Make up of the sun, moon, earth system



Unit Pre-Planning Documents

Planetary Motion and Our Solar System

EALR 1 --- Systems: The student knows and applies scientific concepts and principles to understand the properties, structures and changes in physical, earth / space, and living systems.

The following two GLEs will be covered in my unit:

GLE 1.2.5 understand the structure of the solar system.

-Describe how the Earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth.

-Describe the sun.

-Describe how planets, asteroids, and comets orbit the sun.

-Describe meteors.

-Compare the relationships among the components of the solar system.

GLE 1.3.7 understand the effects of the regular and predictable motions of planets and moons in the solar system.

-Describe the causes of seasonal changes on Earth and other planets

-Describe the effects of the position of the Sun and Moon on Earth phenomena.

-Describe how the spin of Earth and other planets accounts for the length of a day on those planets.

-Describe how the orbit around the Sun of Earth and other planets accounts for the length of the length of a year on those planets.

EALR 2 --- Inquiry: The student knows and applies the skills, and processes, and nature of scientific inquiry.

I plan to do structured and guided inquiry for the part of the unit that deals with how the sun, earth, and moon interact with each other. Through these inquiries the students will understand the overall relationship with these three bodies and how the moon phases, seasons, tides, and ecosystems are directly affected by the interaction of the Earth, Sun, and Moon.

Some of the many skills and processes that the student will apply while doing these inquiries are “how to plan and conduct scientific investigations,” (2.1.2) “how to construct a scientific explanation using evidence and inferential logic,” (2.1.3) “how models are used to investigate objects, events, systems and processes,” (2.1.4) and “how to report investigations and explanations of objects, events, systems, and processes.” (2.1.5). Along with these skills students will experience the importance of curiosity in science and discover that inquiry and answering questions often leads to other unanswered questions.

EALR 3 --- Application: The student knows and applies science concepts and skills to develop solutions to human problems in societal contexts.

Some areas of this EARL that will be touched on in my unit is the area of “how science supports technological development and vise versa,” (3.2.2) “the use of science, math, and technology within occupational / career areas of interest,” (3.2.3) and “how human societies’ use of natural resources affects the quality of life and the health of ecosystems.” (3.2.4)

Atlas of Science Literacy (The Universe: Gravity, Solar System)

My unit on planetary motion and the solar system falls under the “Atlas of Science Literacy” section on the universe, particularly the sub-sections of gravity and solar system. Many of the characteristics in the 6 to 8 grade sections of these two sub-sections will be covered in my unit.

In the 6 to 8 grade section of the gravity sub-section of the universe, the content that is most pertinent to my unit is the one that describes the phenomena of the sun and how the gravitational pull of the sun holds the Earth and all of the other planets in their orbits. It also mentions that this relationship is the same as the relationship between planets and moons. The prerequisites to this idea is that the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun and that the moon orbits the Earth.

In the 6 to 8 grade section of the solar system sub-section of the universe, the content that is the most pertinent to my unit is the one that mentions the length it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth (and how the lighting changes) and that there are nine different planets, all of which have different characteristics, orbit the sun. The prerequisites for this idea are that the moon looks different everyday, and that the Earth is one of the several planets that orbit the sun.

Rationale Paragraph

Studying about planetary motion and our solar system is important for students to do because it explains many different phenomena that they see in their everyday lives, like the movement of the sun across the sky, the way we see the moon and why it changes, the tides, the seasons, and why our Earth has different ecosystems. Studying about our solar system will also lead to a better understanding of concepts like gravity, systems, and what factors are essential for life. All of which are extremely important concepts in science and represented in the EALRS.

The unit will cover multiple topics that will help the student have a better overall understanding of the world around them and thus let them become more science literate citizens. The students will be able to look at their environment at a deeper level and discover the beautiful intricacies developed through the relationships of this system. With this feeling students will then be able to look closer and develop a better appreciation for other systems they later explore. This unit will also create a forum where students can practice the practical forms of science like inquiry and investigation.

This unit is the first unit of the year so there will be no educational unit before this one. All that will be done before this unit, which is actually extremely important to the unit, is the development of classroom norms, expectations, and safety rules. This will create a strong foundation to begin developing a safe and caring environment for the many group activities we will do in this unit.

