INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING GUIDE FOR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARTH, MOON, AND SUN TEKS: 5.8D Earth and space. The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. The student is expected Student to: Expectation - Unpacked Student Expectations Student Expectation 5.8D identify and compare the physical characteristics of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. Verbs identify compare Definition to recognize a particular thing to consider, describe, or examine in order to note the similarities and differences of Students will learn to recognize a particular characteristic as that of Implication for the Sun, Moon, and/or Earth. They will be able to examine and students describe how these bodies are different and alike. Scope of student action Bloom s Taxonomy Level The basic characteristics should include a comparison of size, rotation, revolution, gravity, atmosphere, position in the solar system, landforms, water, weather, layers, temperature, and processes of change. remembering recalling information analyzing breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships Scientific Investigation & Reasoning or Science Process Student Expectations 5.1 5.4 Scientific investigation and reasoning/science process TEKS and student expectations are to be included and embedded in all content. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 1
Clarifying Statements Characteristics of the Earth, Moon, and Sun The Earth, Moon and Sun are part of a dynamic system that is unique in our solar system. Due to the position of Earth in relation to the Sun, it is the only planet in our solar system that supports life. The Earth, Moon, and Sun share some characteristics, but are more different than they are alike. All three bodies have gravity, layers, temperature, and a diameter. The temperature and diameter vary greatly between the three bodies and even though they have layers, the layers are very different on each. All three bodies rotate on an axis and revolve, but in different ways. Diagrams and a chart follow to explain differences and similarities. Students should be able to identify the physical characteristics of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. The physical characteristics of each help explain how our solar system works. For example, Earth has a gravitational pull that is able to hold its atmosphere. The Earth s gravity also holds the Moon in orbit The Moon exerts a much weaker gravitational pull that is not sufficient to hold an atmosphere. The Sun s gravitational pull is much greater than any other body in our solar system. Its gravitational pull holds an atmosphere, just not one living things can breathe. The Sun s gravitational pull holds the Earth and other planets in their orbits, just as a planet s gravitational pull keeps their moon(s) in orbit around them. Students will understand that gravity is a force of attraction between any two objects; the greater the mass of an object, the greater its gravitational force. It is a characteristic shared by the Earth, Moon, and Sun; however, many students my hold the misconception that the Moon has no gravity. Because weight is a measure of the force of gravity on an object, weight would differ on the three bodies. Mass is independent of gravity and would remain the same on all three. The Earth and Moon have more shared characteristics than either share with the Sun. Both the Earth and the Moon have similar landforms mountains, plains, and craters. Earth s surface has changed much more than that of the Moon. Because the Moon has no atmosphere or flowing water, the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition do not occur as they do on Earth. The moon is changed by the impact of meteoroids, asteroids, and comets that pound its surface occasionally creating craters and a fine powdery soil. Both the Earth and the Moon have rocks and soil and are made of the Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 2
same minerals, but in different amounts. Earth is the only body in our solar system able to support life, mainly because it is the only one with flowing water and a reasonable temperature range. The Sun is the largest body in our solar system, and is a star made of very hot gases. It does have an atmosphere, but not one living organisms can breath. The Sun supplies energy to support almost all forms of life on Earth. Below are some diagrams showing the layers of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Crust Mantle Outer Core Inner core Crust Upper Mantle Lower Mantle Core Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 3
Comparison of the Earth, Moon, and Sun Earth Moon Sun Diameter 12,756 km Surface Temperature -60 to 120 0 F Diameter 3,476 km Surface Temperature -274 to 266 0 F Diameter 1,392,000 km Surface Temperature 10,000 o F Gravitational pull Gravitational pull (1/6 Earth) Gravitational pull Layers Layers Layers Soil Orbit Rocks Craters Plains Mountains Soil Orbit Rocks Craters Plains (Maria) Mountains Weather Wind Atmosphere Wind Atmosphere Quakes Quakes Life Solar energy, heat, light Made of rock Made of rock Made of gas Through the study of the physical features of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, students begin to understand the universe as a dynamic system. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 4
Vocabulary gravity orbit revolve rotation tilt Word Definition force of attraction between two objects; for example the force that keeps the planets and moon in orbit. path that one object in space takes around another object in space. movement of an object around another object in space, like Earth s movement around the Sun that takes approximately 365 days, the yearly cycle. spinning of an object on its axis; on Earth this takes approximately 24 hours, the day and night cycle. a slant from upright position, for the Earth about 23.5 degrees. Assessment Guidelines Questions should assess student understanding in authentic ways. Assessments should reflect good instructional practice and accurately measure student learning. Most items will be in a multiple-choice format with four options, but may also include performance or essay questions. The student expectations in this unit direct students to identify and compare the characteristics of the Earth, Sun, and Moon. It is important to remember that the examples that follow the term including do not represent all of the examples possible, so other examples may also provide the basis for an assessment item. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 5
Assessment Examples Example 1 (STAAR Grade 5 Science, dual coded: 5.8D and 5.3C, Question Grade 5, Assessing Process Skills, TEA, Fall 2010 The drawing shows a model of the Earth, Moon, and Sun system made from foam balls. What is one way to make this model more accurate? A Use wooden blocks instead of foam balls B* Make the sun larger than the Earth and the moon smaller C Move the sun closer to the Earth D Change the order of the foam balls to be Moon, Sun, Earth Example 2 (STAAR Grade 5 Science, dual-coded: 4.8C and 5.2C #8, 2011 release) A student observed the apparent shape of the moon every night for a period of 60 days. On Day 10 the student observed a full moon. On which other day did the student most likely observe a full moon? A Day 20 B Day 30 C* Day 40 D Day 50 Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 6
