Unit Author
First and Last Name / Kaitlyn Shanahan
Author's E-mail Address /
Course Name(s) / CECS
Course Number(s) / 4100
Course Section(s) / 008
School City, State, Zip / Denton, TX 76210
Instructor Name(s): / Dr. R Christensen

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Unit Overview
Unit Plan Title / The Solar System
Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential Question / Where do I fit in?
Unit Questions / 1.  Where am I in the Solar System?
2.  Why does earth support life and other planets don’t?
3.  Where are the other planets and what are they like?
Unit Summary
The student will be able to identify the sun and the nine planets of the solar system focusing on the earth and it’s importance through various learning methods including mathematical, scientific, technological and language arts TEKS.

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Subject Area(s): (List all subjects that apply)
Science, Technology Applications, Language Arts

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Grade Level (Click boxes of all grade levels that apply)
K-2
6-8
ESL
Gifted and Talented / 3-5 – third grade
9-12
Resource
Other:

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

UQ #

/

Student Objective/Learning Outcome

/ Targeted State Standard/Benchmark
FOR GRADE THREE / Procedures/Activities
1 / The learner will locate the nine planets and the sun and earth's moon in the solar system. The learner will identify where they are on earth. / Science
(5)Science concepts. The student knows that systems exist in the world. The student is expected to:(A)observe and identify simple systems such as a sprouted seed and a wooden toy car.
11)Science concepts. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials and objects in the sky. The student is expected to:(A)identify and describe the importance of earth materials including rocks, soil, water, and gases of the atmosphere in the local area and classify them as renewable, nonrenewable, or inexhaustible resources; (C)identify the planets in our solar system and their position in relation to the Sun
Technology
(15)The student applies communication, mathematics, and science knowledge and skills to communication activities. The student is expected to: (A)use audio and visual communication techniques consistent with industry standards / ·  The class as a whole will look at a poster of the planets and their location, followed by learning and reciting “My Very Excellect Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” acronym.
·  The class will go to the computer lab and look at virtual pictures on NASA.com. Next, the class will go to Googleearth.com and find their street on the earth. The teacher will check the students work during and after the assignment.
·  The class will work in pairs and read the selected chapter on the solar system in the class textbook.
2 / The learner will list at least three unique attributes of planet earth. / Science
(6) Science concepts. The student knows that forces cause change. The student is expected to: (B)identify that the surface of the Earth can be changed by forces such as earthquakes and glaciers.
9)Science concepts. The student knows that species have different adaptations that help them survive and reproduce in their environment. The student is expected to:(A)observe and identify characteristics among species that allow each to survive and reproduce; and (B)analyze how adaptive characteristics help individuals within a species to survive and reproduce
(11) Science concepts. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials and objects in the sky. The student is expected to: (A)identify and describe the importance of earth materials including rocks, soil, water, and gases of the atmosphere in the local area and classify them as renewable, nonrenewable, or inexhaustible resources; (B)identify and record properties of soils such as color and texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of plants; (C)identify the planets in our solar system and their position in relation to the Sun; and (D)describe the characteristics of the Sun.
(6)The student produces communication items using the appropriate tools, equipment, machines, materials and technical processes. The student is expected to: (C)use a variety of tools, equipment, and machines / ·  The class as a whole will read Let’s Celebrate Earth Day! By Peter and Connie Roop. The children will learn the history of earth day and how they can contribute to keeping earth clean.
·  The class will look at charts to see the distance from the sun to the earth and the teacher will explain how life is possible through these precise calculations. The children will work in groups of three and do a sun lab in the “Fieldtrip to the Sky” software.
2 / The learner will plant seeds and watch and chart their growth /
Science
(2)Scientific processes. The student uses scientific inquiry methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to: (E)construct simple graphs, tables, maps, and charts to organize, examine and evaluate information. / ·  The students will plant flowers and watch them grow throughout the unit. They will learn about photosynthesis and the value of the sun for providing energy to living things. The will use an excel spreadsheet to chart the growth every day of their plant.
3 / The learner will be able to list differences and similarities of at least three of the nine planets in the solar system. /
Science
(11) Science concepts. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials and objects in the sky. The student is expected to: (C)identify the planets in our solar system
Technology
4)The student investigates emerging and innovative communication technologies. The student is expected to:
(A)report on emerging and innovative communication technologies; and (B)create a display that presents information on emerging and innovative technologies. / ·  The class as a whole will do the Planet Web Quest listed on the site and this will be graded as a test grade.
3 / The learner will be able to identify different phases of the moon. / Math
(2) Number, operation, and quantitative reasoning. The student uses fraction names and symbols to describe fractional parts of whole objects or sets of objects. The student is expected to: (D)construct concrete models of equivalent fractions for fractional parts of whole objects. / ·  The student will complete a moon unit by measuring the waxing and waning of the moon and drawing it on a chart for homework every night. They can check the Moon Phase Modulator for accuracy. In the end the class will use an excel spreadsheet of the waxing/waning measurements to find the average.