With the conclusion of this unit we could go numerous directions. We could dive deeper into gravity and its affect on our everyday lives. We could have a more in-depth look at the ecosystems of Earth. We may also begin looking at the atomic level of science, leading to a unit on chemistry. The options are endless!

Critical Attributes

1. All parts of our solar system (planets, moons, asteroids, and comets) orbit the sun and are held in their orbits by the pull of the sun’s gravity.

2. The placement of the different planets around the sun creates the planets’ characteristics: level of gravity, its composition, its atmosphere, and the temperature.

3. The Earth’s position from the sun creates the necessary attributes to support life.

4. The Earth’s orbit, in combination with the Earth’s tilt, creates the four seasons and the different ecosystems of the world.

5. All objects enact a force of attraction on other objects, for example planets pull other objects like moons into orbits around the planet and moons also enact a force of gravity on the planet, which can be seen through the movement of Earth’s tides.

Essential Questions

• Why is Seattle cold during the months from November to February, but it is warm in places like Australia. Why is it always warm around the equator and cold at the poles?

• Why are scientists so sure that there are no organisms like us on the other planets of our solar system?

• Why do oceans go up and down on the beach? Why are their tides?

Description of Culminating Project

For the unit’s culminating project I would like to have the students (as individuals or in groups) take on roles as real estate agents and create some type of media (i.e. poster, pamphlet, article, computer presentation…) to advertise the land they are trying to sell, in this case it will be one of the eight other planets. In their projects the students will have to develop a description of the planet’s environment (“seasons” that may occur on the planet, ranges of temperature… et.) and what materials will be provided to the new owners in order for survival and reasons why these materials are necessary (we will assume any type of technology is possible).

The critical attributes that will be covered by this culminating project are the following:

1. The placement of the different planets around the sun creates the planets’ characteristics: level of gravity, its composition, its atmosphere, and the temperature.

2. The Earth’s position from the sun creates the necessary attributes to support life.

3. The Earth’s orbit, in combination with the Earth’s tilt, creates the four seasons and the different ecosystems of the world.

After the culmination project we will spend time discussing the essential question I stated earlier, “Why are scientists so sure that there are no organisms like us on the other planets of our solar system?” They will provide evidence, from the research they did to create their projects, of why we can believe this (or should not). We will also discuss the technology they used to change the characteristics of the planet to support life and if this technology is available or they think it may be possible sometime in the future.

A. Subject Area Description

This unit will be taught the fall trimester to seventh grade students in the general science class at Kellogg Middle School. Kellogg Middle School is a suburban school in the Shoreline school district. This district, compared with other Washington state districts, is well funded and because of its location is not as diverse as schools in the city. The majority of students are white with the main minority being Asian American. There is a small minority of African American students.

This will be the first unit of the year so I will not have had the chance to work with these students. Also, since the students have just come from elementary school, I do not know what they have already been introduced to. From what I have heard, the students coming from the districts elementary schools typically have spent little to no time studying the solar system.

B. Essential Questions

The following three questions are the Essential Questions I will use throughout my

Unit.

1. Why is Seattle cold during the months from November to February, but it is warm in places like Australia. Why is it always warm around the equator and cold at the poles?

To answer this question students will need to understand that the Earth’s orbit, in combination with the tilt of the Earth creates the amount of sunlight each area of the Earth receives. This system then creates the four seasons as well as the different ecosystems of the world. Through the use of inquiry and hands on activities students will gain a deeper understanding of this process and be able to apply it to the environment of the Northwest. They will then be able to take this understanding and make connections at a more global level, for example, the poles, ecosystems of the equator, and the difference between the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

2. Why are scientists so sure that there are no organisms like us on the other planets of our solar system?

To answer question number two the students will need to understand that the position of a planet, the distance it is from the sun, creates the planets’ level of gravity, its composition, and the atmosphere. It is then Earth’s position from the sun that creates the necessary attributes to support life. And it is because these characteristics are so specific that scientists are so sure that there are no other organisms like us in our solar system.

3. Why do oceans go up and down on the beach? Why are their tides?

The students will need to understand the sun, earth and moon system and through the use of inquiry and other activities students will make connections between the phases of the moon with the level of the tides. Through hands on exploration activities the students will then relate the phases of the moon with the location of the moon around the Earth at these different times. With this understanding the students will be able to relate the position of the moon to the height of the tides and gain a greater understanding of the Earth and moon system. This understanding will also demonstrate that all objects enact a force of attraction on other objects.

