Part1: Colonize the Solar System

Solar System Project

It’s time to colonize the solar system! You are in charge of designing a colony to support humans on your planet. If your planet has moons, you may choose to design a colony for one of the moons of your planet. There are three parts to this assignment.: research essay, power point(Google slide), and model of your colony. The research essay and Google slide will be completed in school (if you use class time wisely!)

1. MODEL (homework) The model will be homework. Your model should show what your colony looks like. It can be made of whatever materials you choose, but it must accurately depict your colony. (poster, shoebox, 3-D, etc.) You will need to prepare a 2-3 minute speech detailing how your colony will support human life. You must discuss the difficulties of supporting human life on your planet and the ways that your colony overcame those difficulties. The presentations will begin the week of Dec. 14th.

2. RESEARCH ESSAY: ( in class) The research essay will describe the planet and include the information listed on the back.

2. Google Slide: (in class) Students will work with a group to create a presentation of 4-6 slides showing images of their planet and list the information from their research in bullet points. .

. Assignment #1: Research your planet

Your first step is to research your planet. Some things you will need to know are: temperature, gravity, surface, amount of light, length of day, length of year, and atmosphere. You will also need to think about what resources are available on your planet in order to determine the resources you will need to provide for the colonists. As you are learning about your planet, fill out the form labeled Assignment #1. This form is due Nov. 30th – Dec 1st.

You may collaborate with other people when researching your planet, but everyone must do their own project. Here are some useful links which will also be posted on Google classroom:

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/# http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm https://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/OurUniverse.html http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/

. Part1: Colonize the Solar System

Research Project Assignment #1

Name: ______Planet: ______

Temperature range: ______

Gravity/Atmospheric pressure: ______

Surface Type and conditions: ______

Distance from Sun: ______

Amount of light/Length of day ______

Length of year: ______

Atmosphere – what it is made of : ______

Available resources (what could the colonists use there): ______

Other: ______Part1: Colonize the Solar System

Appendix Standards Addressed Benchmarks (Grades 3 through 5) 1B – Scientific Inquiry Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments. Investigations can focus on physical, biological, and social questions.

3A – Technology and Society Technology enables scientists and others to observe things that are too small or too far away to be seen without them and to study the motion of objects that are moving very rapidly or are hardly moving at all.

4A – The Universe The earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and the moon orbits around the earth.

Benchmarks (Grades 6 through 8) 1B – Scientific Inquiry Scientists differ greatly in what phenomena they study and how they go about their work.

Although there is no fixed set of steps that all scientists follow, scientific investigations usually involve the collection of relevant evidence, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations to make sense of the collected evidence.

1C – The Scientific Enterprise Computers have become invaluable in science because they speed up and extend people's ability to collect, store, compile, and analyze data, prepare research reports, and share data and ideas with investigators all over the world.

3A – Technology and Society Technology is essential to science for such purposes as access to outer space and other remote locations, sample collection and treatment, measurement, data collection and storage, computation, and communication of information.

4A – The Universe Nine planets of very different size, composition, and surface features move around the sun in nearly circular orbits. Some planets have a great variety of moons and even flat rings of rock and ice particles orbiting around them. Some of these planets and moons show evidence of geologic activity. The earth is orbited by one moon, many artificial satellites, and debris.

4B – The Earth We live on a relatively small planet, the third from the sun in the only system of planets definitely known to exist [sic] (although other, similar systems may be discovered in the universe). Part1: Colonize the Solar System

4G – Forces of Nature The sun's gravitational pull holds the earth and other planets in their orbits, just as the planets' gravitational pull keeps their moons in orbit around them.

12D – Communication Skills Locate information in reference books, back issues of newspapers and magazines, compact disks, and computer databases.

Benchmarks (Grades 9 through 12) 1B – Scientific Inquiry Investigations are conducted for different reasons, including to explore new phenomena, to check on previous results, to test how well a theory predicts, and to compare different theories.

4A – The Universe Increasingly sophisticated technology is used to learn about the universe. Visual, radio, and x-ray telescopes collect information from across the entire spectrum of electromagnetic waves; computers handle an avalanche of data and increasingly complicated computations to interpret them; space probes send back data and materials from the remote parts of the solar system; and accelerators give subatomic particles energies that simulate conditions in the stars and in the early history of the universe before stars formed.

