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Meet the Micro:bits
Coding is easy and fun when students meet the micro:bits. Learn to write and download code, so you are ready to create your own scientific tools!
Meet the Micro:bits
Coding is easy and fun when students meet the micro:bits. Learn to write and download code, so you are ready to create your own scientific tools!
Student Edition
(English/Spanish)
Student Edition
(English/Spanish)
Student Edition
(English/Spanish)
California Wildfires
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teacher Prep
Lab sheet & activites
Class Movie
Teacher Prep Movie
Student Lab Sheet
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Lab Materials Needed
Blockey Koa Crate
from Kea STEMCrate
- 1 Springy Spring Scale per student
Class Movie
The Brightness of Stars: Voyage Through the Galaxy
(English/Spanish)
(English/Spanish)
Earth's Place in the Universe 5-ESS1-1:
Support an argument that the apparent brightness of the sun and stars is due to their relative distances from the Earth. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to relative distances, not sizes, of stars. Assessment does not include other factors that affect apparent brightness (such as stellar masses, age, stage).]
Earth's Place in the Universe 5-ESS1-2:
Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include the position and motion of Earth with respect to the sun and selected stars that are visible only in particular months.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include causes of seasons.]
Pacing Guide:
Color Key: Green words- Hands-on Activity Black words- Book reading Blue words: Revisit the Phenomenon
Instruction day 1 (pages 0-3): Introduce the article
Summary: Introduce the chapter about space and the stars.
Lesson Objective: Students learn about the authors and try to solve a riddle.
Introduction: Can you see stars from your backyard? Do you see lots of stars or not very many? Where have you been that you could see hundreds or thousands of stars when looking up at the night sky?
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Look at the picture on the cover of the unit together.
Ask: What do you notice?
Example: I notice the Milky Way running through the middle of the picture.
-Read about authors Beth and Jake Hunter.
Ask: What things are you curious about in space?
Example: I wonder if there are aliens! I wonder how far away the stars are. I wonder if I’ll ever get to fly in a spaceship.
-Remind students to write their guesses along the margin as you read the riddle aloud twice.
-Students can discuss in pairs or small groups as to what their guesses are.
-Discuss as a class what guesses they have and what clues from the riddle support their guesses.
Ask: Which clue is the most confusing? Which clue helps the most?
-Reveal the answer (the Voyager probes) and have students write it in the box to “unlock” the chapter.
Ask: What might a space probe be for? What does it do?
Example: An exploratory spacecraft that doesn't have any humans in it. It is able to take photos and send other types of information back to Earth as it travels through space.
Explain: The Voyager probes were designed for a very specific mission that we will learn more about in this unit.
Wrap-up: Drawing prompt: Use the blank space above the riddle to draw what you wish you could take a picture of in space. A planet? Alien life form? A constellation? A galaxy? A black hole?
Instruction day 2 (pages 4 - 5): Explore the Phenomenon
Summary: Explore the phenomenon.
Lesson Objective: Students observe and experiment with illumination from a light source at various distances.
Materials: Flashlights, Mezzo Measuring tapes, and a book for each pair of students.
Introduction: Let's play "would you rather" as a class. Would you rather read in the dark with ten candles, or one flashlight? (Have students raise hands for each to show which option they prefer.) Would you rather read with light from car headlights parked 100 feet away, or a single lightbulb 10 feet away?
Has anybody actually tried to read in the dark before—during a power outage, or just for fun? What did you use to try and see better? (Flashlight, candles, crack at bottom of door, smartphone light)
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Take students to a dark space, such as a room with no windows or a gym building.
-Pair students off with a Mezzie Measuring tape, a flashlight, and a book (any book—it doesn't matter.)
-Tell students to keep the books the same distance from their faces as they read (i.e. for them to sit up straight and keep the books flat on the table.)
-Have one student start off with the book and flashlight and the other start of with Mezzie Measuring Tape. The flashlight will be passed to the student with the measuring tape after the first students confirms that they can read with the flashlight held 12 inches away from the page.
-Have the student now holding the flashlight back up in foot by foot increments until the student reading cannot read any more. Students should record at what point they could no longer read on page 3. Then have them switch roles.
Ask: What else can affect the distance where you can no longer read the book, besides how far away the flashlight is?
Example: If my eyes have adjusted to the dark, if the flashlight batteries are low, how large the text in the book is, how strong my eyes are.
Ask: Did you expect to stop being able to read closer, farther, or at the same distance as where you stopped?
Example: I thought I could read with the light further away, but I couldn't read once it was just a couple feet away.
Wrap-up: Just like we use pounds and grams or inches and miles to make measurements, scientists measure units of light and brightness! Physicists—scientists who study physics—are especially interested in light and brightness. By the end of this chapter, we'll all know a lot about astrophysics—that's the physics of outer space!
Instruction day 3 (pages 6 - 7): Read, write and count
Summary: Count stars.
Lesson Objective: Students estimate how many stars we see in the night sky by calculating the density of stars in a small box on an image.
Introduction: Who can tell us what light pollution is? It's okay if you have an idea but aren't positive. (Light pollution is extra light in the night sky from urban centers.)
Instructions: With a quick glance at page 5, have students guess how many stars they think will be on the whole page. Read the instructions on page 4, and have students get into pairs and choose a box to count from. Give students at least 5 minutes to count all their stars. Then, ask any student who chose box 1 to share how many bright, medium, and dim stars they counted. Do the same for two, counting up the numbers until every student has shared. If two students who counted the same box get very different answers, you might suggest they both recount.
