SCIENCE BOX OVERVIEW
Kit #16
Name: “Our Place in the Universe”
Grade Level: 3-5
Content Strand: Earth and Space Sciences
Content Standard and Description: The Solar System and the Universe – Students understand that the earth is part of a planetary system within the Milky Way Galaxy, which is part of the known Universe.
Summary: Students will learn all about our solar system and what is in it. They will learn what it takes to fly in outer space and be able to understand what it is like for astronauts to live on the space station.
Learning Cycle Lesson Plans: Here is the list of the lesson plans in this kit.
1. “Our Place in the Solar System” – This lesson will introduce students to the solar system. They will learn about the nine planets and the sun, and learn how our planet fits into the universe.
2. “Flight” – Hands on experiments will help kids define the laws of Newton and Bernoulli. Students will understand how planes can fly and how rockets can be propelled into outer space.
3. “Living and Working in Space” - When the first seven people went on the moon not much was known about it. Students will be the next generation of astronauts and may even be the people who work and live on the space stations or on colonies in distant planets.
What to Expect: When done using this kit, teachers can expect their students to know a few specific things. For the third graders, they will be able to identify the sun, moon, and the earth as components of our solar system. The fourth graders will be able to observe and describe properties, locations, and movements of the sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds, and planes. Finally the fifth graders will know all of that plus be able to investigate and describe the basic components of our solar system (e.g. planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and the sun).
Evaluations: Here is what other teachers have said about this box.