Space/Our Planet

Lesson 1 - Stars

OBJECTIVE

Students will learn the shapes of and observe several constellations.

AAAS BENCHMARKS COVERED*

The patterns of stars in the sky stay the same, although they appear to move across the sky nightly, and different stars can be seen in different seasons. Stars are like the sun, some being smaller and some larger, but so far away that they look like points of light.

NGSS STANDARDSCOVERED:1-ESS1-1; 5-ESS1-1

COMMON CORE ELA STANDARDS COVERED:

Stars 1 & 2 worksheets (Introduce the unit on stars and star patterns and invite students to participate and share any patterns that may be familiar. Use star charts to help students identify the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco and Bootes. Have students trace the constellations and asterism on the black/white background half of the Student booklet worksheet; encourage them to try to see the different shapes; explain how to find the North Star using the big dipper etc. – 3.SL.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly; 3.SL.1a: Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion; 3.SL.1b: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion); 3.SL.1c: Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others; 3.SL.1d: Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion; 3.SL.5: Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

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Constellation Concentration Cards (Two sets of cards; one containing names of constellations and the other pictures of the constellations; students are instructed to engage in discussions and then match them correctly) – 3.SL.1 ; 3.SL.1a ; 3.SL.1b ; 3.SL.1c ; 3.SL.1d ; 3.SL.5: (see above).

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Window Star Viewers (Display and discuss the Polaris poster explaining how the time lapse photograph  was made. Introduce the Big Dipper poster. Hand out materials for the Window Star Viewers and create them in the classroom explaining the clock feature allows them to visualize what the stars will look like at certain time during the month. Have students use the Window star viewer to predict where the big dipper will be tonight)– 3.W.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic; 3.W.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evi-dence into provided categories.

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Constellation Viewers (Show students how to use the Constellation Viewers to predict certain star groups – 3.W.7, 3.W.8: (see above).

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“Pictures in the Sky” text and questions – 3.RI.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers; 3.RI.3: Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect; 3.RI.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and proficiently; 3.L.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content,choosing flexibly from a range of strategies; 3.L.4a: Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

COMMON CORE MATH STANDARDS COVERED:

Stars 1 & 2 worksheets – Mathematical Practices: 5, 6, 7, 8: (see above).

Constellation Concentration Cards– Mathematical practices: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8: (see above).

Window Star Viewers– Mathematical Practices: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8: (see above).

Telling Time worksheet – 3.MD. 1: Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a number line diagram.

Lesson Outline

Introduce the unit. Explain that humans have always looked at the sky. Over the years, certain star patterns have been given names.

Discuss any star patterns that the students are familiar with.

Use the correct (fall/winter or spring/summer) overhead star charts to help students identify the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and either Cassiopeia and Cepheus or Draco and Bootes.

Have students trace the constellations (and asterism) on the black stars/white background half of Student Booklet inside cover and page 1. Encourage them to try to see the shapes of the constellations on the white stars/black background half of the page.

Have students look at the overhead star chart (stars only) again. Show them how to use the Big Dipper to find the North Star (Polaris). Explain that the North Star is above the North Pole. During the night and throughout the year, it looks like the stars move around the North Star although it is really the Earth that is moving.

Explain that different constellations appear in the sky throughout the year. Use the other star charts and star circles to introduce two more constellations. Both sets of constellations are visible throughout the year although not always in the evening or high above the horizon.Hand out Constellation Concentration cards. Teach them the game and allow time to play.

If doing this lesson over two days, break here.

Display the Polaris Poster. Explain how the photograph was taken.

Instruct students to go out tonight and observe the night sky, particularly the Big Dipper. Ask students to report whether the Big Dipper is flat, upside down, pouring water out, or standing on its handle.

Make Window Star Viewers.

Demonstrate how to view the Big Dipper using the Constellation Viewers: put the lid down on the table upside down (the top of the lid should be on the table), set the star circle on the lid (writing side down),

Lesson 2 - Planets

OBJECTIVE

Students will learn the characteristics of the objects in our solar system.

AAAS BENCHMARKS COVERED*

Planets change their positions against the background of stars. The earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and the moon orbits around the earth. Like all planets and stars, the earth is approximately spherical in shape. The rotation of the earth on its axis every 24 hours produces the night-and-day cycle. To people on earth, this turning of the planet makes it seem as though the sun, moon, planets, and stars are orbiting the earth once a day. Technology enables scientists and others to observe things that are too small or too far away to be seen without them and to study the motion of objects that are moving very rapidly or are hardly moving at all. Telescopes magnify the appearance of some distant objects in the sky, including the moon and the planets. The number of stars that can be seen through telescopes is dramatically greater than can be seen by the unaided eye.