Guiding Questions:
Ask: Have you ever seen a starry sky? In some areas with little city light, like the mountains, you can see countless numbers of stars!
Ask: Do you think new stars are formed everyday?
Example: There are millions of stars formed everyday, some visible, some not!
Wrap-up: Have students compare how many stars there actually were on the page versus their guess.
Instruction day 4 (pages 8 - 9): Read and discuss
Summary: Introducing our galaxy.
Lesson Objective: Students can describe characteristics of the Milky Way as a whole and its components.
Introduction: Before we open our books, let's play a class guessing game. How many stars are in our galaxy, the Milky Way? Last class, we calculated some estimates, so let's see who can guess closest! Think for a moment and write down your guess, then compare with a neighbor.
Note: Students can look back at the previous day's pages, but should not turn to the new pages yet, which have the answer. (You can guide this by asking "who guessed at least a million stars? Who guessed at least a billion? 10 billion?" until you get to 100 billion, OR you can have students volunteer answers and tell them "more" or "less" until they hone in on the right answer.)
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read pages 6 and 7 as a class.
Ask: Which is bigger, a solar system or a galaxy? What about the universe?
Example: A galaxy is bigger than a solar system; there can be hundreds of billions of solar systems in a galaxy (anywhere around a star or sun). The universe is made of all the galaxies that exist!
Wrap-up: Later in the article, you'll learn about the furthest away human-made objects in the universe—the Voyager probes. They will continue traveling out into space forever.
Instruction day 5 (pages 10 - 13): Research, write and discuss
Summary: Sizes and distances of objects in the galaxy.
Lesson Objective: Familiarize students with features of our solar system; students explore sizes and distances independently.
Prep: Load the webpage students will be directed to on your own computer to project NASA's digital 3D solar system for the class to see.
Materials Needed: Each student will need a laptop.
Introduction: Let's play another guessing game! How many Earths could fit inside the Sun? Write down your best guess. You'll have the answer by the end of class.
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Guide students to the same NASA web url with the 3D solar system model that you already loaded (https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview). Give them about 10 minutes to explore the site according to the guidelines on pages 8 and 9.
Ask: About how far would you say the distance is between Earth and Venus in astronomical units? (Hint: would it be more or less than 1?)
Example: It would be less than 1, because one astronomical unit is the distance between Earth and the Sun and Venus is closer to the Earth than the Sun is. If any students explored the "inner solar system" view, they might notice that Venus is much closer to the Earth than it is to the Sun. (A very clever student might note that because Venus and Earth don't stay together as they orbit the Sun, the distance between them will always be changing!)
Ask: What was the largest object you observed? What was the smallest?
Example: Answers will vary for smallest. Students should say that the Sun was the largest.
Wrap-Up: The answer to how many Earths could fit inside the Sun is 2 million! Which student guessed closest at the start of class?
For some people, observing galaxies and the stuff inside them is their whole job! Let's meet an astrophysicist who spends a lot of time observing what we're finding in space (video below).
Additional Resources
Video: Be An Astrophysicist
Instruction day 6 (pages 14 - 16): Read and discuss
Summary: How stars are born.
Lesson Objective: Students learn what a star is and where they come from. Students learn about different stars in the Solar System. They learn how we can observe the brightness of stars as well.
Introduction: Do you guys think our sun is a star? What do you already know about stars? Let's brainstorm!
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read pages 12-14 as a class.
Ask: How many stars can you see on each of these pages?
Example: Page 12 has one star, the Sun! Page 13 doesn't show full stars, but it does show where the new stars are being born. Page 14 has too many stars to count, like we learned from trying to count all the stars in those little boxes.
Ask: What is interstellar space?
Example: The space between stars (refer to pg. 13)
Ask: Why do you think we see the Alpha Centauri star system as one star even though it's actually three bright stars?
Example: The stars are very close together and far away, so the light looks like it's coming from a single point by the time it reaches Earth.
Wrap-up: Stars and planets can have lots of names, and sometimes astronomers get creative! There are objects in space named for mythological characters, peoples from plays or books, or real life people. If you discovered a star, what would you name it and why?
Instruction day 7 (pages 17 - 18): Read, write and cut
Summary: Explore the Winter Triangle.
Lesson Objective: Compare brightness of stars as they appear from Earth.
Materials: Scissors and glue or tape.
Introduction: Can anybody name some constellations? (Students might name the Big Dipper, Orion/Orion's Belt, Scorpio.) What do stars in these constellations have in common? They are all some of the brighter stars from our perspective on Earth. People across the world have used constellations for thousands of years to navigate and make astronomical calculations, and they wouldn't be very useful for that if you couldn't easily distinguish the stars in them from others in the night sky.
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read page 15 and cut out the cards along the dotted line.
Ask: All these stars have names that might sound a bit funny to us, but that last one might be the trickiest! Who thinks they can guess how it's pronounced?
Explain: Once a few students have had a chance to guess, tell them the answer: "beetle-juice!" A student may know the answer if they've watched a movie with a character of the same name.
-Tell students to arrange the stars in order of brightness at the top of page 16, but to wait to glue them down until you've reviewed as a class. Give students a few minutes to write down their answers, then discuss the answers with the class.
