Lesson Plan #3

Karina Ledesma
Subject(s): Patterns in the Solar System
Teacher: C. Cummings
1.

Date: 9/11/15

School: Cal State Dominguez Hills

Objective (What is the topic of discussion and reason for learning?)

-Students will be able to explain how the nebular theory is the reason for the
Differences between terrestrial planets and Jovian planets.
-Students will be able to compare and contrast between different planets
within the
Same groups and also between the two different groups which are terrestrial
and Jovian.
-Students will be able to describe the unique motions of some planets
-Students will be able to point out and write about the surface temperatures
that
Exist within our planets.
2. Learning Target(s): (What will students know & be able to do as a result of
this lesson?)
-The students will know that the nebular theory is what explains the formation of
our solar system. The nebular theory is that the sun and planets was formed
through a cloud filled with interstellar gasses, which are hydrogen and helium,
and dust called solar nebula.
-Students will understand the formation of the solar system, which is due to
gravity the solar nebula contracted and remaining material, came to the middle
and formed the protosun. -The rest of the material that did not go towards
nebular sun went into formation of a rotating disk which then caused the
material to cool down and come together to form rocky and icy clumps of
material. -Those clumps are called planetesimals. -Temperatures closer to the
sun were very hot. -Temperatures further from the sun were much cooler.
-Students can determine the differences within all 8 planets:
Terrestrial planets: -Also known as the Earth-like planets. Composed of
metals and rocky materials. The asteroid-sized rocky materials collided so
much they created the four inner planets:
-Mercury: -Very dense planet, - It has no atmosphere, Its temperatures
range from very low (-280F) to very high (800F) temperatures. Mercury
absorbs most of the sunlight that is reflected on it. Mercury is similar to Earths
moon because it has a smooth plain that covers about 40% of its surface. Major
crater called Caloris Basin that created smooth area. Have found that Basin is
partly filled with lava from some volcanic activity.
-Venus: -Similar to earth in size, location and density. -80% plains created

by volcanic structure. Orbits the sun about once every 225 earth days. Consist
mostly of carbon dioxide making it the densest of the terrestrial planets.
Temperature about 900F all the time. Since the planet is very thick, it blocks off
meteoroids and just receives the debris. More than 1,000 volcanoes reported
(Biggest is Matt Mons 8.5km high and 200km wide)
-Earth: Class is about Earth, therefore we learn of the planet as we go.
-Mars: It revolves around the sun in about 687 earth days. Temperatures
range from
-220F to 68F. Very thin atmosphere that consist of carbon dioxide, water
vapor, nitrogen and oxygen. The color of the planet comes from rust and has
many craters just like Earths Moon. Large elevated region called Tharsis bulge
located on its equator. Formed possibly by accumulating volcanic rock. Largest
basin is called Hellas, which is 1,400 miles in diameter and has the lowest
elevation. Has the largest volcano called Olympus Mons, which is about the size
of Arizona. There is no sign of water on Mars but there is a possibility that there
are ice formations on the planet.
-Beyond Mars, there are four more other planets. Very different than the
terrestrial planets.
Jovian planets: - Also known as the Jupiter-like planets. -The temperatures
are very low and cool which produced ices (water, carbon dioxide, ammonia and
methane) and very little metallic (nickel and iron) and rocky materials. -Due to
their location away from the sun and extravagant amounts of ice, it formed very
large planets:
-Jupiter: - the largest of all 8 planets. Orbits the Sun ever 12 Earth years
and is the quickest to orbit from all planets. - It completes one rotation within
about 10 hours. -It has three cloud layers. -The lowest and warmest layers
consist of water ice and are about a greyish color. -The other layer consists of
ammonium hydrosulfide droplets and make that lower a bit colder. -The last layer
on the surface is a white color and consists of ammonia ice. -The Great Red Spot
is the largest storm that involves winds that are two times bigger than Earth.
-White ovals seen on the planet are also smaller storms than the Red Spot but
bigger storms than what we see on Earth. - Jupiter has 67 moons and Galileo
discovered the four largest moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto). Its rings
consist of fine, dark particles that are similar to smoke particles. -Impacts on
Jupiters moons seem to have also composed the rings around the planet.
-Saturn:-Atmosphere and composition similar to Jupiters. Rings
discovered by Galileo in 1610. -29 Earth years to make a revolution. Saturn has
intense lighting, similar storms like Jupiters Red Spot on its atmosphere.
Atmosphere is about 75% hydrogen and 25% helium. Clouds are segregated by
temperature and are composed of ammonia, water, and ammonia hydrosulfide.
Has about 62 moons, all vary in size, surface age and shape. -Largest moon in
solar system and for Saturn is called Titan. Its bigger than Mercury and is
composed of mostly nitrogen. Ring system is a rotating disk of many water ice
particles.

