Fly Me to the Moons -- Middle School
Topic outline
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Written By: Frances Dellutri, Jr. High/Intermediate Level EIS Education Team, October 2015
EIS Topic: Art, Astronomy
Grade (Age) Level: Grades 5-8 (Ages 10-13)Key Topics Associated With Standards:
Scale Properties, Astronomy, Solar System Models, Proportion, Quantity, Interpreting Data, Gravity, Patterns, Math
US Standards: NGSS:
MS-ESS1-3 http://www.nextgenscience.org/dci-arrangement/ms-ess1-earths-place-universe
Index of Course Activities:
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Students watch a short video from NASA:
Students then fill out a short questionnaire reinforcing what they have learned from the video and then set the stage for the subsequent activities to come in this course.
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Students make a single page model of the solar system planet distances. The purpose of this activity is to reinforce student understanding of distances between planets in our solar system. This exercise is simplistic but elegant in its impact on students.
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Instructions for leading your class through the experience of setting up a large solar system model will help your students focus on the massive distances involved in our solar system. The resources will guide you on how to set up the planet sizes and provide you with step-by-step directions on how to set up the outside solar system and how to keep your students engaged throughout this excellent activity.
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In this activity, students set up their own solar system models by working in groups and using a sun model of a much smaller size than in the Whole Class Solar System Walk of Topic 3. This exercise works well to impress students on the effect different scale factors make on planet distances. Students really enjoy this activity and are constantly comparing their outside layout with other students reinforcing the concept of scale modeling.
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Students gather data on the moons of the solar system and choose the moon they would like to model. The particular moon's characteristics are recorded and organized for use in their 3-D model in Activity 6. There are several links to consider watching to introduce this topic and more resources can be found in the folder below.
What Makes the Moon so fascinating?:
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#tbm=vid&q=what+makes+a+moon
Solar System's 10 Most Incredible Moons.:
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Students make a model of their selected moon (Activity 5) by using papier-mâché and adding features that are to scale. As seen in Activity 4, Solar System Modeling Lab with different sized sun models for the group solar systems, the larger the scale factor, the larger the model and the easier it is to the see the details of the model, so students should be encouraged to make their selected moon at least 12 - 18 inches (30 - 45 cm) in diameter. Tips for the moon construction are found in the folder below.
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The Academy is delighted you have chosen to participate in the activities listed under 'Fly Me to the Moons.' We would greatly appreciate feedback on your experience in the hopes of making this course as valuable as possible. Kindly give your thoughts in the short survey and add pictures of your students' products.
Many Thanks!
-The EIS Academy
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