Ask: Which star is brightest? Which is least bright? What order did you pick for the middle two? (This last question may split the class.)
Example: I said that Sirius was brightest, Alhena was least bright, and that Procyon was brighter than Betelgeuse.
Explain: It might have been tricky to tell which star was brighter between two that looked about the same size. If you looked at Procyon and Betelgeuse from the same distance apart, Procyon would appear brighter because white is a brighter color than red (think about looking at a white screen versus a darker colored screen; white looks brighter!)
-Tell students they can now glue their cards in the correct order. Once students have glued their cards down, have them pair up with another student who has finished to discuss the "think, pair, share" prompt.
Wrap-up: As a challenge, students can zoom out all the way on Google Earth (earth.google.com) and try to spot the winter triangle for themselves. Tell them to keep the west coast of the Americas in view as they search, and not to tilt the globe too far towards the North Pole or South Pole. Looking for Orion's Belt may help. They can do this on laptops, or you can project your computer screen for the class to see and have them guide you as you toggle the Earth around to get the right view for them to see the whole winter triangle at once.
Students can see all three stars that make up the winter triangle with this view in Google Earth.
Instruction day 8 (pages 19 - 21): Read and discuss
Summary: What stars are and apparent brightness.
Lesson Objective: Describe what makes a star and compare the brightness of stars.
Introduction: We already know from reading this article that our sun is a yellow dwarf star. But what does it do for us on Earth? Prompt students to discuss among themselves, then share as a class. Students will probably think of the Sun making it warm enough for us to live and providing energy for plants to grow. Challenge them with these examples as well:
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How does the Sun give us rivers? Without the sun evaporating water and driving the water cycle, water wouldn't move around, and all the water on Earth would be frozen anyways.
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How does the Sun give us electricity? We can make electricity directly from the sun (solar power), but most other ways to make electricity also connect back to the Sun as well! For example, coal, oil, and gas are all called "fossil fuels" because they're made of ancient plants that got buried in the Earth. The energy we get from those ancient plants that have been transformed originally came from the sun!
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read page 17. Have a different student read aloud each part of the star diagram.
Ask: The star we're orbiting (the Sun) emits dangerous radiation. Does anybody know why we get the Sun's light and heat, but mostly avoid the dangerous radiation?
Example: Earth's atmosphere protects us! When astronauts go into outer space, they have to build lots of extra protection into the space suits and spacecrafts so people don't get sick from all the extra radiation.
Explain: This page mentions nuclear fusion. Explain that this means two atoms smashing together to create a whole new atom. Because this process makes so much heat and light, people have spent decades trying to figure out ways we can copy it on Earth to make power!
-Read page 18, including the captions about Vega.
Ask: How is Vega similar to the Sun? How is it different?
Example: Both Vega and the Sun are stars. Vega might have planets that orbit around it like the planets in our own solar system. But Vega is bigger than the Sun. It also spins very fast, so the shape is more squished.
-Read page 19. Be sure to emphasize that this scale works the opposite of how students might expect—the larger positive numbers are the faintest, and the smaller and negative numbers are the brightest.
Ask: What do you think the apparent brightness of planets in our solar system might be? (If students need a hint, Mars and Venus are usually quite bright in a clear night sky.) What about the moon?
Example: Some of the planets would be lower than 6, because we can see them. The furthest away ones would definitely be 7 or higher. The moon must have an apparent brightness below -4, because it looks brighter to us from Earth than anything else we see in the nighttime sky.
Ask: Why might astronomers care about apparent brightness?
Example: It can help them guess how far away the star or galaxy they are looking at is! At this point, any answer students come up with is ok.
Instruction day 9 (pages 22 - 23): Hands on activity: Observe Light!
Summary: Testing apparent brightness.
Lesson Objective: Students experiment with apparent brightness in the classroom.
Materials: Mezzie Measuring Tape; At least a dozen identical lights (tea candles, keychain flashlights) OR identical objects (i.e. STEMTaught wooden marbles); writing utensil.
Introduction: We're about halfway through this article! Share with a partner one surprising thing you learned so far, and one thing you'd be interested to learn more about.
Instead of learning by reading today, we're going to experiment and write about our observations. As we do the experiment, think about how what we're doing relates to how we see stars!
Instructions and Guiding Questions:
-Split students into small groups that each have three identical light sources OR objects and a Mezzie measuring tape. You may need to take them to the gymnasium or cafeteria for this activity, depending on the size of your class and classroom. Once students have spaced out their lights or objects according to the instructions on page 20, encourage them to get down close to eye level with the items they've laid out and sketch the respective sizes of the lights/objects and make notes of how bright each one seems.
Ask: How far away do you think you'd have to put the object/light before you couldn't see it at all? Assume that you're still looking from a seated vantage point so the item is closer to your eye level.
Example: Answers may vary. Students might guess 1,000 feet, 1 mile, etc. If you have enough space, they can test this by measuring out 25 feet between each member of their group (so the last student may end up 100, 150 feet away, depending on the size of the group), and rotating each student through being 25, 50, 75, etc. feet away so everyone experiences different faraway vantage points.
Wrap-up: As an extra challenge, see if students can position the three lights or three objects far enough away that it's hard to tell there are three of them. How far away do they have to be? They may line them up or cluster them close together. This is how what we see as single stars can actually be several stars, or even entire galaxies!
