Star Stuff Fifth Grade©*

Note to the Teacher

As in earlier units, the first lesson in this series is a review lesson on the planets. Subsequent lessons cover asteroids and meteoroids. The Milky Way, constellations, comets, black holes, etc. have not been included in the K-5 curriculum. Information on that material can be presented in grades 6-12 as minds mature and grow. Topics which have been touched upon in grades K-5 will continue to expand and spiral upward until the subject of astronomy is at the point where children are inspired to continue their advanced study as a choice they make for themselves.

The final lesson in this series is that of open debate, discussion, and questioning what the future has in store. A good deal of knowledge has been gleaned from reading and writing about our solar system. It is hoped that Lesson Four will lend itself to imagination and all the possibilities for the future of space exploration.

Lesson One
Review of the Nine Planets

Objectives
The student will:
- review the nine planets
- be introduced to asteroids
- compare and contrast the size and distance of the planets in our solar system

Materials
Bill Nye the Science Guy video "The Planets" (running time 26 minutes)
string
clay
two chairs
labels
balloons

Procedure
The Bill Nye video will provide students with an excellent overview of the nine planets. In addition, it briefly introduces the concept of asteroids which will be covered in Lesson Two.

An additional activity suggested within the video case is one entitled "It's Not All Gas." Doing this activity will take little time and reinforce placement, size, and distance of the planets.
Stretch a 27 meter piece of string between two chairs
Label one chair the sun, the other the solar system past Pluto
Use the following information to make accurately-sized balls of clay (which represent the solid inner planets) and inflated balloons (which represent the gaseous outer planets, except for Pluto which is clay)
Form the clay around or affix the balloon to the string at the appropriate distance from the sun (use a meter stick to measure)

Lesson Two
Asteroids

Objectives
The student will:
- be introduced to the makeup, location and effect of asteroids in our solar system
- represent the appearance of an asteroid in model form
- use their judgment to evaluate the possible impact on Earth from an asteroid collision

Materials
newspaper strips
paste
paints
resource books
solar system model
access to the Internet

Procedure
Lately, there have been a rash of motion pictures that deal with the probable or possible impact of the Earth being slammed by objects from space such as asteroids or meteorites. Discussion of these feature films should grab the attention of the students immediately. As they relay their various reactions to these films, you will be able to assess how much they actually know about these objects floating in space.

The knowledge you wish to impart at this time regarding asteroids is the following:

In the early 1800's, astronomers first observed asteroids with telescopes. In 1802 William Herschel first used the word "asteroid" which means "starlike" in Greek.

Asteroids are members of our solar system but are too small to be classified as planets (some people term them minor planets)

Asteroids are small rocky bodies that never came together, or were left over, from the formation of the solar system

Most asteroids lie between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, an area known as the asteroid belt (use your model to demonstrate this area).

Some 4,000 asteroids circle the sun in the asteroid belt and scientists speculate that an additional 100,000 asteroids exist with diameters greater than 1 km. (0.5 miles)

The largest known asteroid is Ceres, 940 km. across, about one quarter the size of our moon.

Asteroids occasionally crash into one another, knocking themselves out of the asteroid belt and hurling themselves into space across the orbits of the planets.

Scientists believe that stray asteroids or fragments of these asteroids may have slammed into Earth in the past, altering the geological history of our planet.

Ask students to think of a major event millions of years ago that many scientists attribute to an asteroid impact (the extinction of the dinosaur).

Have students search resource books, encyclopedias, the Internet, etc. for pictures of asteroids. Have them try "The Solar System at: http://www.icu2.net/faahomepage/gallery2.htm Click on asteroids. This site contains wonderful information and pictures at age-appropriate levels. It will allow students to send in pictures of their projects to be featured at the site. A click on Kid's Universe is a good idea as well as it contains a space quiz, and several other space games.

As students are finding pictures, ask them to seek out times when asteroids are believed to have impacted our solar system and whether those impacts were considered cataclysmic or beneficial. The resource books suggested will provide them with this material (see list at end of unit)

Activity:

Using papier-mâché technique, have each student create a model of an asteroid (they seem to resemble potatoes or peanuts). Along with the model they should present a persuasive paragraph on one of the following:

I believe it is unlikely/likely that an asteroid will impact the Earth sometime in the near future because

Asteroids, which have impacted the solar system, have done more harm/good because

Allow time for sharing and display finished products in a place for the whole school to see.

Be an Asteroid Detective

Some of the biggest asteroids are named for gods/goddesses or for astronomers who discovered them. Use the clues below to name some of them (the spelling might not be quite the same but it will be close enough for you to make an intelligent guess).