C. Learning Goals & Related Objectives

1. Students will understand that a planet’s position from the sun determines its different characteristics (composition, atmosphere, gravity, temperature, amount of sunlight) and its ability to support life. GLE 1.2.5 understand the structure of the solar system.

1.1 Students will analyze the characteristics of the planets in our solar system and discover their similarities and differences.

1.2 Students will understand that the distance of the Earth from the sun creates its unique characteristics that support life.

2. Students will understand that the combination of the Earth’s tilt, rotation, and orbit around the sun determines the amount of sunlight that places around the world receive and this creates the seasons as well as the many ecosystems of the world. GLE 1.3.7 understand the effects of the regular and predictable motions of planets and moons in the solar system.

2.1 Students will understand that day and night is created by the rotation of the Earth.

2.2 Students will understand that the Earth revolves around the Sun and that one revolution takes one year.

2.3 Students will model that the Earth is tilted.

2.4 Students will verify that the seasons are determined by the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth and that this is directly related to the Earth’s tilt, rotation, and orbit around the sun.

2.5 Students will explain the connections between the different ecosystems of the world and the amount of sunlight that area receives.

3. Students will create relationships with the position of the moon around the Earth and the tides, as well as how the moon is observed from the Earth at that time (full, new, first quarter, third quarter, waxing, and waning). GLE 1.3.7 understand the effects of the regular and predictable motions of planets and moons in the solar system.

3.1 Students will understand that the moon is reflecting the light from the sun.

3.2 Students will identify connections between the way they observe the moon from the Earth and the position of the moon around the Earth.

3.3 Students will construct relationships between the position of the moon and the level of the tides to understand the phenomena of tides.

4. Students will be familiarized with scientific inquiry, particularly exploration and the development of models. GLE 2.1.3 understand how models are used to investigate objects, events, systems, and processes.

4.1 Students will practice making and applying hypotheses to questions they will be investigating.

4.2 Students will interpret different phenomena through hands on activities to better understand the different concepts in this unit.

4.3 Students will construct models (to describe the phenomena of the four seasons as well as the phenomena of tides and the phases of the moon).

5. Students will work with each other, doing group work, to achieve a better understanding of these concepts while also gaining a greater appreciation for their classmates.

5.1 Students will work together with the teacher to create a safe and caring classroom.

5.2 Students will work in a variety of groups developing an appreciation for their fellow classmates as learners and learn to overlook personal prejudices they may have against individual students in order to become better learners.

Part III: Unit Matrix

DAY 1: Introduction to the Sun-Earth-Moon System (100 minutes)

|What students are doing? |Introduce essential questions (1 & 3) |

| |Eliciting ideas: Students will work in groups and as a class to discuss the following questions; |

| |(Sun-Earth) What type of effect does the sun have on the Earth? What determines day and night? Why is one |

| |year 365 days? How do your natural surroundings change during the year? (Show pictures of the seasons) |

| |What causes the seasons? Do all places on Earth experience the same season at the same time? We will then |

| |have a group discussion to collect the ideas from each group. From this process the students and I will |

| |write out a classroom KWL chart for the Sun-Earth system (each group will at least input one idea). |

| |(Moon-Earth) Once again students will work in groups to answer the following questions; Why can we see the |

| |moon? Why does the shape of the moon change over the course of a month? (Show pictures of the phases.) |

| |How does the moon affect the Earth? We will then have a group discussion to collect the ideas from each |

| |group. From this process the students and I will write out another classroom KWL chart for the Moon-Earth |

| |system (each group will at least input one idea). |

| |(Models) As a class we will discuss their ideas of a model and “How models can help us understand concepts?”|

| |I will make sure to keep this simple and stress that models are just ways to express relationship between |

| |different components of a system. |

| |Class will then begin to create preliminary models (in groups) for the Earth-Moon system. Models will be 2D|

| |and need to represent how the moon orbits the earth and illustrate how the moon changes. This part will be |

| |modeled and scaffolded. |

|Objectives |5.3 Students will work in a variety of groups developing an appreciation for their fellow classmates as |

| |learners and learn to overlook personal prejudices they may have against individual students in order to |

| |become better learners. |

| |4.3 Students will construct models (to describe the phenomena of the four seasons as well as the phenomena |

