Galaxies and the Solar System by Lynn Durrant 1
10 tips for learning success Be independent and responsible for your own learning. Work collaboratively in pairs or groups. Use different strategies to help you understand scientific information. Share information to help you and others understand scientific knowledge better. Use different kinds of materials such as authentic texts and multimedia. Do activities that require thinking and problem solving. Draw conclusions from abased on scientific investigation. Provide scientific knowledge related to space. Assess your own work and that of others. Provide suggestions on how to improve. 2
Read about Galaxies and the Solar System. A galaxy is a massive collection of stars, dust and gas. A typical galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars. Astronomers estimate that our galaxy, the Milky Way, has between 200 and 400 billion stars. No-one really knows how big our galaxy is. We cannot see the edges (if there are any). Scientists think there are around 500 billion galaxies. Our galaxy is called The Milky Way because it has a layer of stars at the edge that look like a white line and sometimes when you look carefully at the night sky, when there isn't any light source and moon you can see this white belt. Our galaxy rotates. A galactic year is the length of time it takes for the Solar System to go once all the way round the galaxy - about 225 million years. It is also known as a cosmic year. 3
Like more than two-thirds of known galaxies, the Milky Way has a spiral shape. At the centre of the spiral, a lot of energy and occasionally vivid flares are being generated. Other galaxies have elliptical shapes, and a few have unusual shapes like toothpicks or rings. The Hubble Space Telescope observed a tiny area of space and found approximately 10,000 galaxies of all sizes, shapes and colours. The shapes of galaxies are influenced by their neighbours, and galaxies often collide. The Milky Way is on a collision course with our nearest neighbour, the Andromeda Galaxy. 4
Our Solar System is in the Milky Way. The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. The Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, dust and gas. The Sun's gravity keeps the planets, dwarf planets, comets and asteroids in orbit. The eight planets that orbit the Sun are (in order from the Sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter (the biggest planet in our Solar System), Saturn (with large, orbiting rings), Uranus and Neptune. The inner planets (those planets that orbit close to the Sun) are different from the outer planets (those planets that orbit far from the Sun). The inner planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. They are relatively small, composed mostly of rock, and have few or no moons. The outer planets include: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. They are large, mostly gaseous, ringed, and have many moons. 5
1 Recalling What can you remember? Circle the correct sentence in each pair. a. We know how big our galaxy is. b. We don t know how big our galaxy is. a. Our galaxy moves. b. Our galaxy doesn t move. a. There are other galaxies in outer space. b. There aren t other galaxies in outer space. a. Our Solar System isn t inside the Milky Way. b. Our Solar System is inside the Milky Way. a. You can find 10 planets in the Solar system. b. You can find 8 planets in the Solar System. a. Neptune keeps the other planets in orbit. b. Gravity keeps the planets in orbit. Draw a mind map of the Solar System. 6
2 Understanding What do you understand? a. Answer the questions. Discuss in pairs Why is it difficult to know the exact size of our galaxy? What is in the centre of the Milky Way? Why is gravity important in our Solar System? Give two reasons. b. Find out what Saturn s rings look like. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p006t1l4 Answer the questions. Discuss in groups. What can we compare Saturn s rings with on Earth? Why are Saturn s rings so bright? 3 Analysing What do you think? What would happen to the Earth if it suddenly stopped moving? Explain your answer. Discuss in groups of three. Why don t planets at the edge of our Solar System simply fly off into space? Explain your answer. Find an image to illustrate your explanation. Where could you find more information on The Milky Way being on a collision course with the Andromeda galaxy? Create an information guide. 7
Revision Read the definition then label the diagram. Sun - The Sun is a star at the centre of our Jupiter - Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. This gas giant is the largest planet. Solar System. Mercury - Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. Saturn - Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. This gas giant has large, beautiful rings. Venus - Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is the hottest planet. Uranus - Uranus is a gas giant and is the seventh planet from the Sun. Earth - Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the planet we live on. Neptune - Neptune is a gas giant and is the eighth planet from the Sun. Mars - Mars is a red planet and the fourth planet from the Sun. Pluto - Pluto is a dwarf planet that is the farthest planet from the Sun. 8
Extension Facts about the Solar System Visit the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)website. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/index.cfm# Find the answers to the following questions. How many rings does Neptune have? Which planets have no solid surface? What is the great red spot on Jupiter? How long does Neptune take to orbit the Sun? Which is the most famous dwarf planet? What makes Uranus look blue? What s the temperature on the Sun? How are dwarf planets different to the other eight planets? What is the Kuiper Belt? 9
Project: Collaborative problem solving As a class delegate a different planet to each pair. You could do this by making a list on the board then writing the names of the pairs who will take responsibility for each planet. 1. Click on the link and choose an astronomy game to play with your partner to revise what you know about Galaxies and our Solar System. http://www.kidsastronomy.com/fun/index.htm 2. In pairs, follow the steps to create a planet for a collective exhibition and prepare a presentation of the planet using PowerPoint. 3. Watch a demonstration before beginning on how to make a Solar System with mini planets to give you some ideas. http://hubpages.com/video/solar-system-projects-mini-clay-paper-mache-and- Yarn-Balls 10
