explore the website, the teacher will walk around the room and have one on one time with the students if they have questions or just want the teacher to help them with the website.

Day Four Students are grouped into threes or fours. Each group will be given a planet that they will be “traveling” to. The students will gather information on their planet using the information they got the other day, or they may have to find new information. The students will then make a badge for their “shuttle team”. The badge will have a name and the name of the planet they are “traveling” to. Next, the students will create a post card to send back to the station to tell everyone what the planet they have landed on is like and what they did or may have happened.. The students should use their imagination.

Day Five Today is more of an art day. The students will be supplied with Styrofoam balls of different sizes. They will choose a planet they like best and create it on the Styrofoam ball. As they sit and decorate their planet I will show a PowerPoint presentation about the solar system.

Day Six This day will complete the unit. The students will be asked to write a paper on everything they have learned. They will use the information they collected the first day to complete the paper. The paper will not be long. It will be on their planet they traveled to, the activities they did, and what they learned on the website.

Required Learner Participation Throughout the solar system unit I will keep the students interested in class by not doing lectures on the solar system the whole time. I’m trying to make it more hands on because students seem to pay more attention and more motivated then listening to a teacher lecture. I will ask questions on what they are learning and how they found their information.

Evaluation Each student will be graded daily on participation points. Each day will be worth 10 points. To make sure that the students are learning and doing what they are supposed to will be noticed on the last day when they have to write the paper.