| |of tides and the phases of the moon). |

|Reasons for content and instructional |I will start this unit with the introduction of the essential questions (1 & 3) illustrating to the students|

|strategy |that the material that will be covered in this unit will be very relative to their surroundings and lives. |

| |We will then have class and group discussions from questions that I pose to the students that will challenge|

| |them to think and bring out their misconceptions and the prior knowledge of this area of study. Through |

| |this process of eliciting students’ knowledge we will also construct KWL charts which can continually be |

| |looked back on and used to give ownership of the material that we will cover to the students. We will be |

| |discussing models and creating one for the Earth-Moon system together because it is essential for students |

| |to see the importance of models and the power they can have to illustrate relationships and create |

| |understandings of a concept. Models will be used throughout the lesson and it is important for the students|

| |to understand the process used to create one. Because of this, this section will be scaffolded for the |

| |students. |

|Evidence of understanding |I will be listening to the students’ ideas of the Earth-Sun-Moon system as well as looking over the KWL |

| |charts we make as a class to see how the students explain their thinking on this topic and to uncover what |

| |prior knowledge or misconceptions they might have. I will also be able to see the students’ thinking on |

| |models as we critique the one we create together as a class. |

|Cultural responsiveness |This will be as culturally responsive as possible by building on the classroom norms that were created at |

| |the beginning of the year. These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of relationships, |

| |reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This |

| |lesson will have class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. And finally this |

| |lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials available to students as well as making all |

| |content as relative to the students’ lives as possible. |

|Resources |Butcher paper, markers, and pictures of the seasons in Seattle. |

DAY 2: Continuation of Introduction (100 minutes)

|What students are doing? |Groups will finish their preliminary model of the Earth-Moon system (or start) and present to class. These |

| |models will be displayed in the classroom throughout the unit. |

| |Students will be introduced to two inquiry projects that will be done during the unit. Discuss the idea of |

| |inquiry and what it is. |

| |How do we explain the phenomena of the moon’s phase changes? (Half of the students will begin to take daily|

| |observations of how they see the moon.) |

| |How does the moon’s position around the Earth affect tides? (EQ #3) (The other half of the students will |

| |record the high and low tides for each day.) |

| |Students will be introduced to the concept of making a hypothesis and spend time developing a hypothesis to |

| |answer the two questions they are doing inquiry on. |

| |Students will share their hypotheses to their groups and class. We will decide on one class hypothesis for |

| |each question. |

| |If time… the students will revisit their KWL charts that were created in the previous lesson on the |

| |Sun-Earth system. The students will then create another preliminary model for this system. It will be a 2D|

| |model that should show a representation of how the sun affects the Earth as it rotates around the sun (the |

| |season / amount of light). Students do this model on their own. |

|Objectives |4.1 Students will practice making and applying hypotheses to questions they will be investigating. |

| |4.3 Students will construct models (to describe the phenomena of the four seasons as well as the phenomena |

| |of tides and the phases of the moon). |

|Reasons for content and instructional |On this day I will introduce the inquiry projects in order for the students to start collecting data. This |

|strategy |data will be needed when we revisit the Earth-Moon system at the end of the unit. We will also discuss the |

| |investigation and I will illustrate to the students that what they are doing is authentic science. We will |

| |talk about different levels of investigation and how this one will help us understand concepts and how that |

| |is a very important part of science but there are also other levels of inquiry and investigation. The |

| |students will then work on one of the most important parts of investigation, making predictions and |

| |hypothesis. This is a skill that not only scientists use but that can be seen in our everyday lives, and by|

| |giving the students practice at doing this it will make them more thoughtful students as well as prepare |

| |them for more open inquiry and investigations. |

|Evidence of understanding |I will be looking for the level of understanding the students have, as they continue to create models on the|

| |Earth-Moon system. I will also do this while they create models for the Earth-Sun system. During this |

| |lesson I will also be examining the students’ hypotheses, and see how they make predictions based on their |

| |current ideas. The students will also have the chance to critique the ideas of other students as we choose,|

| |as a class, a hypothesis for each question I posed to them. |

|Cultural responsiveness |This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on the classroom norms that were |

| |created at the beginning of the year. These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of |

| |relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and classmates’ ideas and |

| |backgrounds. This lesson will have class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. |

| |And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials available to students as well |

