I'm+Seeing+Stars

Class/grade: Fourth Age group: 8-9 School: Alsup School code: 7346 Title: I’m Seeing Stars Teacher(s): Morgan, Patel, Painter, Lewis Date: May, 2007 Proposed duration: 20 hours over 4 weeks [|alternative energy]

How the world works
 * 1. What is our purpose?**
 * To inquire into the following:**
 * Transdisciplinary theme**

Earth may be the only planet in the solar system that can support life.
 * Central idea**

//What are the possible ways of assessing students’ understanding of the central idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?// You have been asked to lead a group of people to a planet in the solar system. You must create a persuasive essay, poster, or pamphlet advertising your planet so you convince your group to go with you. You must determine what supplies you need to take with you and how you are going to live there. Your final piece will be assessed according to a rubric that includes information about survival on your planet.
 * Summative assessment task(s):**

Alternate products: Photostory, Movie, or Powerpoint presentation

//Two rubrics to choose from:// Students will bring in articles about the topic or continue discussions about the solar system. They will check out books from the media center about the solar system.

//What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?// Connection, responsibility, change, function
 * 2. What do we want to learn?**

//What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?//

· The components of the solar system · Understanding the earth’s essential components for life · Predicting how the requirements can be transferred to another planet to support life

//What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?// 1. What are the components of the solar system? 2. What qualities does the earth have that other planets don’t to sustain life? 3. What changes would have to be made on other planets to sustain life?

//This column should be used in conjunction with “How best might we learn?”// //What are the possible ways of assessing students’ prior knowledge and skills? What evidence will we look for?// Students will participate in a technology controlled test to determine their knowledge about the solar system. Students will also write a short narrative about what necessities are needed to sustain life on earth. Teachers will look for the level of knowledge students possess about the solar system and requirements for life. //What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?// A graphic organizer will be completed by students comparing earth and another planet. Students will complete a model of the solar system including relative size and distance from the sun. Teachers will observe students during the hands-on/role-playing activity. Students will complete a list of necessary components to sustain life on another planet.
 * 3. How might we know what we have learned?**

//What are the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students to encourage the students to engage with the inquiries and address the driving questions?// · Using books, videos and technology, students will explore what makes life on earth possible and how we can change other planets to support human life. · Students will develop an understanding of the solar system, including relative scale, distance from the sun, and the orbits. · Through a hands-on/role-playing activity, students will understand the relationship of the sun, planets, stars and moons. //What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes of the learner profile?// 1. Students will work in cooperative groups to research the earth and another planet. 2. Students will use a graphic organizer comparing earth and another planet. 3. Students will analyze another planet and evaluate the necessary components to sustain life on that planet. 4. Students will inquire about the attributes of planets and sustainability of life.
 * 4. How best might we learn?**

//What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?// [| United Streaming]; Books on space from the classroom library; FOSS kit activities; laptop cart for research; Web resources: //A Virtual Journey into the Universe// [|A Virtual Journey into the Universe] & [|The Nine Planets For Kids] (Good information about the individual planets for research.) [|Science and Engineering Experiments for Kids] ("Astro Adventure" - Great activity that gives information about the Sun, Moon, and Earth, then "tests" students' understanding. Excellent illustration of relative size and distance of the planets. Good SmartBoard activity or for early finishers as they complete their projects. Could easily take about 20 minutes for a fourth grader to finish it though.) [|Kids astronomy.com] Great information about each of the planets. [|How long would it take to travel to each planet?] [|Window to the Universe]
 * 5. What resources need to be gathered?**

//How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?// Field trips to the museum and planetarium; school playground for role-playing activity; cooperative group learning;

//Assess the outcome of the inquiry by providing evidence of students’ understanding of the central idea. The reflections of all teachers involved in the planning and teaching of the inquiry should be included.//
 * 6. To what extent did we achieve our purpose?**

//How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a more accurate picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.//

We should compare Earth to another planet. Study Earth as a class and then use that template to then study another planet. (10-30-08)

Authentic purpose? Talking about global warming and writing letters, write to local industry and ask them what their plan is for reducing emissions. Weather information on the roof, talk to the person who does the measurements. Suncor is a contributor to our foundation?