Instruction day 10 (pages 24 - 25): Read, graph and discuss
Summary: Graph apparent brightness.
Lesson Objective: Interpret and graph apparent brightness data.
Introduction: Some stars are much smaller than our Sun, some are much larger, and some are just about the same size! We call medium-size stars that are similar to the Sun "yellow dwarfs."
Instructions and Guiding Questions:
-Read page 22, then have students look at page 19 to refresh their memories on how the apparent brightness scale works.
Ask: Which star in the table is the dimmest from our perspective on Earth?
Example: Xi Scorpio C, because it has the highest apparent brightness number (which means that it is the least bright).
-Graph the values: Students draw a bar graph on page 23 with the data from the table on page 22. Note that because the Sun is so much brighter from our perspective on Earth than all the other stars, that bar on the graph will go off the page!
Ask: Do any two stars on your graph have the same apparent brightness?
Example: 15 Sagittae A and HN Pegasi both have apparent brightness values of 5.8.
Ask: Which star do you think is actually brighter if you were to travel to look at them both from the same distance away: 15 Sagittae A or HN Pegasi?
Example: HN Pegasi must actually be brighter if we compared them both up close, because it shows up to us just as brightly as 15 Sagittae even though it's further away from us.
Wrap-up: Fun fact: "yellow dwarf" stars aren't always yellow—and our sun of one of the ones that isn't! The sun looks yellow, orange, or red when we view it through our atmosphere on Earth, but when viewed from outer space, the sun is clearly another color. Can anybody guess what that color is? (The answer is white!)
Instruction day 11 (pages 26 - 27): Read, graph and discuss
Summary: Graph apparent brightness of stars and galaxies.
Lesson Objective: Graphically and verbally demonstrate the relationship between apparent brightness, distance, and size.
Introduction: Make a list as a class of every kind of object students might see in the night sky. Students might come up with: stars, the moon, a few planets (Venus and Mars are easiest to spot), meteors, satellites, or very rarely, during certain eclipses, the Sun!
However, the vast, vast majority of what you can see in the night sky are stars, or groups of stars that look like a single star to the naked eye.
Instructions and Guiding Questions:
-Read the paragraph on page 24, then have students take turns reading aloud the descriptions of stars and galaxies in the table. (Some of these words may be tricky to pronounce—encourage students to give it their best try, but tell them that you don't expect them to say these very specialized names and words that only astronomers normally use.)
Ask: What do you think matters more for how bright stars appear from Earth—how close it is to us, or how big it is?
Example: It would depend on how far and how big. A really big, far-away star could look the same to us from Earth as a smaller, closer star.
-Give students 5-10 minutes to graph the data in the table as a bar graph. They can use markers or colored pencils if they would like to. Note that because the Sun is so much brighter from our perspective on Earth than anything else in the sky, it will go off the chart when you graph it!
Ask: We mostly see the apparent brightness of stars and galaxies getting dimmer the further away they are from Earth. Are there any exceptions on your graphs?
Example: Yes, Eta Carinae has an apparent brightness of 4.5. It is dimmer than Vega and dimmer than the Andromeda Galaxy, even though it's closer to us than both of them.
Ask: Why does Eta Carinae appear dimmer than Vega and the Andromeda Galaxy even though it's much closer?
Example: It's not actually very bright, but Vega and the Andromeda Galaxy are bright enough to make up for being further away.
Wrap-up: The Andromeda galaxy appears so dim that you'd hardly notice it's there. But it's actually going to collide with the Milky Way, where we live, and form a massive new galaxy. Fortunately, that will happen in 4.5 billion years, which is about how long Earth has existed already. You can show this video to learn more!
Additional Resources
Instruction day 12 (pages 28 - 30): Read and discuss
Summary: Seasonal Constellations
Lesson Objective: Student will create an interactive chart to see hosome constellations are only visible seasonally.
Introduction: When you go outside at night you can see stars, but did you know that some of these stars are only visible at certain times of the year?
Instructions and Guiding Questions:
-Read page 28. Pas out a brad to each student and have them cut out the Earth Perspective Wheel on page 31. Then have them use the brad to attach it on page 29. Have them use the interactive chart they just made to answer the questions on page 30.
Instruction day 13 (pages 31 - 33): Read and discuss
Summary: Stars visible year-round
Lesson Objective: Student will learn that some stars are visible all year, and this is due to their location.
Introduction: Have you ever seen the big dipper in the sky? This constellation is always visible in the sky. Let's read about why some stars are always visible.
Instructions and Guiding Questions:
-Read pages 31, 32, and 33 with the students and then allow them time to examine the illustration on page 33 and then answer the question.
Instruction day 14 (pages 34 - 37): Read parts 1 & 2 of "Voyage Through the Galaxy" and enjoy!
Summary: Meet the Voyager probes.
Lesson Objective: Students learn about why the Voyager probes were created, the parts and function of the Voyager probes, and the outline of their journeys.
Materials: Scissors.
Introduction: Where is the farthest that humans have traveled in space? (The moon.) We have sent lots of probes and rovers into space and to land on Mars, but we, as humans, have not traveled further than the moon. Why not? (It can be risky and it can be hard to return to Earth.) It also takes a lot to keep a human alive anywhere off of Earth! We need food, water and oxygen. There is not a lot of that available in space. Good thing we have made such cool machines that can travel for us, for now.
Show the video below (3 minutes) before continuing on to get students excited to learn about the Voyager missions.
