Lesson+Plan

**LESSON PLAN**
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 * ** Curriculum Area: **

|| Science

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 * ** Subject Area: **

|| Earth and Space ||
 * ** Benchmark/Standard: **

|| Standard 1, S.C.E.1.2 – The student understands the interaction and organization in the Solar System and the Universe and how this affects life on Earth.

Standard 2, S.C.G. 2.2. - The student understands the consequences of using limited natural resources.

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 * ** Lesson Title: **

|| As the World Goes ‘Round

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 * ** Suggested Grade Level: **

|| 3-5 (preferably 3rd)

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 * ** Equipment Needed: **

|| · **Technology :** -At least one computer per student (with Internet included) - DVD/VCR -TV -Overhead projector -PowerPoint presentation -“Magic School Bus” video

· **Software:** -PowerPoint -Microsoft Word

· **Other:** -Pencils -Paper -Science book -Science workbook -Science magazine -Model of Earth and Sun -Model of Solar System - Planetary cut-outs -Scissors -Glue -Coat hanger for each student -Prizes

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 * **Focus Question: **

|| How is everything in the Solar System linked together? How does this affect life on Earth?

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 * ** Learning Objectives: **

|| 1) The student will correctly identify how the Earth is tilted on its axis as it rotates and revolves around the sun by using a physical Solar System/Sun model.

2) The student will complete the crossword puzzle provided on the parts of the Sun with 85% accuracy. They will identify that the Sun is a star and that its energy can be captured or concentrated to generate heat and light for work on Earth.

3) The student will illustrate and record how the planets differ in size, characteristics, and composition and that they orbit the sun in our Solar System with 85% accuracy. ||
 * ** Instructions: **

|| **Monday ** : Begin this activity with a whole class discussion, briefly covering the week’s assignments. Then play the “Magic School Bus – Gets Lost in Space” video on the TV that will inform the students about Earth and Space briefly. The students will then have to take out their books and they will have to define the spelling words taken from the chapters. Once they are finished, they may go onto the Internet to play games (relating to the material covered) on an instructional website such as: [|KidsAstronomy] **Tuesday:** Begin with a model of the Earth rotating around the sun. This model will help the students understand how the Earth is tilted on its axis and how this creates the changing of seasons and the length of daylight. Also, this will be the first day that the students will begin to learn more about the sun. The students will be provided with a YouTube video [|"Earth Hunt"] to watch on the overhead projector, explaining how important Earth is in the Solar System. Afterwards, the students will move on to the subject of the sun. They will complete a simple [|Crossword Puzzle]. This will help the students realize the sun is a star and how it can heat up the Earth’s surface. They will be shown photos of what it looks like, and they will be able to log onto the Internet to play games on: [|KidsAstronomy] **Wednesday:** The first thing the students will do today is get on the computer and go to: [|StarChild: A Learning Center for Young Astronomers]. On this website the students will play with interactive figures that will help them to understand the different characteristics of each of the planets. Afterwards, they will get into pairs and each group will be assigned a planet to draw and color. The finished projects will be hung up in the room to remind them of each planet’s characteristics.

Begin with having the students watch a YouTube video called [|"August Karp - A Solar System Project] . After the video, the students will then have a class discussion on everything that was covered. Once finished, they will get into groups of four and have the opportunity to go on the Internet and find new bits of information to share with the other groups. Afterwards, the group that finishes first gets a prize.
 * Thursday:**

Start morning with a class discussion, reviewing the past week’s material. Guide the discussion using a [|Solar System PowerPoint] //.// Then quiz the students on the planetary order. After the students complete the quiz, provide them with planetary cut-outs to paste together a fun Solar System mobile. They will have until the end of the day to work on the mobile. They will have to cut out the planets, glue them to yarn, and connect them all to a hanger to be completed.
 * Friday:**

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 * ** Evaluation of Content: **

|| **Monday:** Students will be graded on how well they define and analyze the material. Teachers will determine the extent of student learning by the level of student motivation.

The students will be graded on class participation and completion of the crossword puzzle. The number that they correctly answered on the crossword puzzle will determine the student’s understanding.
 * Tuesday:**

Teacher observation will be used to evaluate this activity. The students will be graded on how well they work with one another and complete the project.
 * Wednesday:**

During the class discussion, the student will be graded on the effort they put forth and how well they seem to have retained the information. They will also be graded on how much they contribute to the presentation.
 * Thursday:**

The students will be quizzed on the week’s content in order to determine whether the concept of the Solar System was mastered. The number of correctly answered questions on the quiz per student will determine attainment of the content.
 * Friday:**

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 * ** Evaluation of Curriculum Integration: **

|| The skills of learning how to access, analyze, and apply information from different resources will be observed. How well students can locate information on the Internet, determine what is valuable, and apply that information will be examined. Student motivation and enthusiasm when presenting information, or participating in class discussions will also assist with evaluating the student’s progress. ||