Grade 4 : Standard 6 - The Universe
Conceptual Strand 6
The cosmos is vast and explored well enough to know its basic structure and operational principles.
Guiding Question 6
What big ideas guide human understanding about the origin and structure of the universe, Earth’s place in the cosmos, and observable
motions and patterns in the sky?
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Grade Level Expectations |
Checks for Understanding |
State Performance Indicators |
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GLE 0407.6.1 Analyze patterns, relative movements, and relationships among the sun, moon, and earth.
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SPI 0407.6.1 Organize the phases of the moon in the correct sequence. SPI 0407.6.2 Infer that the moon’s phases are caused by the revolution of the moon and earth around the sun.
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Lesson Plans with Old Standards
Day 1 Review of Life Science
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Day 2 (How the Solar System Was Formed)
Brain Pop - Big Bang Theory http://www.brainpop.com/science/space/bigbang/
How the Solar System was Created http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/E28/E28.swf
Watch video - Explains how Solar System Found
Brain Pop - Solar System http://www.brainpop.com/science/space/solarsystem/
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Day 3 Planet Sequence
Review the Order of the Planets. (Students put on planet "necklaces". These are in a Ziploc in the back of the notebook. Have students arrange themselves in a line in the correct order. Example, if a student is wearing Mars he must get between the two people wearing Earth and Jupiter.)
Planet Order Game http://www.durham.gov.uk/kids/usp.nsf/lookup/planets/$file/planets.swf
BBC Space Jigsaw Puzzle http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/playspace/games/jigsaw/jigsaw.shtml
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Day 4 Planets Sizes and Distances
Measure each planet and chart at How the Solar System was Created http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/E28/E28.swf
Computer Activities to View the Size of the Planets
Planet Size http://www.lucellan.com/test/s3.swf
Planet Size Viewer http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/spacesciences/animation/solarsystem/planets.swf
Planet Mass Comparison - Uses T scale to weigh the planets.) http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/MESSENGER/Interactives/ANIMATIONS/Planet_Mass_Comparison/PlanetMassComparison.html
Planet Size Comparison (View 2 planets of your choice to see comparative sizes.) http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/MESSENGER/Interactives/ANIMATIONS/Planet_Size_Comparison/PlanetSize.html
Video Animation (no words) Comparing Sizes of Planets http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-3974466981713172831
Outside Activities to Illustrate the Size of the Solar System
How Big is the Solar System? http://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html
The Size and Distance of the Planets http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/activity_10.html
Make a model to show the relative distances of the planets from the sun.
Mercury 1" Venus 1.5" Earth 2" Mars 3" Jupiter 11.5" Saturn 19" Uranus 38" Neptune 60" Pluto 79"
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Day 5 - Characteristics of Each Planet
United Streaming
TCAP Coach Lesson 12 "Planets and the Solar System" pages 82-85
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Earth - The Water Planet http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/samoset/water1a.swf
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
PowerPoint Explaining Why Pluto is No Longer a Planet - What is a Planet? http://facstaff.bloomu.edu/mshepard/courses/planets/planets_notes/What%20is%20a%20Planet.ppt
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Day 6 Shadows
Illustration of Shadows http://www.phys.ksu.edu/gene/shadow.gif
Activity
- Tape paper to the floor.
- Set up light source and angle so that it is shining toward one of the sheets of paper.
- Have one student stand between the light source and paper.
- Trace around shape that is projected on to the paper.
- Move the light source draw shadow a second time.
- Compare the size of the shapes that were placed at different distances.
- What happens to the size when the distance is increased? When it is decreased?
- Does the shape itself change?
United Streaming
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Day 7 Shadows
Light and Shadows Lesson Plans with Worksheets & Quiz
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/teachersresources/ages7_8/tr_light_shadows_lp.shtml#
Online Activity http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/light_shadows.shtml
TCAP Coach Lesson 14 "Earth's Rotation, the Sun, and Shadows" pages 90-92
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Day 8 Moon Phases
Video Explaining Phases of the Moon **** http://www.wonderville.ca/v1/activities/phases/phases.swf
BrainPop Jr. The Moon http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/space/themoon/preview.weml
Moon Phases Diagram http://www.littleexplorers.com/subjects/astronomy/activities/label/labelmoonphases.shtml
Take It To Your Seat Science Centers Grades 3-4 "Phases of the Moon" pages 33-45
To understand the phases of the moon try this experiment.
Each student needs a sheet of drawing paper folder into quarters, a crayon, and a clipboard to draw on.
Students sit in a circle around a large pitcher with a handle and draw what they see in the first box on their papers.
Have everyone move counterclockwise one quarter of the way around the circle and draw what they see from the new angle.
Repeat 2 more times until students have draw the pitcher from 4 angles.
Discuss what happen.
Example
Explain to the students that the pitcher did not move yet the pictures look different. This is the same with the moon . . . .
Workbook p. 58-59 Cut out the moon phase wheels and attach with a paper fastener. By turning the bottom wheel to the right, the phases of the moon will appear in the correct order in the window.
Use moon phase cards to put moon phase cards in the correct order. (Blue cards in a Ziploc bag)
Students may make their own sets of moon phase cards. (See the cards in their packets in the students' notebooks.)
Worksheet - Label the moon phases.
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Day 9 Moon Phases
TCAP Coach Lesson 13 "Phases of the Moon" pages 86-89
Phases of the Moon http://aspire.cosmic-ray.org/labs/moon/lunar_phase3.swf
Moon Phases http://classweb.howardcc.edu/cwuyts/LearningObjects/moon_phases_v5b.swf
Moon Phases http://www.espace.gc.ca/eng/educators/resources/astronomy/multimedia/module3/phases_moon/phases_moon.swf
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Day 10 Test
TCAP Coach Chapter 4 Review pages 93-94
0407.6.1
Chart the movements of the sun, moon, and earth to develop an
explanation for the phases of the moon and solar and lunar eclipses.