1. A sweet brown cracker, sometimes flavored with honey or cinnamon

2. A beautiful flower which can also be the name of a girl or part of your eye

3. Something worn under the jacket of a tuxedo and over the shirt

4. An astronomer who shares the same name as one of over presidents whose first name was Warren

5. When one is terribly fearful of heights, or any other severe fear, that fear is sometimes referred to as a _____________

6. Our word, cereal, comes from this goddess name

7. There is a goddess of good health. When we keep ourselves clean and always brush our teeth, we are said to be using good dental ______________.

Word Bank

Objectives
The student will:
- discover three different forms of the word, meteor, and use them correctly in a sentence
- compare meteors and asteroids
- understand what a "shooting star" represents

Materials
visuals from varied sources
dictionary
resource books
National Geographic transparencies
Index cards

Procedure
In order to establish the use of the three different forms of the word, meteor, have the students use a dictionary or the glossary of a good resource book to define the forms:

meteor: a small body that causes a fiery flash of light in the sky as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.

meteorite: a body that has survived its fall through the atmosphere and has struck the surface of a planet or moon.

meteoroid: a very small body (often the remains of a comet) that travels through space. If it passes through the Earth's atmosphere, it is then called a meteor.

To assure that the students can use the words correctly, have them use them in a sentence with their proper meaning. Examples follow:

A large _________________ left a crater on the moon.

As I looked up into the night sky. I saw a bright streak of light flash across the sky. This must have been a ______________.

Astronauts have reported seeing _________________ floating between the moon and Earth.

Have students determine another term we often use for meteor ­shooting star or falling star. Explain that meteors aren't really stars but rather chunks of rock or metallic rock and dust that are pulled toward the Earth by gravity. As the meteor speeds through the Earth's atmosphere, it burns up in a fiery streak of color which lasts only a few seconds. Thus, they become our "shooting stars." Show transparency #11 (Meteor streak in night sky) from the National Geographic set. Using the teacher note will further enhance the difference between the three forms of the word. Find other visuals and pictures of meteorites.

Some meteors do hit the Earth (they then become known as meteorites). Show transparency #12, Meteor Crater, Arizona. They strike only rarely, perhaps once every thousand years. In fact, it is possible that such an object hit the space shuttle, Challenger, in 1983. The impact left a small crater in the shuttle's window.

About nine meteor showers occur each year as the Earth passes through regions of comet debris. As the Earth passes through the debris, gravity scoops up the particles and hurls them towards the ground. Almost all of the debris burns up, in a flash of color, before it hits earth.

Activity

Play a game of Team Trivia. Divide your class into two teams. Give each team 15 cards. Teams take turns asking questions of the opposing team. Teams are allowed to confer for 15 seconds before giving the final answer. Only one answer may be given. When a team answers correctly, it keeps the card. If an incorrect answer is given, the correct answer is read, and the question is placed in the discard pile. Play continues until both teams use all fifteen cards. The team with the most cards wins.

Should you prefer to do away with the cards, a host can simply call out the questions to the teams while the teacher or another student keeps score.

Suggestions for cards are as follows:

What is the largest planet in the solar system? A: Jupiter
Who are the planets named for? A: ancient gods
Which planet is called the Red Planet? A: Mars
Which planet spins on its side? A: Uranus
What are the names of the outer planets? A: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
Which planet is the second in the solar system? A: Saturn
Which planet is closest to the sun? A: Mercury
What is the name we often call a meteor? A: shooting star
How is Earth able to sustain life? A: Earth has water
What is the blanket of air around the earth called? A. atmosphere
What may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? A: asteroid collision
Asteroids are too large to be known as planets-true or false? A: false
At this time, the largest asteroid is known as ________? A.Cerus
An astronomer who discovered an asteroid has a similar name to a cookie. What is this man's name? A: Graham
Meteors that pierce the Earth's atmosphere and crash, leaving craters where they land are called _____________? A: meteorites
Asteroids are made up of___________? A: rocks
What is the name of the place where most asteroids are found? A: Asteroid Belt
Which space shuttle was believed to be hit by a meteoroid? A: A. The Challenger
An asteroid has the same name as one of our presidents. What is that asteroid known as? A: Harding
Earth is the only planet with a moon ­ true or false? A: false
How many planets do we know of in our solar system? A: nine
What is the center of our solar system? A. the sun
What causes the seasons on the planet, Earth? A: the tilt of the Earth
Name a planet surrounded by rings? A: Saturn
The planets are divided into two groups, what are these groups called? A: inner and outer planets
Why is the Earth called the "Blue Planet?" A: It appears blue from space as it is mostly water
The sun orbits the Earth, true or false? A: false A place where one finds huge telescopes to view the sky is called an ________________? A: observatory
Walt Disney created the cartoon character, Pluto, just a few months after the planet was discovered and named, true or false? A: True
(although this fact has not been presented, it's a fun one to stick in)
On Halloween night in 1938, many people in the United States heard Orson Wells narrate a science-fiction story called The War of the Worlds. Before the program was over, millions of people believed that Martians were really invading the Earth-true or false? A: true

This activity can serve as an informal assessment tool for the teacher.