With a partner, try and name as many parts of a car as you can. It takes a lot to put together a machine like that! You can imagine that the Voyager probes also have a lot of different parts that work together to make a really useful spacecraft.
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read page 26 and look at the picture.
Ask: What kind of technology do you think Galileo had in order to look at the planets closest to us?
Example: He probably had just a simple telescope, not as advanced as they can be today.
-Examine pages 27 and 28. Give students time to cut out the cards showing the sun from different distances on page 27.
Ask: If you could fit one more instrument of any kind at all onto the Voyager, what would you have put on it?
Example: I'd add a microphone so we can hear what space sounds like!
-Look at the diagram of a Voyager probe on page 27 together. Have a student read the title and sentence for Particle and Energy Measurements. Look to see if it is visible in the photo of Voyager 1 on page 26.
Ask: What is an example of radiation or a high energy particle?
Example: We get radiation from the Sun. Too much of it can cause sunburns and skin cancer.
-Have a student read the title and sentence for Magnetic Measurements. Can you find it in the photo?
Ask: Does the Earth have a magnetic field?
Example: Yes, it is what makes a compass work.
Explain: Many planets in our solar system have magnetic fields, like Jupiter and Saturn. Not every planet has one, though. Mars and Venus have no magnetic fields.
-Have a student read the title and sentence for Antenna Dish. Can you find it in the photo?
Ask: Have you ever seen a large antenna dish before? Maybe in real life or in a movie?
An antenna dish can be used to both send and receive information or signals.
-Have a student read the title and sentence for Power Generator. Can you find it in the photo? (Hint: it is vertical instead of horizontal.)
-Read page 29 and look at the diagram.
Ask: What planets do you see on the diagram?
Example: The Earth and the Sun are at the center. Then Jupiter and Saturn are seen by Voyager 1. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are all seen by Voyager 2.
-Explore a website about the timeline of the Voyager mission: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/timeline/#event-a-once-in-a-lifetime-alignment
This timeline starts with a similar diagram as what you see on page 29.
Ask: With this diagram we can see dates that tell us when the probes reached each planet. What do you notice?
Example: It took years for it to get from one planet to the next!
Explain: Even traveling at 11 miles per second, it takes a long time for the probes to travel because space is BIG!
-Have students spend 10 or so more minutes exploring the timeline by clicking on each flag along the bottom or by clicking the arrow to the right of the image.
Wrap-up: Pair/share or writing prompt: If you had to pick, which part of the Voyager probe would be the most important part? Why? Use the margin to write your answer and reasons. (Many possible answers to this, as long as the student has a good reason. Example: The antenna dish is quite important because without it, all the data they are collecting would never be able to reach back to NASA!)
Additional Resources
Instruction day 15 (pages 38 - 41): Read part 3 of "Voyage Through the Galaxy" and enjoy!
Summary: The Voyagers liftoff.
Lesson Objective: Continue the story of how the Voyager probes explored our solar system and beyond.
Introduction: The Voyager probes weren't just going to explore places we'd never seen before—they were also going to be the farthest human made objects from Earth in existence. The astronomers decided to attach a golden record encoded with information that an intelligent alien could intercept to learn about Earth. What information would you try and communicate about what Earth is like, and what people are like?
Allow students to share some thoughts, then explain that one of the things the astronomers decided to include were sound recording of everyday noises on Earth. Play the recording of those noises in the background (quietly) while the class reads the paragraphs together: https://soundcloud.com/nasa/sets/golden-record-sounds-of
Instructions and Guiding Questions:
-Read page 30 and have students examine the photos of the Voyager probe.
Ask: Can you identify any parts in the photo on page 30 from the diagram we looked at on page 27?
Example: Yes, I can see antennae dish on top. It's harder to spot some of the parts of the parts than in the other photo though.
Explain: Because the probe is folded up to fit inside the rocket that will launch it (see page 31), it's harder to spot the parts than in the pictures where it's flying through space. But you can see the golden record that we're listening to sounds from right now towards the bottom of the photo on page 30!
-Read page 32 and give students time to complete the think, pair, share prompt. They can glue or tape the correct sun image into the box on page 33, or if you prefer, and can have them do it all on instruction day 15 after you finish reading about the Voyagers.
Wrap-up: Reveal to the students what the sounds they listened to were by sharing the computer screen you're playing them from. If you have time, you can repeat the playlist from the beginning and have them call out guesses about what each sound is before revealing the answer. Would they add anything else if they were compiling sounds to include on the golden record today? Remind them that the sounds were selected nearly 50 years ago.
You can also show your class the playlist of music included on the golden records: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D51474AB7BE5595. This playlist is too long to listen to during class, but you can pick specific songs to use in the background as you read the rest of the Voyager story in the coming days of class and ask students what music or songs they might include if another golden record was created today!
-Use the following video as inspiration. As you look at all the amazing photos taken by the Voyagers, write down science questions you think of, like why does Europa have lines like that? Or maybe you get artistic inspiration from all the colors and shapes you see. Does it make you want to draw or write a fictional story based on one of those places? (This could make for an extra credit opportunity if a student wanted to create a research project or artistic project based on images from the Voyagers.)
NASA video showing pictures from Voyagers (3 minutes)
Instruction day 16 (pages 42 - 45): Read part 4 of "Voyage Through the Galaxy" and enjoy!