-Uranus: -Unique rotation possibly because it has been hit too hard by the
impacts. -Rocky core. Huge storm about the size of the U.S. Clouds composed
of methane ice and ammonia. -5 Large moons with some deep canyons and
linear scars.
-Neptune: -has the windiest places in the solar system. Rocky core. Large
dark spots that are rotating storms which last very few years. -White clouds like
other Jovian planets. Largest moon called Triton which erupts fluid ices.
-Students will know where the terrestrial and Jovian planets remain and why:
-All these 8 planets sit on a rotating disk called the plane of the ecliptic.
-The reason why they sit there is because they all formed on that flattened
disk
And because their orbits occur mostly in the same plane.
-Students will know what the small solar system bodies consist of:
-Asteroids: Most orbit the Sun around Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.
Some travel irregular orbits and others travel by the Earth and our Moon.
-Comets: leftover material from the solar system. Collections of water ice,
frozen gases, dust and rocky material. Halleys comet orbits about every 200
years. Shortest comet comes every 3 years.
-Meteoroids: known as shooting stars. Occur when they enter Earths
atmosphere. Heat created by friction and the air is what we see lighting up our
sky.
-Students will understand why Pluto is not part of our solar system which is
because its
orbit is irregular. Sometimes it is orbiting in front of Neptune and other times
behind Neptune. Plutos inclination is far from the rest of the planets.
3. Relevance/Rationale: (Why are the outcomes of this lesson important in the
real world? How will it benefit students to know this topic?)
-This knowledge will benefit students to understand what happens beyond
our blue sky.
-This will instruct the student to recognize neighboring planets through a
telescope.
-It will help the student understand why Pluto is not part of the 8 planets
anymore.
-In the real world, the student will be able to name some characteristic of
both planet groups.
4. Formative Assessment Criteria for success: (How will you & your students
know if they have successfully met the outcomes? By what criteria will they
be assessed?)
-Students will be tested randomly as a class with a small quiz of 4 questions
at the end of class.
1. One sentences describing the main difference of Terrestrial and Jovian
planets.

-The difference is that the inner planets are hotter than the outer planets
and they compose different materials depending on their location from the
Sun.
2. T/F The densest planets are the Jovian planets.
-False, Terrestrial planets are more dense especially Mercury.
3. Which two planets are practically twins?
a. Pluto and Neptune
b. Earth and Mars
c. All planets are unique
d. Neptune and Uranus
4.Which Scientist discovered Jupiters four largest moons?

5.

6.

a. Ghandi
b. Galileo
c. Socrates
d. Buddah
Activities/Tasks: (What learning experiences will students engage in?)
-Activity #1 that students will engage in is to build/construct a display of an
assigned planet inside a shoe box. They can use recycled materials or
purchase materials at local stores. Then students will write a small paragraph
giving an overview of their assigned planet.
-Activity #2 that students will be in groups of 2 or 3 and will do an Instagram
profile of an assigned planet. Each Instagram page will have pictures of
special features of the assigned planet. Profile will be designed on a poster
board and it could have pictures downloaded from google or drawn by the
student. Information to be in the profile will be provided in class.
Resources/Materials: (What texts, digital resources, & Materials will be used in
this lesson?)
-Poster Board
-Glue sticks
Foundations of Earth Science text book