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Compare Sun, Earth and Moon

Supporting

Compare Sun, Earth and Moon

TEKS Objective

The student is expected to identify and compare the physical characteristics of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.


Essential Understanding

The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among the Sun, Earth and Moon system.

Science Background

Lunar and Planetary Science: NASA (website) - Links to extensive information about Earth, the Moon, and the solar system in various forms.

Lunar and Planetary Science
National Space Science Data Center, NASA, nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov

Our Star, the Sun: NASA (website) - Downloadable, high resolution lithograph features images of the sun and general information, significant dates and interesting facts about the sun.

Our Star, the Sun
NASA, www.nasa.gov

Signature Lesson

How Big is the Sun? Exploring the Size and Scale of the Sun, Earth and Moon: Eye on the Sky (webiste) - Students make a large-scale model to identify and compare characteristics of the Sun, Earth and Moon.

How Big is the Sun? Exploring the Size and Scale of the Sun, Earth and Moon
Project First, Eye on the Sky, www.eyeonthesky.org

Have students use information from NASA to make their models as accurate as possible.

Planetary Science
National Space Science Data Center, NASA, nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov

Supporting Lessons

Tracking Sunspots: European Space Agency and NASA (website) - Download the PDF and movie files for an activity in which students use real data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory to track sunspots and study the Sun’s rotation.

Tracking Sunspots
European Space Agency and NASA, Solar & Heliospheric Observatory, sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov

Elaboration Lessons and Extensions

Make a Crater: NASA Lunar Prospector (website) - Students investigate the role of an impact object’s velocity and mass in determining the size of craters on Earth, the Moon and other celestial bodies in our solar system.

Make a Crater
NASA Lunar Prospector, lunar.arc.nasa.gov

Earth, Moon & Sun Classroom Activities: Morehead Planetarium and Science Center (PDF) -Teacher guide with lessons about the Moon, Earth and Sun from a Native American perspective.

Earth, Moon & Sun Classroom Activities
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, www.moreheadplanetarium.org

Exploring the Moon Educator Guide: NASA (PDF) – Set of lessons helps students learn about lunar composition, the Apollo missions and future exploration.

Exploring the Moon Educator Guide
NASA, www.nasa.gov

Assessment Ideas

Have students write travel brochures for vacation trips to the Sun, Earth and/or Moon, explaining what tourists will see, what they should bring, etc.

Literature Connections

Earth, Sun, Moon. Phelan G. (ISBN: 978-0792245735)

The Amazing Lunar Missions, Vogt, Gregory (ISBN: 0-7660-1306-5)

Sun, Tomecek, Steve (ISBN: 0-792-28200-0)

Where On Earth Am I?, Gardner, Robert (ISBN: 0-531-11297-7)

Earth, Sun, and Moon, Birch, Robin 9ISBN: (0-791-06970-2)

Earth and the Sun, Kalman, Bobbie (ISBN: 0-778-73212-6)

Related Science TEKS

(5.8C) Natural Cyclical Events
The student is expected to identify and compare the physical characteristics of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Related Math TEKS

5.10.B  The student is expected to connect models for perimeter, area, and volume with their respective formulas.

5.11.B  The student is expected to solve problems involving elapsed time.

5.14.A The student is expected to identify the mathematics in everyday situations.

5.15.A The student is expected to explain and record observations using objects, words, pictures, numbers, and technology.

5.15.B  The student is expected to relate informal language to mathematical language and symbols.

Additional Resources

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory: European Space Agency and NASA (website) - Extensive catalog of downloadable images and videos of the Sun.

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
European Space Agency and NASA, sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov

Photojournal: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (website) - Huge collection of downloadable, high-resolution images of the planets.

Photojournal
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, jpl.nasa.gov

Interactive Learning Experience: Earth, Sun, and Moon (website) – Students fly a space rocket past asteroids to the Earth, and learn about the Earth, Sun and Moon.

Interactive Learning Experience
Earth, Sun, and Moon, www.earthsunmoon.co.uk

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