Monday, April 20, 2009

Interesting Solar System Facts

  • The moon is about 1/4 the size of the Earth.
  • The sun is a big star.
  • Asteroids and comets are considered remnants from the giant cloud of gas and dust that condensed to create the sun, planets, and moons some 4.5 billion years ago.
  • On the moon, there is no wind or water.
  • Mars is called "The Red Planet."
  • The first man on the moon was Neil Armstrong.

Exploration of Outer Space and Our Moon Walk

For this unit, I decided I wanted to have the students be very much involved in what they were learning. The solar system is very important to our world, and the first trip to the moon and other discoveries about outer space are valuable history that students today do not understand. I wanted my students to become explorers of the entire universe and learn as much as they could. I felt that by having them create their own space adventure, they could explore and learn more about it rather than just reading the story and taking a test. For this unit, I will assess the student by their finished product of their space adventure.