How did the earth and solar system form?
Task: Watch the talks from David Christian as a whole class, and take notes (headings below). We will also then read the article ‘How our solar system formed’ by Cynthia Stokes Brown. Finally we will watch a youtube clip from Stephen Hawking.
You will then write a PEEL paragraph explaining ‘How did the earth and solar system form?’
Your paragraph must start with your POINT, which you then EXPLAIN, giving EVIDENCE, and finish with a LINK back to the question. The paragraph should be about 200 words long.
You will have three lesson to do this work.
Lesson 1: Read handout – Threshold 4. Watch Threshold 4 talk (in 4.0) ‘THRESHOLD 4: EARTH & THE
SOLAR SYSTEM’
Watch the talk ‘How did Earth and solar system form?’ (4.1)
Take notes under the following headings:
A Universe with many different elements creates possibilities (to 5m:30sec)
• What elements are most common in our universe?
• What other elements are common on earth?
How did earth form? (to 9:25)
• Creation of the sun
• The Outer Planets
• The Inner Planets
• The Moon
• Define these terms: protoplanetary disk or proplyd; and accretion
Our Solar System isn’t the only one out there (to 11:54 – end)
• How did rare, new chemical elements create entirely new things?
Answer in full sentences:
1. What were the Goldilocks Conditions that led atoms to connect?
2. How did the planets in our Solar System form?
3. What’s changed from the first to the fourth thresholds?
4. What ingredients necessary for the formation of the planets existed in the universe after the
last (third) threshold?
5. What do you think the Goldilocks Conditions for planet formation would be? Lesson 2: Watch the talk ‘What was young earth like?’ (4.2) and take notes (headings below).
Travel back in time to the early days of Earth (to 5:10)
Critical thinking questions
1. What was early earth like?
2. Would you be interested in visiting early Earth? Why or why not?
3. What are some of the Earth’s layers?
The Surface of Earth is in constant motion (to end 10:58)
Critical thinking questions – work in pairs to answer these questions:
1. If you could speed up time, how might the land around you change?
2. What is Pangaea? How long ago did it exist?
3. How were the Andes Mountains formed? The Himalayas?
4. What were the similarities between Big Bang theory and the theory of plate tectonics?
Read the article ‘How our solar system formed.’ (4.1)
As you read the article, note down the order of events, as well as further supporting details. You will need to start with the collapse of the nebula cloud…
You are then to find images for the class mural reflecting the key ideas in Threshold three and four. You should also look at the images and illustrations under Unit 3 and 4 but find your own for our mural! Email me your image.
Lesson 3: Stephen Hawking - Formation of the Solar System (youtube clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhy1fucSRQI)
Finally, watch the Stephen Hawking clip to review your findings, and to clarify how the earth was formed.
Write your formal paragraph:
You now have three sources of authority to inform your paragraph about ‘How the Earth Was Formed’ – David Christian, Cynthia Stokes Brown and Stephen Hawking.
Your paragraph must be a formal, structured response – PEEL it. You should write about 200 words.
Persuade me!
Once you have written your formal paragraph, go to the image galleries in Unit 4, as well as look at the pictures in the article we read.
Choose one image that you think is the most powerful, interesting or significant. Open a word document, paste the image in, and then write at least six sentences to persuade people that the image you have chosen is the most interesting, powerful or significant. Try and use the claim testers – and be persuasive!
Email your image and persuasive writing to me, and we will see if as a class we can be convinced that there is one amazing image that is absolutely wonderful!
Homework activity
Create your own star activity http://www.alienearths.org/mystar/
Work from home over the course of several days to input data and make your own star. You will get to see if planets will develop around your star and if life will emerge!