Name: Kimberlee Provencher
School: John Fuller School
Grade level: Kindergarten
Work phone and e-mail; 356-5381 k_proven@unixserv.kennett.k12nh.us
Location of Externship: Christa McAuliffe Planetanurn
Lesson Title: Exploring the sky and the solar system
Lesson Description: Through home and school observations the students will develop an understanding of the solar system and the day and night sky.
Subject Areas: Science, Language Arts, and Mathematics
Standards addressed:
Science:Standard 4a; Students will demonstrate any increasing ability to understand that the Earth is a unique member of our solar system. located in a galaxy, with the universe.
Standard 2a: Students will demonstrate an increasing ability to use measuring instruments to gather accurate and/or precise information- if student has a telescope at home.
Language Arts:
Standard 2; Students will demonstrate the interest and ability to write effectively for a varied of purposes and audiences.
Standard 3: Students will demonstrate the interest and ability to speak purposefully and articulately, as well as listen and view attentively and criticically.
Standard 6: Students will demonstrate competence in using the interactive language processes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing to communicate effectively.
Mathematics
Standard 3d: Students will use mental computation and estimation skills and strategies and know when it is appropriate to do so.
Resources needed: Appropriate level science books concerning the solar system
Stargazers by Gail Gibbous
The Stars by Patrick Moore
The Kingfisher Young World Encyclopedia
Blast Off Poems about Space selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
What is the Sun? by Reeve Lindbergh
Blast Off! A Space Counting Book by Nonna Cole
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as told and illustrated by lza Trapini
Under the Sun by Ellen Kandolan
Alisair in Outer Space by Marillyn Sadler
Here in Space by David Milgrim
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I'm Off to the Moon by Dan Yaccarino
NASA sent me some valuable free information.
NASA's address: NASA Headquarters
300 E St. S.W.
Washington DC
02056
There are two good websites to use with this unit: www.nasa.gov and www.nasa.gov/kids.shtml
Preparation for teacher- The teacher will send home a note explaining to parents that the children will be working on a space unit. To begin the unit the parents will be asked to help the children observe the stars and moon in the night sky. Duplicate the enclosed calendar grid for each child. Instruct the children to take the calendars home.
Student directions:
Each night have the students look at the moon and draw its shape in the appropriate box on the calendar. When the month is over have each child bring his calendar back to school. Discuss what is revealed by the drawings.
Teacher will gather and display pictures of the moon from encyclopedias. After discussing the mountainous surface of the moon give each child a cardboard circle, a supply of dried beans, packing pieces and glue. Have each child glue a variety of the supplies to his cardboard circle. When the glue dries lay a sheet of foil over the surface and press down gently to create a silver moonscape. Tuck the edges beneath the cardboard. Give each student a copy of the enclosed astronaut figure, Have student color the astronaut and glue his/her photograph in the appropriate place.
Learning about the sky;
Teacher Preparation; Discuss with the students their stargazing experiences. Explain to the children that the star groups are called constellations. Show the students several pictures of constellations —Stargazers by Gail Gibbons, The Stars by Patrick Moore, and the Kingfisher Young World Encyclopedia are good books to use with them.
Student directions; Give each child a sheet of 18 x24 black construction paper and supply of mini rnarshmallows. Have students arrange marshmallows to form a picture. Outline the picture with chalk. Writing activity to go with this activity- Explain to the students that the people who lived many years ago also made up stories about the constellations. Have each child examine his/her picture. Then encourage the student to write a story about his/her constellation.
Ask student to estimate how many "stars" are in his/her constellation. Students will count their "stars" and determine how close-their estimate is to the correct answer.
Student directions for a space journal. Students will observe the day sky outdoors. Ask them what they can see in space. Encourage them to describe each object in terms of shape, color, and texture. In the classroom the students will make a journal. The students will draw and write what they
saw in the sky. This page can be titled -DAY. For housework encourage the students to ask their parents to take them outside to do a night sky inventory. In school the following day the students will draw what they observed in the journal. This page can be titled -NIGHT. The students can share their day and night observations with one another.
Discuss with the children that out in space some of the bright stars are planets. Teach the students some interesting facts about the planets i.e. Mercury is closest to the sun, the moon has no gravity, Jupiter has a large red gaseous spot. Also explain to them their order from the sun in the solar system. Provide many books for the students to look at so they can determine which specific planet they would like to learn more about. When the students come to the writing center the teacher will read information about their specific planet and the students will write a fact about the planet that they found interesting. Students can also paper mache on round balloons to make their planets. Hang them up in the classroom in the order they orbit the sun.
Students can also build a space shuttle by taping various sized boxes together with wings cut from corrugated cardboard to resemble a space shuttle.
Student assessment: Teacher observations in small and whole group situations will
determine the student assessment. The student's written work will also be used as a measure of student assessment.