The full script of Orson Wells "War of the World broadcast can be found at: http://members.aol.com/jeff1070/script.html

A fun way to end the lesson might be to read part of the more dramatic aspects.

Audio of the actual broadcast can be found at: http://earthstation1.simplenet.com/wotw.html

Be aware that downloading may be necessary and takes a while. If you choose to use this option, the download should be performed and checked before the class begins.

Objectives:
The student will:
- prepare and share questions about the unknown universe
- discuss and react to differing opinions about "What's Next?"

Materials
Time magazine, April 2000 "Visions of Space and Science"

Procedure
This final lesson is meant to be one that will encourage children to want to learn more about this seemingly unending universe. It is hoped they will come up with questions about our universe and, perhaps, seemingly impossible answers to their questions.

A good place to begin would be to relate the story of Jules Verne, the writer, who in 1865 predicted we would someday land on the Moon. Surely, in 1865 before airplanes were even a reality, that thought had to be something out of the science fiction genre. Speaking of science-fiction, remind students of all the extraordinary exploits characters in Star Trek and Star Wars undertake.

Ask students to share their thoughts and questions about the universe. If they are slow to respond you might lead discussion/debate on any of the following:

Do you believe there is life on other planets? (Many astronomers do believe that life-forming conditions may exist elsewhere)

Will the universe last forever? (Some astronomers believe that the universe will just continue getting bigger as galaxies speed apart while others believe that one day galaxies may start falling back toward each other until they crash together in a Big Crunch)

Will humans actually live in space stations? (We now have the Mir space station. People are aboard most of the time. The longest stay for any one person has been a year)

We put men on the moon in 1972 and some say we will put men on Mars by 2017? Do you think this is possible? If so, what would we have to do to make it reality? (Scientists envision spacecrafts that can achieve speeds of millions of miles per hour, considerably reducing the travel time)

Conclude by sharing the April 2000 issue of Time magazine which asks the following questions:

Will We Live on Mars?
Will We Travel to the Stars?
Will We Travel Back in Time?
Will We Meet E.T.?
Will A Killer Asteroid Hit the Earth?
Will We Find Another Universe?
How Will the Universe End?
Will There Be Anything Left to Discover?

To read all the material in the magazine would be overwhelming but highlights of some/all of the questions should be presented. In this way, students will realize that others struggle with the same issues and questions that probe their minds. Hopefully, students will be ready to purchase or borrow the magazine and read the articles independently.

This short poem may be used to close the unit.

References

Stars and Planets. The Nature Company Discoveries Library: Published by Time-Life Books, 1996.

Star Date (Guide to the Solar System). Available from NASA.

The Kingfisher Young People's Book of Space. Kingfisher Publications, 1998.

Also available from NASA, Education Division, Mail Code FE, Washington, DC 20546-0001:

Solar System Lithograph Set for Space Science

Solar System Puzzle Kit: An Activity for Earth and Space Science (Grades 5-8)

Virginia SOL's Covered in Grade Five

Science

Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic
5.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations in which
- apropriate instruments are selected and used for making quantitative observations of length, mass, and elapsed time
- data are collected, recorded, and reported using the appropriate graphical representations
- accurate measurements are made using meter stick

Matter
5.4 The student will investigate and understand that matter is anything that has mass; takes up space

Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
5.7 The student will investigate and understand how the Earth's surface is constantly changing. Key concepts include:
Earth history

Computer/Technology
C/T5.2 The student will:
- develop basic technology skills.
- select and use technology appropriate to tasks
- operate peripheral devices
- apply technologies to strategies for problem solving and critical thinking
CT5.3 The student will:
- process, store, retrieve, and transmit electronic information
- use search strategies to retrieve electronic information using databases, CD-ROMs
- use electronic encyclopedias

Language Arts

Oral Language
5.1 The student will:
- listen, draw conclusions, and share responses in subject-related group learning activities.
- participate in and contribute to discussions across content areas
- organize information to present reports
5.2 The student will use effective nonverbal communication skills
- maintain eye contact with listeners
- use gestures to support, accentuate, or dramatize verbal message
- use posture appropriate for communication setting

Reading/Literature
5.4 The student will:
- read and learn the meanings of unfamiliar words
- use dictionary, glossary, thesaurus, and other word reference materials
5.5 The student will read a variety of non-fiction
5.6 The student will demonstrate comprehension
- locate information to support opinions, predictions, and conclusions
- Identify cause and effect relationships
- Write about what is read

Writing
5.7 The student will write to describe, inform, and explain

Research
5.8 The student will synthesize information from a variety of resources
- skim materials to develop a general overview of content or to locate specific information
- organize and record information

Math

Measurement
5.11 The student will choose an appropriate measuring device and unit of measure to solve problems involving measurent of length

* This lesson is © 2000 - Institute for Connecting Science Research to the Classroom (http://www.icsrc.org)