Summary: Meet Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune!
Lesson Objective: Students approximate the Sun's apparent brightness from the perspective of each of the gas giants (the outermost four planets in our solar system).
Introduction: Today we get to learn about some of the different planets in our solar system! We get to read about what makes them special. Be on the lookout for 1 thing from any planet that is the same as Earth and 1 thing that is different from Earth!
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read page 34 as a class and look at the pictures (the moon shown is Io, pronounced eye-oh). Students tape or glue the card they think shows how the Sun might look from Jupiter. Did you know: volcanoes on Io glow blue instead of red!
-Read page 35 as a class and look at the pictures. Students tape or glue the card they think shows how the Sun might look from Saturn. Did you know: one of Saturn's moons has a salty ocean underneath its outer shell of ice!
--Read page 36 as a class and look at the pictures. Students tape or glue the card they think shows how the Sun might look from Uranus. Did you know: Uranus has an aurora (bright lights at the tip of the planet), much like Earth's Northern lights!
--Read page 37 as a class and look at the pictures. Students tape or glue the card they think shows how the Sun might look from Neptune. Did you know: when Voyager 2 passed by Neptune, it observed a roving patch of clouds circling the planet every 16 hours nicknamed the "scooter cloud" (because it scoots around the planet!)
Ask: Peak ahead to pages 40 and 41. What is the longest a Voyager probe traveled between two planets?
Example: It took 5 years for Voyager to travel between Saturn and Uranus.
-Watch NASA videos about Uranus and Saturn's moon Titan—just a few tidbits of the many amazing things the Voyager probes discovered on their way out of the solar system.
Wrap-up: Shout out to Pluto! It didn’t get a visit from the Voyagers and it certainly is a tiny thing compared to the distant planets of our solar system, but we appreciate the dwarf planet for being the largest part of the Kuiper Belt,. an assortment of asteroids, comets and other icy bodies that are along the outer edge of the solar system.
Additional Resources
Instruction day 17 (pages 46 - 49): Read part 5 of "Voyage Through the Galaxy" and enjoy!
Summary: The Voyagers’ trip beyond.
Lesson Objective: Students discuss the perspective of photos taken of the planets in our solar system from far away. Students discuss the future of the Voyagers.
Introduction: Our Earth is big to us, but when you go into space, you might get a different perspective.
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read the first paragraph on page 38 and have students look for the speck in the photo on page 39.
Ask: Why is this an interesting photo if it’s just a speck?
Example: This photo shows how tiny Earth is compared to the vastness of space.
Explain: All the people, animals and plants that live here are just organisms living on a “tiny” rock in space!
-Read the rest of the page and look at the “family portraits” of planets in our solar system.
Ask: Why can the Voyager probes keep traveling so fast without fuel? Hint: What slows things down on Earth?
Example: There is nothing to slow them down! There is no air in space so there is no air resistance that would slow down their speed like it would if they traveled in Earth’s atmosphere.
Ask: Do you think they’ll keep sending information back to Earth forever?
Example: I think eventually their signal will be too weak for us to receive, but it's cool that we can still hear it today!
-Look over the timeline on pages 40-41. Do students know how old their grandparents were when the Voyager probes reached different milestones?
-If students weren't pasting the images of the sun on each day as they read through the story, they can go back now and paste/tape all their cut-out sun images onto the correct pages.
Additional Resources
Video: Voyager 2 Enters Interstellar Space
Instruction day 18 (page 50): Read and write
Summary: Use the CER writing strategy to answer scientific questions.
Lesson Objective: Practice the CER strategy. Answer a question about the material in this unit.
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read the question, answer it with a citation and a clear explanation. Reference the previous material as needed in order to provide a clear scientific answer.
Instruction day 19 (page 51 - 52): Read and discuss
Summary: Read about the first Mexican American Woman to travel in space
Lesson Objective: Students will read about Katya and all her hard work to achieve her goal of going to space.
Introduction: Have you ever seen a movie where they go to space? Talk to your partner about something that you have noticed about space from movies.
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read pages 51-52 stopping to talk about Katya's experiences that led her to work at NASA.
Additional Resources
Instruction day 20 (pages 53 - 54): Hands on Activity: Model the Solar System!
Summary: Make a scale model of the size of the first four planets.
Lesson Objective: Students understand what a scale model is. Students create a scale model of the planets in our solar system using their own homemade salt dough.
Prep: Watch the teacher prep video below and use the STEMTaught website as needed. Students should bring home pg. 44 before the activity. (The class video will be shown on the next Instruction Day)
Materials Needed: Clay or dough (consider having students make salt dough at home if you don’t have enough materials in the classroom; see pg. 44), Mezzie measuring tapes, paperclips, and inflated Sun ball from Solar System Koa Crate (use a yardstick to represent the 91 cm diameter.) If the Sun ball is unavailable, consider making a paper circle of this diameter.
Introduction: If I were to draw our solar system on the whiteboard, I could put the Sun on one end, draw each planet from closest to farthest, and maybe even show how some planets are small and others are big, but it wouldn’t be to scale. When you make something to scale you show exactly how large the Sun is compared to each planet and the distances between the planets would be in the correct proportion. We hardly ever do that because the distances between the planets are incredibly long! For example, if this Sun ball were the real size of the Sun, what do you think the size of the Earth would be in comparison? (Hold up variously sized balls or other round objects. The correct answer is the Earth is about the size of a pea!) Did you guys think that our Sun was that big compared to the Earth? Why does it not seem bigger to us? (The Sun doesn't seem that big because it is far away from Earth.
