Teacher Process
This lesson plan was designed to take about 3-4 days.
1). First start by asking questions to the students about what they already know about the solar system and its planets. How many planets are there? What do the planets look like? What planet is closest to the sun? Any other additional questions to get the students thinking about science and the planets.
2.)Then students need to be assigned specific planets to research as well as their base groups for the lesson. (Make sure that the students are in mixed groups. Ability levels as well as interests should vary). Once students have been assigned their planet then they are able to research on the internet through this WebQuest to find specific characteristcs and facts about the planet.
3.)Students need to fill out a worksheet on their planet and then when they return to their base groups they will share their findings. They will write down the other information that their group members have researched and found about the other additional planets on their worksheet.
4.)Then students individually will write their own short papers about all of the planets. They are able to incorporate their own writing style and demonstrate good writing techniques as they write. The students are to show that they are able to gather information and then take it and put it into a paper format that is well written and organized.
5.)Finally, students will return to their base groups and they will work collaboratively to creatively design a diagram of the planets in the solar system. They will represent specifc characteristics and facts on the diagram. This task will demonstrate their ability to work together in groups. The students will then share and explain their diagram to the rest of the class.
The students individually and as a class will think and then answer the final question: Do you think that human life can exist on other planets besides Earth? Why or why not?