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Approximate Time Needed (Example: 45 minutes, 4 hours, 1 year, etc.)
*1 hour: Looking at posters and reading the chapter in groups. The teacher will speak to the class about the solar system, teach the acronym, and answer any questions.
*1 hour: a trip to the computer lab to look at NASA.com and Googleearth.com
*One Day: Earth day activities will take probably the whole day They will be read the book, look at charts and learn about photosynthesis and look at the “Field Trip to the Sky” software. Then the children will go outside to plant their flowers and start their excel spreadsheet. A video should also be provided to show the kids about earth day and what pollution is doing to our earth, and at the end of the day they can have an earth day party with healthy foods from the earth and an earth shaped cake
*3 hours: The kids will complete the Planet WebQuest. If time runs out they can always present after lunch or specials, or the teacher can easily modify it.
*One week: To measure the moon’s waxing and waning for homework
*2 hours: To complete a brochure
Prerequisite Skills
Basic reading comprehension skills, writing skills and computer skills (all on third grade level).

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Materials and Resources Required For Unit

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed.)

Intel® Teach to the Future 6

© 2001 Intel. All rights reserved.

Camera
Computer(s)
Digital Camera
DVD Player
Internet Connection / Laser Disk
Printer
Projection System
Scanner
Television / VCR
Video Camera
Video Conferencing Equip.
Other:
Technology – Software (Click boxes of all software needed.)
Database/Spreadsheet
Desktop Publishing
E-mail Software
Encyclopedia on CD-ROM / Image Processing
Internet Web Browser
Multimedia / Web Page Development
Word Processing
Other:

Page 7 of 7

Printed Materials / Let’s Celebrate Earth Day book, charts that show the planets, textbooks
Supplies / Seeds to plant/cups to put them in, party supplies for earth day party, earth day video,
Internet Resources / www.googleearth.com -students locate their houses
http://schools.spsd.sk.ca/victo/projects/Grassroots/Planet%20WebQuest/
WebQuest2.html –Planet WebQuest
www.solarviews.com/eng/homepage.htm - Learn about the different planets
www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/moon_phases.phtml -Learn about the moon phases
www.NASA.gov - Learn about the different planets
Others
Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction
Resource Student / The Webquest design is very simple and can be modified in any way for a resource student such as not doing as many “fact sheets” and focusing on the postcard.
While gifted students work on the field trip to the sky software, the teacher could have the resource students in a small group and go over the planets again in order to get the information across.
The good thing about this unit is that it’s fairly straightforward and won’t need many accommodations.
Gifted Student / The waxing and waning chart for the moon could continue for a month and they can hypothesize what the cycles of the moon are and the teacher will tell them if they are correct at the end of the lesson.
The Planet WebQuest could be done alone instead of in groups, or each student could have three planets.
Have the students try to locate different places on googleearth.com like the school, different stores, etc.
Make the brochure require more information.
Student Assessment

Page 7 of 7