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read page 42 and look ahead to pages 46 and 47.
-Examine pages 46-47, noting the differences in sizes.
Explain: On page 47 they write the real measurements of the diameter of each planet in our solar system and its real distance from the Sun in red. Next to those numbers are smaller numbers in green where the article authors converted those massive measurements into ones we can make here in the classroom. This Sun ball has a diameter of 91 centimeters. Today we are only modeling the first four planets (called the rocky planets). The 4 larger planets that are further from the Sun we will model later using paper.
-Students use clay to make a ball of roughly the given diameter for each planet. They check the diameter of each planet using their Mezzie measuring tape. They can place these on a paperclip that will hold all 4 of the planets and Pluto. For now they do not need to worry about the “Scale Distance from the Sun” column, just the “Scale Diameter” measurements.
Ask: Are you going to make different planets into different colors? Are you going to use only one color for one planet or swirl some colors together?
Ask: What do you notice about the differences between the first four planets? Why are the first four called “rocky planets”?
Example: Venus and Earth are about the same size, but Mercury and Mars are half that size or smaller. The first four are called rocky because they have solid surfaces. The last four are gas giants that don’t have solid surfaces.
Wrap-up: Pair/share prompt: Do you think other solar systems in the Milky Way look similar to this or do you think they might look really different? (Example: Maybe other solar systems have way more planets because some have bigger stars, or they might have planets even bigger than Jupiter.)
Teacher Video - Video for Teacher Preparation to watch before the modeling lab
Student Video : Planets and stars size comparisons
Instruction day 21 (pages 55 - 59): Hands on Activity: Go on a Solar System walk! (Lab Day 1)
Summary: Make a scale model of the distances between the planets.
Lesson Objective: Students create a distance scale model for the planets of our solar system. This model will help students understand the huge distances between planets in space and how the Sun would look to them if they were standing on each planet.
Materials Needed: Sun ball or paper sun model from Koa Crate, Mezzie measuring tapes (classroom only), solar viewing glasses, and students need their planet models. Print out the 4 planet read-outs PDFs Consider having some way of marking a planet when you get to its distance from the Sun (a jump rope, a small ball, etc.)
Prep: Find a place long enough to do this activity on your school grounds. 500 feet will let you measure how far Mars is from the Sun. Teacher prep video is below. Click the PDF below to get planet fact sheets that can be read when you reach each new planet on your walk!
Introduction: We’ve made scale models of the size of each of the first four planets, today we’re going to walk the scale distances between them. We’ll need a lot of space so we’re going to head outside after we read about our activity!
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Read page 45 as a class and distribute the measuring tapes.
Explain: We’ll be using our feet to pace out the distances. But we have different sized feet! Does anyone have a shoe where the length is really close to 12 inches? (Let students measure the bottom of their shoes with Mezzie measuring tape.)
-Review pages 46 and 47 and look at the images.
Explain: We have solar viewing glasses so we can look directly at the Sun in the sky and compare its size to the size of the Sun model we will have in the yard with us. When we are at the scale distance for the Earth, the Sun model and the real Sun should both be about the same size!
-Watch the short video below about solar glasses safety
-Flip back to page 47 to review the scale distances for each planet. Have students use the margin on page 169 to calculate how many feet we’ll have to add after each planet. (Example: we’ll walk 124 feet from the Sun ball to mark Mercury. Then we’ll walk an additional 107 feet to the next planet, Venus, because 231-124=107.)
-Head outside! Students should have their planet models and at least one student should have their book with the calculations ready to read. Grab the Sun ball, the planet print-outs and any markers you will use to show the planets you have marked. Let students know that if they respect the Sun ball while you start the activity (not treating it like a toy to kick or hit) then they will all get to play with it at the end.
-Place the Sun at one end of the yard. A student may need to hold it in place if it is a breezy day.
-A student with appropriately 12-inch-sized shoes (as measured earlier) will be the standard, but all students can walk toe-to-heel 124 times to measure out 124 feet from the Sun ball. All students stand that distance away from the Sun ball. Students turn back towards the Sun ball and hold up their Mercury planet. (The smallest ball they made.) Have a student read the print-out for Mercury. Mark this distance from the Sun before moving on.
Ask: What do you notice when you hold up your planet and look back at the Sun?
Example: I never knew how tiny the planets were compared to the Sun and how far away they are!
-Students walk heel-toe an additional 107 feet from the Sun ball then turn around and hold up their Venus planet. Remember to read the print-out. Repeat for each planet through Mars, or Jupiter if you are able. Remember to use the Sun viewing glasses, especially at the Earth station.
Ask: What did you notice about the size of the Sun ball as you moved further back? How did you perceive it on each planet?
Example: On Mercury it took up much more of the “sky” than it does from Earth, but as we moved farther away it became smaller and smaller.
Explain: If you made a Pluto model, you would have to take that dwarf planet and walk 3 MILES AWAY from the Sun ball in order to be a scale distance. Now you can imagine why Pluto is so cold!
-Give students time to play! Keep students in a circle and let them toss it around or let them play soccer Sun ball. If you’re interested in sharing some Sun facts, there are some easy fun ones here.