NGSS STANDARDS COVERED: 1- ESS1-1

COMMON CORE ELA STANDARDS COVERED:

Planets 1 thru 7 worksheets (Start with a discussion of the planets asking students what planets they can name and what facts they may know about the solar system. Explain that they are going to gather information about the planets and the sun and take notes in Lesson 2 Planets worksheets 1 thru 7 in their student booklets. Divide the class into groups and assign each group to the poster of one of the planets or the sun which will be their starting point. Students should take notes and then be signaled to the next station where the process continues. Allow students to share similarities and differences they have noted. Record their observations on a large chart. Discuss the decision to make Pluto a dwarf planet. Use data to support opin-ions. Differentiate between data and opinion. Hand out Solar system Concentration cards and allow time to play) – 3.SL.1, 3.SL.1a, 3.SL.1b, 3.SL.1c, 3.SL.1d: (see above); 3.SL.4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace; 3.SL.6: Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification; 3.W.7, 3.W.8: (see above); 3.RF.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension; 3.RF.4a: Read on-level text with purpose and understanding; 3.W.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline- specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

“Pluto” text and questions – 3.L.4, 3.L.4a: (see above); 3.RL.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers; 3.RL.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. (If challenge question is assigned to students - Do you think astronomers will find any more planets? –Standards met – 3.W.2: Write informative/explanatory textsto examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly; 3.W.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.Vocabulary – 3.L.4, 3.L.4a: (see above).

COMMON CORE MATH STANDARDS COVERED:

Planets 1 thru 7 worksheets – Mathematical Practices: 2 thru 8: (see above). Rounding Rocket Ships worksheet – 3.NBT.1: Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

Lesson 3 -Why Is It So Nice On Earth?

OBJECTIVE

Students will design experiments to learn how the greenhouse effect increases the temperature on the surface of Venus.

AAAS BENCHMARKS COVERED*

Results of similar scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same. Sometimes this is because of unexpected differences in the things being investigated, sometimes because of unrealized differences in the methods used or in the circumstances in which the investigation is carried out, and sometimes just because of uncertainties in observations. It is not always easy to tell which. Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments. Investigations can focus on physical, biological, and social questions. Results of scientific investigations are seldom exactly the same, but if the differences are large, it is important to try to figure out why. One reason for following directions carefully and for keeping records of one’s work is to provide information on what might have caused the differences. Measuring instruments can be used to gather accurate information for making scientific comparisons of objects and events and for designing and constructing things that will work properly.When liquid water disappears, it turns into a gas (vapor) in the air and can reappear as a liquid when cooled, oras a solid if cooled below the freezing point of water. Clouds and fog are made of tiny droplets of water.Air is a substance that surrounds us, takes up space, and whose movement we feel as wind.Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects and events.

NGSS STANDARDS COVERED: 2-ESS1-1

COMMON CORE ELA STANDARDS COVERED:

Why is it so nice on Earth? worksheet (Students review what they learned about the planets and share some of their data on temperatures on other planets. Explain that the Earth is the only one with conditions perfect for life and one of the reasons is the existence of water. Water keeps the Earth from getting too hot or too cold. Introduce the experiment. They will find out how the temperature of water, sand and air changes when they are in sunlight and when they aren’t. They will collect data, graph their findings and interpret them) –3.SL.1, 3.SL.1a, 3.SL.1b, 3.SL.1c, 3.SL.1d, 3.W.7, 3.W.8, 3.W.10: (see above).

“Earth” text and questions – 3.RI.1, 3.RI.3, 3.RI.10, 3.L.4, 3.L.4a: (see above). If the challenge question is assigned (found at bottom of sheet) – 3.W.3: (see above); 3.W.3b: Use dialogue and descriptions of actions,thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.

Vocabulary – 3.L.4, 3.L.4a: (see above).

COMMON CORE MATH STANDARDS COVERED:

Why is it so nice on Earth? worksheet – Mathematical Practices: 1 thru 8: (see above); 3.MD.3: Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.

Temperature Line Graph – 3.MD.3: (see above).

​Lesson 5:  Dinosaurs

OBJECTIVE

Students will compare and contrast extinct animals with ones that are alive today.

AAAS BENCHMARKS COVERED*

Scientists’ explanations about what happens in the world come partly from what they observe, partly from what they think. Sometimes scientists have different explanations for the same set of observations.That usually leads to their making more observations to resolve the differences.Fossils can be compared to one another and to living organisms according to their similarities and differences. Some organisms that lived long ago are similar to existing organisms, but some are quite different.

