CECsci.178


TITLE:    THE SOLAR SYSTEM

AUTHOR:   Lydia Flynn, St. John Nepomuk Catholic School,
          Yukon, OK

GRADE LEVEL:   Appropriate for grades 4-6.

OVERVIEW:  The magnitude and complexity of our solar system
is often difficult for students to understand.  As students
investigate and understand the forces of gravity and the
consequences of the Earth's movement, they can better
comprehend Earth's place in the solar system.

OBJECTIVE(s):  Students will be able to:
1.  Describe the different bodies that make up our solar
    system.
2.  Explain the place of our solar system within the
    Milky Way Galaxy and the universe.
3.  Explain day and night and the Earth's movement.
4.  Discuss the causes of the seasons.
5.  Describe the relationship between an object and its
    gravitational attraction.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:  Maps of the community, state, country,
and world, a globe, an illustration or model of the solar
system, a spring scale, various objects to be weighed,
string, pencils, and paper.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1.   By using a series of maps, you can help the student
     visualize the enormity of the universe.  Start with a
     map of the community and continue with a state map,
     then a map of the country, a globe of the world, and
     finally an illustration of the solar system.
2.   To help the students learn the positions of the
     planets, make up a phrase using the first letter of
     each planet's name in the order of their distances from
     the sun.  For example:  "My Very Educated Mother Just
     Sat Upon Pink Nests" (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,
     Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, Neptune).  Note that
     until 1999, the orbit of Pluto will be closer to the
     sun than that of Neptune.
3.   Let the students act out the parts of the sun and the
     Earth.  Have them demonstrate the rotation of the Earth
     and its revolution around the sun.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
1.   Students can use colored styrofoam balls to construct a
     model of the solar system.  Have the students choose a
     planet, research the planet, and then present this
     information to the other students.  At this time, the
     students can make a living model of the solar system.
2.   Students can use a spring scale to measure the
     gravitational pull or weight of several objects.  They
     can compare the gravitational pull and construct a
     chart of their results.