Wrap-up: Back in the classroom, students can draw or sketch the first four planets from the Sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars). While doing this activity you can play a video about size and distance comparisons going out to the farthest ideas of space.
Teacher Video: Solar System Walk Prep
Additional Resources
Video: Solar Viewing Glasses Safety
Instruction day 22 (pages 60 - 70): Hands on Activity: Model the Gas Giants!
Summary: Make paper planets to scale.
Lesson Objective: Students make paper models of the larger outer planets.
Materials Needed: Print out the origami templates for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; one of each planet for each student. Scissors and glue or tape, string is optional.
Introduction: What are the four planets we made models of last class? (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.) What are the other four planets in our solar system that we didn't make models of? (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.) Let's all show about how wide you think Jupiter would be if we made a model at the same scale as we used for the first four planets. We're going to find out soon!
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Pass out scissors and planets to students for them to cut out and fold.
Ask: When you make your paper version of Jupiter, does its size remind you of the size of any sports balls or fruits?
Example: It’s about the size of a softball or large apple.
Explain: Remember the size of your Earth model, compare it to the size of your paper Jupiter. That is a huge difference between planet sizes! If we were pacing this planet out like we did the others, you would have to be a third of a mile away from the Sun ball we used!
Wrap-up: Pair/share prompt: Which was your favorite activity? Which was your favorite video? What was the most surprising thing you learned?
Instruction Day 23 (pages 71 - 72): Hands on-activity: Program an orbiting planets model!
Summary: Make a computer model of the orbiting speeds of planets in our solar system.
Lesson objective: Students relate how the number of days it takes a planet to orbit the Sun relates to the number of degrees of a circle traveled per day. Students practice computer programming and create a simulation to relate to the orbits of the planets in our solar system.
Prep: Watch the teacher prep video below! https://youtu.be/iWvmVcMyc-c and use this STEMTaught site for all the teacher resources you might need: https://www.stemtaught.com/copy-of-g5-solar-system-walk
Materials Needed: Each student will need a laptop for this activity.
Introduction: How long does it take for the Earth to orbit the Sun? (365 days.) Does anyone know how long it takes Venus? Will it be longer or shorter than Earth? (Shorter than Earth because it is closer to the Sun; its orbit is 225 days.) Will Mars’ orbit be shorter or longer than Earth’s? (Longer, it is 687 days! Almost twice as long as Earth’s orbit.) All the orbits of the planets in our big, wide solar system are different.
Orbiting Planets Model
(Password: yay) Scratch Programing
Insert a Math Expression Into Code
Students use planetary orbital data to make a model of the solar system that allows the planets to revolve around each other with proportionate speeds.
Students program their micro:bit to be a step counter. You can measure out your planet stations using the microbit to mark your planet stations before the planet walk.
A Rare Alignment of the Planets
Text Activity: Use this tool to test how often an alignment of the outer planets occurs. Voyager left our Solar system on the curved blue path. See how long we will have to wait until the planets align again. This tool is built with actual planetary orbital data to model the motions of our planets.
Instructions: Click the Green Flag to activate the tool
- Press space bar to start planetary motion
- Press the up arrow to speed up motion
- Press the down arrow to slow motion down or back up
- Press the left arrow to stop all motion
- Reference the Earth's orbit count to see how many Earth years occur
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Start with reading the paragraph on page 61 as a class.
-Use the table on page 62 to do the math for the number of degrees each planet will move in one day. This can be kept as a fraction and does not need to be solved by a calculator as a decimal. This is also available in PDF format on the teacher website so it can be printed out if needed. (Student version and teacher version)
-Grade 5 Orbiting Planets Scratch Coding activity. Password is “yay”. Students should click on the graphic on the top left labeled “Enter” to get into the Scratch programmer.
-Play the class video. Pause the video as needed for students to follow along with directions. Encourage students who understand quickly to keep busy by helping other students, without taking over their coding.
Wrap-Up: Class discussion: Why was it important for NASA scientists to send the Voyagers up when they did? (If they hadn’t done it at the times they did, any future exploratory probes used to observe planets would be almost wasteful because the planets rarely line up. We would have to send a single probe to each planet anytime before 2153.)
Additional Resources
Instruction day 24 (pages 73 - 74): Pop Cards
Summary: Review concepts learned in the unit.
Lesson Objective: Students reflect on the unit and review key concepts and vocabulary.
Materials: Scissors.
Introduction: In small groups, have students share with one another something they learned from the unit. Everyone should come up with something distinct from what their classmates said. Invite a few students to share their highlights with the class. What was your favorite thing that we read about?
Instructions with Guiding Questions:
-Students cut along the dotted lines, then fold along the undated lines. Have students flip back through this unit to review their notes or find the terms in their book. Students can write an interesting thing, write the definition in their own words or give an example for each term.
Ask: Why is visual perspective an important thing we talk about when we are studying space?
Example: Things look bigger or smaller depending on how far away things are and in space things can be really really far away!
Optional additional Focus Question: Make a travel guide to visiting one of the other planets or moons. What information would you need to know if you were going to go on a space vacation there? Use information from NASA websites for research. Extra points for making it entertaining! Oral presentations optional.
Instruction day 25: Evaluate
Google Forms Quiz: Teachers can access what students understand through this google forms quiz.
Click the link to copy this google form into your personal Google classroom.
Click the link to copy this form into your Google classroom.
*No password is required for the quiz*