| |as making all content as relative to the students as possible. |

|Resources |Butcher paper and markers. |

DAY 3: Tilt of the Earth and the seasons (100 minutes)

|What students are doing? |Students will be introduced to the “inquiry wall.” This will have the questions I posed to them and the |

| |hypotheses we developed as a class. Revisit why we are doing “inquiry.” |

| |Students will finish their preliminary models on the Earth-Sun mode and present them to the class. These |

| |will also be displayed in the classroom. |

| |Students will then look at data that illustrates the length of daylight in Seattle through out the year. We|

| |will connect which lengths correspond with what season. The students will then reexamine their models and |

| |use the information presented to them to derive a hypothesis for “How does the Sun-Earth system create the |

| |seasons?” |

| |Students will then do a hands on activity to explore how the obit of a ball (the Earth) around a bulb / |

| |flashlight (the Sun) could represent what happens in the Earth-Sun system and illustrate the amount of |

| |daylight that occurs in Seattle throughout the year. |

|Objectives |2.3 Students will model that the Earth is tilted. |

| |2.4 Students will verify that the seasons are determined by the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth |

| |and that this is directly related to the Earth’s tilt, rotation, and orbit around the sun. |

|Reasons for content and instructional |I will continue to use class and group discussions to increase the amount students get to input along with |

|strategy |building a strong learning and safe environment. I will also use the strategy of guided exploration when we|

| |begin to look at the relationships of the Sun-Earth system. The students will gain practice with |

| |exploration, comparison of data, drawing relationships, and trying to answer questions through |

| |investigation. All of these skills are extremely important to inquiry, developing models, and becoming a |

| |more scientifically literate and thoughtful student and citizen. |

|Evidence of understanding |I will be looking for the students to be able to justify a position on inquiry and explain their thinking |

| |about why they think this way and why we are doing these projects. They will then finish creating their |

| |models. Along with this I will examine how well the students are able to interpret new data (the length of |

| |the days through out the year) and come up with predictions as we start exploring the Earth-Sun system. And|

| |finally, as the students do the hands on activity, I will look to see if the students are able to |

| |systematically analyze what they are doing and come up with relationships and a better understanding of the |

| |Earth-Sun system. |

|Cultural responsiveness |This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on the classroom norms that were |

| |created at the beginning of the year. These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of |

| |relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and classmates’ ideas and |

| |backgrounds. This lesson will have class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. |

| |And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials available to students as well |

| |as making all content as relative to the students as possible. |

|Resources |Butcher paper, markers, tennis balls, and flashlights / lamps. |

DAY 4: Tilt of the Earth and the Seasons (100 minutes)

|What students are doing? |Students will continue with the hands on activity and make connections with the tilt of the Earth, the orbit|

| |of the Earth around the sun, and the amount of light that hits a specific spot. They will then relate this |

| |to the seasons. |

| |Students will write down their conclusions and then compare that with their original hypotheses. |

| |Students will discuss their groups’ results and as a class we will gain a strong understanding of this |

| |system. |

| |I will show pictures / movie / computer simulation of the Sun’s position of the sun on the horizon changing |

| |throughout the year. |

| |Students will revise their preliminary models. |

| |Students will look more closely at their models, and through questioning compare the northern and southern |

| |hemispheres and the different ecosystems of the world. Through this process they will make connections with|

| |the tilt and the amount of light received by the Earth and then how this produces the different ecosystems |

| |of the world as well as the seasons. |

| |Students will be introduced to their first project, making a complete model of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. |

|Objectives |2.4 Students will verify that the seasons are determined by the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth |

| |and that this is directly related to the Earth’s tilt, rotation, and orbit around the sun. |

| |2.5 Students will explain the connections between the different ecosystems of the world and the amount of |

| |sunlight that area receives. |

|Reasons for content and instructional |This is an important lesson for the students to gain practice in making connections and relationships |

|strategy |through analyzing data gained from the activity, discussions, and revising their models. We will do this |

| |through the strategy of interactive concept building. This lesson is needed to bring everything together |

| |for the students and to solidify their understanding of the Earth-Sun system. |

|Evidence of understanding |I will look at the students’ conclusions (the relationships they found in the Earth-Sun activity), and |

| |examine how the students’ understanding of this system, particularly in how it relates to seasons, changed. |

| |Through the revision of their models and group and class discussions I will also look to see how the |