4. Make your planet with clay. Examine photos of the planet and mix colours if you cannot find a good match. Many planets have an uneven surface, so choose the main colour of the planet. Mix a wide range of colours to sculpt a planet like Uranus. Knead the clay for a few moments. When the clay is flexible and you can pull it without breaking it, shape it into a round ball. Sculpt distinctive features like mountains or valleys using a knife, spoon or toothpick. Scrape the clay carefully with a knife and use the spoon to make a valley. If you are making a small planet, make valleys by gently pushing the back of the spoon into the clay. You can use darker coloured clay to build the volcanoes on Mars, for instance. The surface of Venus is similar to the surface on Earth, which has canyons, volcanoes, lava flows, rift valleys, mountains, craters and plains. Make red spots on Jupiter by using different coloured clay or show craters on the surface on Mercury by using lighter coloured clay. Add decorations like uncooked rice and glitter to make the surface stand out. 5. Make a collective exhibition of the planets and vote for the best ones according to the items in the rubric Creativity, Accuracy and Presentation. 11
The Planets 6. In pairs, choose a planet and find a picture of it. 7. Find out the following information for your planet (question 6). Use the links at the bottom of the page to help you. a. Size of planet b. Distance from the Earth c. Distance from the Sun d. What it is made of e. If it has moons f. Temperature g. Anything unusual about it 8. Put the information from question 7 on one or two Powerpoint slides.. 9. Present it to the rest of the class. 10. With the slides make a single Power Point presentation and you will have information of all the planets. Upload it to Slideshare or Calameo. Helpful Links for Research (remember that you will need to use several websites to find all of the information): JPL Planets - This site will be useful for our planet research project. It includes the most important information for each planet. NASA Solar System - This site will also be useful for our planet research project. It includes the most important information for each planet and much more. Enchanted Learning Astronomy This site also has some good images to use in your presentation. Planet Symbols from NASA - Symbols of all the planets. MOST IMPORTANTLY, there is an explanation of the symbols at the bottom of the page. NASA Celestia Exploration - Planets are listed on the left, click on your planet for a summary.. NASA Worldbook - Click on your planet from the list for some great information. Windows to the Universe - Contains information on all planets. National Geographic Virtual Solar System - Not a lot of information but a very cool site! Some features only work on a PC. NASA Photojournal - Lots of pictures for your PowerPoint presentation! 12
Assessment Tools RUBRIC FOR GALAXIES AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM READING 4 3 2 1 Remembering information Understanding information Applying information You can easily recall the You can easily understand the You can easily apply the You can recall most of the You can understand most of the You can apply most of the You can recall some of the You can understand some of the You can apply some of the You can recall very little or none of the You can understand very little or none of the information in You can apply very little or none of the PRESENTATION 4 3 2 1 Preparation Speaks Clearly Stays on Topic You have carried out a complete preparation and have rehearsed You speak clearly all the time and no words are mispronounced You follow the topic all of the time (100%) You have carried out a good preparation but a couple more rehearsals might have been needed You speak clearly most of the time but one or two words are mispronounced You follow the topic most of the time (90%) You have carried out a fair preparation but lack of rehearsal is clear You speak clearly most of the time but a few words are mispronounced You follow the topic some of the time (75%) You have carried out very little preparation and a lack of rehearsal is clear. You don t speak clearly and what you say is not understandable or more than a few words are mispronounced. You don t follow the topic and it s difficult to follow 13
PLANET AND POWERPOINT 4 3 2 1 Creativity of the planet Information gathering Accuracy of content You put a lot of thought into making the planet and it was well presented. You were able to take information from many different sources and put a lot of effort into your research. All the information you gave was correct. You put some thought into making the planet and it was well presented. You were able to take information from several different sources and put some effort into your research. Most of the information you gave was correct. You put some thought into making the planet but some of the aspects are not too clear. You were able to take information from one or two sources and put some effort into your research. Some of the information you gave was correct. You put little thought into making the planet interesting and well presented. You found it difficult to take information from various sources and put little effort into your research. Very little information you gave was correct. Attractiveness and neatness of the presentation Knowledge and conclusions There is a lot of visual appeal and the presentation is very neat. You were able to reach clear conclusions and gain knowledge based on your research. There is quite a lot of visual appeal and the presentation is quite neat. You were able to reach fairly clear conclusions and gain a fair amount of knowledge based on your research. There is a fair amount of visual appeal and the presentation is fairly neat. You were able to reach some conclusions and gain some knowledge based your research. There is little or no visual appeal and the presentation is not attractive. You were not able to reach any conclusions, or very few, and gained little knowledge based on your research. COLLABORATIVE WORK 4 3 2 1 Collaboration with peers You listen well to your peers, you share well and are supportive of the efforts of others. You make sure everyone works together as a team. You listen quite well to your peers, you share quite well and are quite supportive. You make some effort in maintaining a good team spirit. You are not a good listener sometimes, but you do try to share and support the efforts of others. You are not a good listener, you do not share very much and are not supportive of the efforts of others. You are often not a good team member. Personal Portfolio Identify and write your own profile in every category. How can you improve your progress? 14
Checklist In this unit you have Worked independently and agreed to be responsible for your own learning. Worked collaboratively in pairs or groups. Used different strategies to help you understand scientific information. Done some research using reliable sources of information. Shared information to help you and others understand scientific knowledge better. Used appropriate language and vocabulary to carry out and explain findings from research. Explored a variety of authentic texts and multimedia. Carried out activities that are challenging and require thinking. Provided information and made a hypothesis based on your knowledge of Galaxies and the Solar Systems. Taken greater responsibility for learning by assessing your own work and that of others. 15
Acknowledgements page 1 leungchopan/shutterstock page 3 Vectomart/Shutterstock page 4 Nolkin/Shutterstock page 5 Maciej Sojka/Shutterstock, MarcelClemens/Shutterstock page 8 Orla/Shutterstock page 9 Aaron Rutten/Shutterstock 16