Example 3 (from the TAKS released April 2004 #14) The surface of the Sun is made of F* gases G solids H liquids J energy Example 4 (from the TAKS released April 2006 #26) Which of the following can be found on both Earth and the Moon? F* Hills G Thick atmosphere H Thunderstorms J Oceans Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 7
Example 5 (from the TAKS released April 2004 #23) Which of these best shows the relationship between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun? * Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 8
STAAR Connections (SS Supporting Standard; RS Readiness Standard) Learning builds between grades and depends on earlier grades. Each SE is essential for success in the current grade and is important for preparedness for the next grade. With the Science STAAR, content and skills are addressed at a greater depth and cognitive complexity. What follows is a summary of how the SEs for your grade level relate to middle school grades and tested concepts on the Science STAAR Test at 8 th grade. STAAR Connections for Earth, Moon, and Sun Knowing the characteristics of the Earth, Moon, and Sun will help students build a foundation for many concepts in middle school. In 6 th grade students revisit the properties of the Sun and Earth, but extend the study to additional planets and other celestial bodies (6.11A). 6 th grade students must also understand gravity as a force that governs all movement in the solar system (6.11B SS). 6 th grade standards also require students to build a model to illustrate Earth s layers (6.10A. In 7 th grade students analyze the characteristics of objects in the solar system that allow life to exist (7.9A). These concepts build to 8 th grade where students predict the sequence of events in the lunar cycle (8.7B RS) and how the position of the Moon and Sun affect ocean tides (8.7C SS). 8 th grade study moves beyond our solar system to components of the universe (8.8 RS) and a more in depth study of the Sun as a star (8.8B SS). Real World Connections Relevance is a key component to motivating student learning. By establishing personal and real-world relevance, students are provided with an important opportunity to relate subject matter to the world around them, and to assimilate it with their previously held assumptions and beliefs. Relevance allows students to construct their own understanding. Students should be provided with intentional and explicit opportunities to discuss why a topic is worth learning, how it operates in the real world, why it makes sense, and how it connects to things they already know. Grade level appropriate real world connections are provided to help teachers help students make these connections. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 9
Real World Connections for Earth, Moon, and Sun Gravity from the Earth-Moon-Sun system directly affects what it s like to live here on Earth. For example, if you jump up in the air, you return to Earth rather quickly. The Moon is our nearest neighbor in space and affects Earth in many ways. Understanding the interactions of the Moon and Earth allow us to understand the rise and fall of tides and why the water at the beach is not always in the same place. Learning about the characteristics of the Earth and Moon provide a basis for understanding their common origins. Earth s characteristics allow life to exist, something lacking on the Moon or Sun. However, the characteristics of the Sun are critical to life surviving on Earth. The Sun is the source of almost all energy on Earth. The fact that the Earth has an atmosphere and the Moon does not, explains why weathering and erosion have such a large effect on Earth s surface and very little effect on the Moon. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 10
Teacher s Notes This unit provides an opportunity for teachers to use descriptive and comparative investigations. This unit also provides an excellent opportunity for students to use tools such as computers, cameras, and notebooks. The student expectations in this unit provide some specific essentials that should not be over looked. These essentials include: 1. The Earth, Moon, and Sun have similarities and differences. 2. The basic characteristics of the Earth, Moon, and Sun 3. All three have layers, but they are composed of different materials. 4. The Earth and Moon have very similar mineral content and landforms and both are solid. The Sun is gaseous. 5. Only Earth supports life. 6. The reasons weather, weathering, and erosion only occur on Earth 7. The physical characteristics of each body determine many of its other properties. 8. All three bodies have gravity. The Sun has the greatest gravitational pull and is able to hold all the planets in orbit and it has an atmosphere, just not one living things can breathe. The Earth also has gravity and holds the moon in orbit and an atmosphere in place. The Moon has gravity, but it is 1/6 that of Earth, and it is unable to hold an atmosphere. 9. Because weight is a measure of the force of gravity on an object, weight would differ on the three bodies. Mass is independent of gravity and would remain the same on all three. It is NOT essential for the students to understand certain material in this unit. These non-essentials include: 1. Fusion reactions in the sun s core 2. Photons, neutrinos, and gamma rays 3. The geology of each layer of the Moon and Earth (the subdivisions) 4. Detailed mineral make-up of the Earth s and Moon s layers Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 11
Investigation Ideas For This Unit Descriptive Investigation: a. Students can investigate crater formation on the moon using a model. Several things can be used to simulate the moon s surface (cornmeal, flour, sand, etc.). On the top put colored sugar, dry drink mix, or powdered paint. Students can then drop various size balls from the same height to describe what happens to the surface. The powder of a different color allows students to see how the soil is spread to a new place Students can measure the size of each crater and conclude that bigger objects make a bigger impact. This could also be done on the playground. Use a slide and a large ball such as a bowling ball. Drop the ball from the top of the slide and observe the crater created. Other size balls may also be dropped. This works best if sand is on your playground, but it can work with pea gravel. Comparative Investigations: a. Students discover how vast the Sun is by comparing its size to the Earth. Create a large circle, 100 Skittles* wide. Each skittle represents an Earth. It would take about 100 Earth s to span the Sun s diameter. Since a skittle is about 1cm, a circle with a diameter of 100 centimeters is needed. Draw a line through the center. You could ask students to predict how many skittles it will take to cross the Sun. Then have students place the skittles on a line across the model Sun. When complete, have them count how many skittles it took. Students will then compare the collected data to their prediction and write a conclusion. (*You may also use M & Ms, Cheerios, or large sequins for this activity; they are about the same size. Just make your circle 100 wide of whatever material you use.) b. After learning the characteristics of the Earth, Moon, and Sun; students can sort characteristics into the bodies for which they apply. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. Page 12