| |students explain their thinking and understanding of this concept. In the final part of the lesson I will |

| |examine the students’ ability to generalize from one context to another. In this case it will be making the|

| |generalization that the sun heats the planet different amounts in different areas and applying this more |

| |globally and to the broader concept of ecosystems. |

|Cultural responsiveness |This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on the classroom norms that were |

| |created at the beginning of the year. These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of |

| |relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and classmates’ ideas and |

| |backgrounds. This lesson will have class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. |

| |And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials available to students as well |

| |as making all content as relative to the students as possible. |

|Resources |Butcher paper, markers, tennis balls, and flashlights / lamps. |

DAY 5: Differences of Earth and other planets (100 minutes)

|What students are doing? |Introduce essential question number two |

| |Students will start with discussing the necessary attributes of life in their groups and report these to the|

| |class. |

| |The class will then break these down and look at their sources. This conversation will hopefully lead in |

| |the direction of our atmosphere, and temperature. |

| |Students will then be introduced to the rest of the planets and in groups make comparisons (using |

| |textbooks…) with Earth and the planet they are looking at. There results will be presented to the class. |

| |Students will brainstorm about how the distances from the sun may illustrate to us the characteristics of |

| |those planets. |

| |Students will then understand scale and make a scaled down representation of the solar system. |

| |Students will do a planet walk |

|Objectives |Students will analyze the characteristics of the planets in our solar system and discover their similarities|

| |and differences. |

| |Students will understand that the distance of the Earth from the sun creates its unique characteristics |

| |that support life. |

|Reasons for content and instructional |This lesson is important for connecting their surroundings (Earth, Sun, and Moon) with the rest of the |

|strategy |planets. These connections will be made by having the students brainstorm ideas for this question, “how |

| |does the distance from the sun change the characteristics of a planet?” This process will illustrate to the|

| |students the unique characteristics of Earth and the specific attributes organisms need to survive. It is |

| |also an important lesson because it shows students that it is possible to make connections between two |

| |systems (earth-sun-moon system and ecosystems). |

|Evidence of understanding |In this class I will be looking for effort by the students to research their planet and make comparisons |

| |with the Earth. I will also be examining students’ ability to draw connections between the distance from |

| |the sun and the amount of light that reaches that planet, and how it affects the planet’s environment. The |

| |students will then produce ideas of how to create a scaled down model of the solar system. They will make |

| |the connection of how spread apart our solar system is when we go outside to do a planet walk, where each |

| |step becomes millions of miles. |

|Cultural responsiveness |This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on the classroom norms that were |

| |created at the beginning of the year. These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of |

| |relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and classmates’ ideas and |

| |backgrounds. This lesson will have class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. |

| |And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials available to students as well |

| |as making all content as relative to the students as possible. |

|Resources |Textbooks, computers, butcher paper, markers, and good weather. |

DAY 6: Similarities of Earth and other planets (100 minutes)

|What students are doing? |Students will revisit the planets and the differences. Through this process they will also look for any |

| |type of similarities or characteristics that are fairly close to the Earth’s characteristics. |

| |Students will use their textbooks and other information I provide them, to find out more about the planets. |

| |(They will possibly do a jigsaw method.) |

| |Students will be introduced to their culminating project and spend time selecting a planet to advertise. |

| |The rest of the class the students will brainstorm ideas for their final project, research, and ask |

| |questions. |

|Objectives |1.1Students will analyze the characteristics of the planets in our solar system and discover their |

| |similarities and differences. |

| |1.2 Students will understand that the distance of the Earth from the sun creates its unique characteristics |

| |that support life. |

|Reasons for content and instructional |This lesson is an important lesson because it improves the students’ understanding of our solar system while|

|strategy |also strengthening the class’s ability to work together. These will be done through using a jigsaw |

| |activity. Each group will be assigned a planet and the responsibility to teach the other students about |

| |their planet. And finally they will be given time to brainstorm and research for their culminating project.|

| |This project will tie many of the concepts they learn in this unit together. |

|Evidence of understanding |In this class I will be looking for presentations (during the jigsaw) that illustrate that the students |

| |applied effort to find and understand the similarities between the planet and the Earth. I will also look |

| |for effort and ideas that the students generate as they brainstorm ideas for their culminating project. |

|Cultural responsiveness |This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on the classroom norms that were |

