Sixth Grade UNIT 5: UNIVERSE AND SOLAR SYSTEM

IN THIS UNIT YOU WILL STUDY: Whether our universe is Sun or Earth-centered Where we are located in our galaxy, the Milky Way The planets of our solar system Whether or not a planet can support life How gravity keeps us all together Phases of the moon Eclipses The characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors Theories on how the universe was formed The life cycle, sizes and temperatures of stars

THE DETAILS ---- Length of Unit: 5 weeks CDA --- after the Milestones (sorry!) Many hands-on labs Several outdoor labs No project with this unit

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED How does the current model of the solar system differ from past models? How does the Earth differ from other planets? How does the Moon interact with the Earth? How are asteroids, comets and meteors alike and different? How can stars be classified?

MISCONCEPTIONS TO CLEAR UP The stars in the constellations are close together in space. When all the planets line up, the gravitational pull will cause an earthquake or disaster, or will cause the end of the world The Big Bang Theory describes the origin of the solar system We could easily go to another planet to live We could grow plants in the soil on Mars The face on Mars means that ancient civilizations lived there.

GOAL SETTING Look at your Unit 5 pretest and score. What did you already know? What didn’t you know? Think about Unit 5’s topics and essential questions * Do you find this topic easy to understand? *Do you find this topic interesting? * Do you feel that you will do well during this unit? On your goal sheet, fill in your pretest score and then set a goal for yourself * Allow for at least 10% growth, and/or a passing (75 or above) grade on your unit test * List three things YOU can do to help ensure your reaching this goal. * HW: finish goal sheet, have a parent sign, bring back tomorrow!

An idea or hypothesis that is being tested and explored. May be widely accepted, but has NOT been unequivocably proven How dinosaurs became extinct Layers of the Earth Creation of the Universe (Big Bang) A truth or idea that has been proven unequivocably to be true or accurate 2=2= 4 The first president of the United States George Washington The sun is ____ million miles from Earth 93 Our period of rotation is ___ hours IS IT A THEORY? FactTheory