Solar System Exploration - news, current missions, and history of past missions from NASA. Anything that comes close to the earth from outer space is known as a near-earth object (NEO). The asteroid belt is another object in the solar system. What is the difference between asteroids and comets? One of the main reasons is, black holes are so black, that they can’t be seen, even with the most powerful equipment. What does it mean for the evolution of utility companies? The planets of the solar system are also a variety of sizes and are made up of different substances. The asteroid belt contains irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids which are believed to be left over from the beginning of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. What wil When you are done, you can work on the challenges in small groups. Copyright 2019 Planet For Kids. Many of the planets also have moons which are celestial objects that orbit another body in space. The Sun is mostly a big ball of gases composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter is mainly helium, hydrogen, and water. Throughout time, people have looked up at the night stars with imagination and awe. The planet Earth takes 365 days or one year to orbit the Sun. Our solar system consists of eight planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and their satellites. Students worked at their own pace and let me know when they needed a new partner. A black hole is one of the strangest objects in the universe. Elementary School Science. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. 4.0—Earth & the Formation of Our Solar System. These commissions help to pay for the costs of the site and enable it to remain free … Contact. Playing educational quizzes is a fabulous way to learn if you are in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade - aged 11 to 14. They are leftovers from the beginning of the solar system. Read More. Planet was discovered before or after ____________, Planet known since Ancient Times or discovered after _________, Temperature is either below or above ________ ºC, Planet has one average temperature (- or +) or a range of temperatures (- to +), Average temperature of planet is colder or hotter than Earth, Planet is tilted sideways or planet is not tilted sideways, Planet has liquid water or doesn’t have liquid water, Planets you can see or can’t see easily without a telescope, Planets that have or don’t have phases we can see from Earth. The other planets take more or less time to orbit the Sun. It takes Neptune almost 165 years to travel around the Sun. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The solar system is the Sun and the objects that travel around it. Venus is the second planet in our solar system and named after the Greek goddess of love. A moon is a celestial object (object in space) that orbits another body in space. Middle School Science Blog Free lesson plans and resources for grades 5-8 by Liz Belasic (Liz LaRosa) solar system Exploring the Solar System – Past, Present, and Future Missions. All rights reserved. If they could name the mission without clues (just an image of the spacecraft) they earned 2 points, if they named the mission with clues, they earned 1 point. On your desk, you will have a set of planet fact cards. For the next 5 categories, you and your partners will create new ways to sort the planets. Each of the planets follow an oval-shaped path around the Sun which is called the planet's orbit. Over 1,000 Earths could fill the size of Jupiter. When students were done with their slides, the next class involved a fun game of “Name that Mission” (girls vs boys). I used this activity last week with my 6th graders and I was happy with how the activity went. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Great site for finding out about current space missions. At no cost to you, I make a commission for purchases made through the links or advertisements. The smallest planet is Mercury, which is also the closest planet to the Sun. The path the planets use when traveling around the sun is oval-shaped and is called its orbit. The moon is a satellite of planet Earth. Write the title of your category on the line. It takes Mercury less than two months or 88 days to travel around the Sun. It costs only $12.50 per month to play this quiz and over 3,500 others that help you with your school work. Activity: This Threshold Today. A vacuum cleaner and a black hole are very similar but there is only one difference, a vacuum cleaner uses suction power to pull things into it. After taking an in-depth look at missions to Mars (blog entry) and learning more about the planets in the solar system (blog entry), we learned about past, present, and future unmanned space missions and their mission objectives. It wasn’t until more recently that scientists even knew that black holes existed. This lead to longer discussions and deeper thinking between each pair, which lead to categorizing the planets in categories that were less obvious at first. Mission Assignments using Google Sheets Template (, Mission Information using Google Slides Presentation Template (, Sample slides from one of my 6th grade groups (, Teacher or student created Planet Fact or Planet Trading Cards (. It wasn’t until more recently that scientists even knew that black holes existed. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Write down one fact for each planet within the category. Finally, there is also an asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter containing irregularly shaped objects called asteroids. It was challenging to come up with categories that neither student had used yet once they met with their 3rd partner. Space Lesson Plans. The Earth is part of the solar system because it also travels around the sun. Email. Possible Categories that students will use: Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. HOME. Below is a video about DAWN – the mission will be arriving at Ceres this week (March 6th) narrated by Leonard Nimoy. The four inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are made of rock containing many different minerals. ABOUT. Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Helium, Carbon Dioxide, and other gases can be used, too, View middleschoolsciencelessons’s profile on Facebook, Exploring the Solar System – Past, Present, and Future Missions, Planet Sorting Activity – Comparing, Contrasting, and Categorizing the Planets, 'The Goat by the Water' : Observation vs Inference (Originally named 'The Boy in the Water'), Qualitative vs. Quantitative Observations Worksheet, Mystery Footprints - Observation vs. Students also enjoyed trading partners and changing seats. The Sun is a star similar to the other stars in the sky but it is much closer to the Earth. This was a great way for the students to learn about different missions, practice their research, tech, and collaboration skills, and to get a better understanding of the history of unmanned space missions. Period of rotation shorter or longer than Earth? This lesson contains affiliate links to products I have used and personally recommend. You must use at least 5 planets to complete the category. The four outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are mostly made up of different gases. You will create 5 different categories with 5 different partners. Other objects in space include the moons of six planets. The planet taking the longest time to go around the Sun is Neptune. Share. When you see a picture of our earth from space, it looks exactly like a round blue and white marble. This staggered the pairings and allowed both the students who needed more time and the students who worked quickly to work at a pace that was comfortable for them. In summary, the solar system is the Sun and the objects that travel around it including the eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There are seven other planets that travel around the sun, too. When you and your partner are done, have your work checked and then you will be paired up with a new partner. The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. Right until 2006, Pluto was considered as the ninth planet in the solar system, but in accordance with the current formal classification of planets, it is no longer considered one. Why are there black holes in the middle of galaxies? This Science quiz is called 'Solar System 1' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at middle school. Inference, Reading a Graduated Cylinder- Volume & Displacement Free Online Resources, Free Science Starters, Bell Ringers, Warm Ups, Writing Prompts, Charles Darwin Survival Game - Link Updated.