National Standards (Grades 5-8) Understandings about Scientific Inquiry Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.

Earth in the Solar System The earth is the third planet from the sun in a system that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets.

The sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system.

National Standards (Grades 9-12) Understandings about Scientific Inquiry Scientists rely on technology to enhance the gathering and manipulation of data. New techniques and tools provide new evidence to guide inquiry and new methods to gather data, thereby contributing to the advance of science. The accuracy and precision of the data, and therefore the quality of the exploration, depends on the technology used.

Indiana Standards Grade 5 English/Language Arts – Comprehension 5.2.1 – Use the features of informational texts, such as formats, graphics, diagrams, illustrations, charts, maps, and organization, to find information and support understanding.

5.2.3 – Recognize main ideas presented in texts, identifying and assessing evidence that supports those ideas.

5.2.4 – Draw inferences, conclusions, or generalizations about text and support them with textual evidence and prior knowledge. Part1: Colonize the Solar System

Process 5.4.4 – Use organizational features of printed text, such as citations, endnotes, and bibliographic references, to locate relevant information.

5.4.5 – Use note-taking skills.

Science – Technology and Science 5.1.4 – Give examples of technology, such as telescopes, microscopes, and cameras, that enable scientists and others to observe things that are too small or too far away to be seen without them and to study the motion of objects that are moving very rapidly or are hardly moving.

The Universe 5.3.1 – Explain that telescopes are used to magnify distant objects in the sky, including the moon and the planets.

Grade 6 English/Language Arts – Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development 6.1.4 Understand unknown words in informational texts by using word, sentence, and paragraph clues to determine meaning.

Comprehension 6.2.1 – Identify the structural features of popular media (newspapers, magazines, online information) and use the features to obtain information.

6.2.3 – Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to multiple sources and related topics.

6.2.4 – Clarify an understanding of texts by creating outlines, notes, diagrams, summaries, or reports.

6.2.7 – Make reasonable statements and conclusions about a text, supporting them with accurate examples.

Process 6.4.1 – Discuss ideas for writing, keep a list or notebook of ideas, and use graphic organizers to plan writing.

6.4.5 – Use note-taking skills.

6.4.6 – Use organizational features of electronic text (on computers), such as bulletin boards, databases, keyword searches, and e-mail addresses, to locate information.

Science – Technology and Science 6.1.7 – Explain that technology is essential to science for such purposes as access to outer space and other remote locations, sample collection and treatment, measurement, data collection and storage, computation, and communication of information.

Scientific Thinking 6.2.6 – Read simple tables and graphs produced by others and describe in words what they show.

6.2.7 – Locate information in reference books, back issues of newspapers and magazines, CD-ROMs, and computer databases. Part1: Colonize the Solar System

The Universe 6.3.1 – Compare and contrast the size, composition, and surface features of the planets that comprise the solar system, as well as the objects orbiting them. Explain that the planets, except Pluto, move around the sun in nearly circular orbits

6.3.3 – Explain that Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and that the moon, as well as many artificial satellites and debris, orbit around Earth.

Grade 7 English/Language Arts – Comprehension 7.2.2 – Locate information by using a variety of consumer and public documents.

Process 7.4.1 – Discuss ideas for writing, keep a list or notebook of ideas, and use graphic organizers to plan writing.

7.4.5 – Identify topics; ask and evaluate questions; and develop ideas leading to inquiry, investigation, and research

Grade 8 English/Language Arts – Comprehension 8.2.1 – Compare and contrast the features and elements of consumer materials to gain meaning from documents.

8.2.5 – Use information from a variety of consumer and public documents to explain a situation or decision and to solve a problem.

Process 8.4.1 Discuss ideas for writing, keep a list or notebook of ideas, and use graphic organizers to plan writing.

8.4.4 Plan and conduct multiple-step information searches using computer networks.

Earth and Space Science I – The Universe ES.1.7 – Describe the characteristics and motions of the various kinds of objects in our solar system, including planets, satellites, comets, and asteroids. Explain that Kepler’s laws determine the orbits of the planets. Part1: Colonize the Solar System

Portions of this article were originally published by the Hoosier Science Teacher, 2004. Reprinted with permission.