//What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the transdisciplinary theme?//

//What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:// //· develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we want to learn?”// //· demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?// //· develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?// //In each case, explain your selection.//
 * 7. To what extent did we include the elements of the PYP?**

//Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight any that were incorporated into the teaching and learning.//
 * 8. What student-initiated inquiries arose from the learning?**

//At this point teachers should go back to box 2 “What do we want to learn?” and highlight the teacher questions/provocations that were most effective in driving the inquiries.//

//Record student-initiated actions taken by individuals or groups showing their ability to reflect, to choose and to act.//
 * What student-initiated actions arose from the learning?**


 * 9. Teacher notes**

Screen shots of our first lesson discussing a system.
This is what we know about the solar system.

After a discussion of what a system is, we chart the components of a computer system and talk about what happens when one part of the system stops working.

A review of the planets and their order from the sun.

New sentences created by students excluding Pluto along with their votes for the best.

media type="custom" key="176865"


 * 10. Lesson plans**

__Day 1: Meet the Solar System (Delta Science)__

Pre assessment using CPS clickers [| Solar System tests.cps]

Inquire: What is a system? Ss and teacher brainstorm a list using the SmartBoard. Save this list and refer to it again at the end of the unit.

Introduce vocabulary: star, system, solar system, planets, satellite, moon, comet, meteor, asteroid, sun. Ss record words in their journals as we work.

Inquire: What are the objects the travel around the sun? (planets) Discuss the names of the planets in our solar system.

Ss will be divided into 10 groups (pairs) and will take 15 minutes to find as much information as they can about a planet or the Sun **(What resources will they use?? Should topics be spread out along the unit? Provide direct instruction and then students find out details about their planet.)**. They will come back and present to the class what they found out. Ss will place a note card of their planet, or sun, in the correct order from their distance from the sun on the board.

Formative assessment?????

__Day 2: Satellites, Earth orbits the Sun, Moon orbits the Earth.__


 * Review** order of the planets' orbits around the sun.

Explore the concept of **satellite**. Ss will build and manipulate a model satellite system using styrofoam balls and fishing line. We will relate the concept of **gravity** to satellites.

The following document helped my students determine their weight on another planet.

Ss will research their planet's satellites and gravity and record their findings in their journals. Guiding questions: How many satellites does your planet have? How does this compare to the number of satellites around earth? Is the gravity on your planet different than the gravity on earth? How?[| Lesson 2 guiding questions.doc]

__Day 3: Planetary Orbits are not Circles/Making Circles__


 * Review** satellites and gravity

Ss participate in an activity where they make an ellipse using string, pushpins, and a pencil, and a circle using a compass. They will use this knowledge to create models of the earth and another planet.

__Day 4: Scale and relative size__

Introduce **scale** and **ratio**. Use this as an explanation for the next activity where students will be making a model of their planet that is of relative size to the actual planet.

Review Activity sheet 5 to discuss ratio and scale. Use this to move to Activity sheet 6 part A. Ss will need help filling out the chart to know how big to make their model planet.

Ss will work in pairs to create their model planet.

Guiding journal questions: How big is your planet relative to other planets? In other words, what is the next biggest planet to yours? What is the next smallest? What is the actual size of your planet? What is its relative size? [| Lesson 4 guiding questions.doc]

__Day 5: Scale and relative distance__

Review **scale** and **ratio.** Discuss how the planets should be arranged in the room. Do you think they are all the same distance away from each other? How are we going to represent the relative distance of the planets in our room? Use a map activity or Google Earth to demonstrate relative distance.

Ss model planet distances with their model planets.

Guiding journal questions: What planets is yours closest to? How close are these other planets to yours? How close is your planet to the sun? How does relative distance help you understand how far your planet is from others and from the sun?[| Lesson 5 guiding questions.doc]

__Day 6: Days and Years__

Distinguish rotation from revolution, role play planets revolving around the Sun.



__Culminating Activity - Summative Assessment__ Ss fill out information sheet to pull together all the information they have gathered about their planet. [| Final information sheet.doc]

Ss filter through "centers" to collect their information. 1. ipod to view and listen to their videos, 2. books, 3. [|A Virtual Journey through the Universe] click on their planet and find information, 4. [|The Nine Planets, Just for Kids] another site to verify information, 5. [|Kids Astronomy]

[|Astro Adventure] as a class? Or on the laptop carts with everyone doing it at once or in partners.

Brainstorm a list of important considerations when traveling to another planet. (distance, time it takes to get there, food, atmosphere, shelter etc.) Create and save list on SmartBoard. These will be the elements they will need to address in their culminating activity. Ideally they will come up with a list that will include the items listed above.



Choices for presentation: Photostory: Partners take photos to represent each consideration and add Digital Video: Partners write a script and perform the presentation on video. Powerpoint: Partners create a powerpoint presentation to include text, pictures and narration.