| |created at the beginning of the year. These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of |

| |relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and classmates’ ideas and |

| |backgrounds. This lesson will have class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. |

| |And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials available to students as well |

| |as making all content as relative to the students as possible. |

|Resources |Textbooks, computers, butcher paper, and markers. |

DAY 7: Relating the phase of the moon to the position of the moon around the

Earth (100 minutes)

|What students are doing? |Students will look at the data that was collected over the past two weeks on the phases of the moon. I will|

| |provide other data to fill in the gaps. |

| |Students will then watch a computer simulation and video of the moon phases. |

| |Students will analyze the data and revisit the hypothesis they made on day two. |

| |In groups and as a class we will brainstorm ideas of how the phases of the moon occur. |

| |Students will do a hands on activity much like the Sun-Earth activity. |

| |Students will discuss how to change the class model, and individually write the revised model down. |

| |If time: the students will work the first project (Sun-Earth-Moon system model) |

|Objectives |3.1 Students will understand that the moon is reflecting the light from the sun. |

| |3.2 Students will identify connections between the way they observe the moon from the Earth and the position|

| |of the moon around the Earth. |

|Reasons for content and instructional |This is an important lesson for the students to gain practice in making connections and relationships |

|strategy |through analyzing the data gained from the activity, discussions, and revising their models. We will do |

| |this through the strategies of guided exploration and interactive concept building. This lesson is needed |

| |to bring everything together for the students and solidify their understanding of the Earth-Moon system. |

|Evidence of understanding |In this lesson I will look to see how much effort the students put in to analyzing the data and making |

| |connections with this data, the movie, and the hands on activity. I will also look to see how their ability|

| |to do this process has improved over the course of this unit. They will then critique and revise their |

| |preliminary models. |

|Cultural responsiveness |This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on the classroom norms that were |

| |created at the beginning of the year. These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of |

| |relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and classmates’ ideas and |

| |backgrounds. This lesson will have class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. |

| |And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials available to students as well |

| |as making all content as relative to the students as possible. |

|Resources |Computers, pictures, tennis balls, flashlight / lamp, butcher paper, and markers. |

DAY 8: The position of the moon and the tides (100 minutes)

|What students are doing? |If needed, students will be given more time to finish the hands on explorations of the Earth-Moon system and|

| |or revising the model. |

| |The students will then look at the data that the students collected about the tides over the past two weeks.|

| |For areas that need data I will provide the class with this data. |

| |Student will watch a computer simulations and video of the moon phases and tides changing. |

| |Students will analyze the data and revisit hypothesis they made on day two. |

| |In groups and as a class we will brainstorm ideas of how these two phenomena are related. |

| |Students will them make connections between the two and together we will create a model of this phenomena. |

| |Finally the students will revisit Essential Questions (1 – 3) and discuss their learning and understanding. |

| |Students will fill out some type of evaluation of their learning and on the unit as a whole (content, my |

| |teaching…) |

| |If time: students will work on their Sun-Earth-Moon models. |

|Objectives |3.2 Students will identify connections between the way they observe the moon from the Earth and the position|

| |of the moon around the Earth. |

| |3.3 Students will construct relationships between the position of the moon and the level of the tides to |

| |understand the phenomena of tides. |

|Reasons for content and instructional |This is an important lesson for the students to gain practice in making connections and relationships |

|strategy |through analyzing the data gained from the videos, discussions, and revising their models. We will do this |

| |through the strategy of interactive concept building. This lesson is needed to bring everything together |

| |for the students and solidify their understanding of the Earth-Moon system. |

|Evidence of understanding |In this lesson I will look to see how much effort the students put in to analyzing the data and making |

| |connections with this data, the movie and our discussions. I will also look to see how their ability to do |

| |this process has improved over the course of this unit. They will then create, critique and produce a final|

| |model for the Moon and tide phenomena. The final part of the class I will have the students explain their |

| |thinking (in writing / diagrams, and in speaking) about answers to the essential questions. |

|Cultural responsiveness |This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on the classroom norms that were |

| |created at the beginning of the year. These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of |

| |relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and classmates’ ideas and |

| |backgrounds. This lesson will have class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. |

| |And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials available to students as well |

| |as making all content as relative to the students as possible. |

|Resources |Computers, pictures, tennis balls, flashlight / lamp, butcher paper, and markers. |

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