Solar System

In the grade 3 Science curriculum there is a unit on the Solar System. This unit is a study of the structure of the solar system, the characteristics of the members of that system, and a more detailed look at the rotations and revolutions of the Earth and the Moon. The site that I found will allow the students to learn about all these things and have fun while learning about it.

I found a fun and interactive site that will allow the students to learn about the planets in a hands on way. This Solar System site has lots of great sounds and movements that will keep the students engaged. The site explains all the different planets for the students such as, Pluto, Jupiter, Venus, earth, Saturn, etc. I would first have each student pick a specific planet that they want to do their research on. I would then have them go to the site and find their assigned planet. I would allow them to play the game and copy down all the information that it gives the students about the planets. There will be the planets all across the top of the page and the students can put their mouse on it and discover all the information about the planet. I would then have the students make a diagram of their planet and write an explanation of what it is all about by using the information that they got from the website. Also on this site there is another area that will teach the students about the terms like rotation and revolution. It is a matching game that explains what each term means.

This is a fun unit for the students and to be able to incorporate a website into the lesson makes the lesson that much more exciting. This site gives the students a ton of great information that they will be able to use when they are presenting their planet to the rest of the class.