NGSS STANDARDSCOVERED: 3-LS4-1; 4-ESS1-1

COMMON CORE ELA STANDARDS COVERED:

“Dinosaurs” text; Dinosaurs Mini-book (Background information students will use to answer questions regarding the dinosaur pictures that will be handed out) – 3.RF.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words; 3.RF.3a: Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes; 3.RF.3c: Decode multisyllable words; 3.RF.3d: Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words; 3.RF.4, 3.RF.4a,3.RI.4c, 3.RI.10: (see above).

“Triceratops” text and questions – 3.RI.1, 3.RI.10, 3.RF.4, 3.RF.4a, 3.RF.4c: (see above).

Extinct Animals 1 & 2 worksheets (Students are given pictures and asked to place them in the boxes next to the description that matches them) – 3.RF.4, 3.RF.4a, 3.RF.4c, 3.RF.3d: (see above); 3.RI.7: Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g.,where, when, why, and how key events occur); 3.RI.10: (see above).

COMMON CORE MATH STANDARDS COVERED:

Dinosaur Math Mystery Puzzle (Students must solve the addition equations; then cut out the picture squares and match the number printed on the squares to their answers to unscramble the mystery picture) – 3.NBT.2: Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

Lesson 6: Our Planet's Air

OBJECTIVE

Students will demonstrate that air takes up space and exerts a force.

AAAS BENCHMARKS COVERED*

Things on or near the earth are pulled toward it by the earth’s gravity. Air is a substance that surrounds us, takes up space, and whose movement we feel as wind.

COMMON CORE ELA STANDARDS COVERED:

“What’s in the air ?” text and questions – 3.RI.1, 3.RI.10, 3.RF.4, 3.RF.4a, 3.L.4: (see above). Air Takes Up Space experiment (Students are given containers and cups and told to fill the containers ¾ full with water; they are then to crumple up a piece of paper towel, put it in the cup, and put the cup underwater without getting the paper wet; discuss what happened and why (air takes up space/towel stays dry); explain that air pushes on everything, students participate given examples) – 3.SL.1, 3.SL.1, 3.SL.1a, 3.SL.1b, 3.SL.1c, 3.SL.1d: (see above).

“Wild Whirling Water” text and questions – 3.RI.1, 3.RI.10, 3.RF.4, 3.RF.4a: (see above).

Air Copter Challenges worksheet (Students are challenged to build air copters from cut and fold papers and paperclips; they are then challenged to make their air-copters spin faster, slower, in the opposite direction etc.; describe how they accomplish this and draw a picture of their copters on the worksheet) – 3.W.7, 3.W.8, 3.W.10: (see above). Vocabulary – 3.L.4, 3.L.4a, 3.L.5, 3.L.5b: (see above).

COMMON CORE MATH STANDARDS COVERED:

Air Takes Up Space – Mathematical Practices: 1 thru 8: (see above). Air Copter Challenges – Mathematical Practices: 1 thru 8: (see above).

Fractions of a Group worksheet – 3.NF.1: Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.

Lesson 8 - Our Planet Changes

OBJECTIVE

Students will classify geological changes as rapid or slow processes.

AAAS BENCHMARKS COVERED*

Waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape the earth’s land surface by eroding rock and soil in some areas and depositing them in other areas, sometimes in seasonal layers.Rock is composed of different combinations of minerals. Smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering ofbedrock and larger rocks. Soil is made partly from weathered rock, partly from plant remains—and also containsmany living organisms.

NGSS STANDARDS COVERED: 4-ESS1-1; 4-ESS2-1; 4-ESS2-2; 2-ESS1-1;

COMMON CORE ELA STANDARDS COVERED:

“Changes on Earth” text and questions – 3.RI.1, 3.RI.10, 3.RF.4, 3.RF.4a, 3.L.4, 3.L.4a: (see above). Our Planet Changes worksheet (Discuss how the surface of the Earth changes over time; sometimes those changes are rapid and sometimes they are slow; students have to classify as either rapid or slow the types of changes they are observing in the photos they are shown and record those observations on the worksheet applying their stickers in the appropriate columns; students will also conduct a weathering experiment with rocks, sand, water and sandpaper) – 3.SL.1, 3.SL.1a, 3.SL.1b, 3.SL.1c, 3.SL.1.d, 3.W.7, 3.W.8: (see above).

“Two Great Vacation Ideas” (A compare and contrast text - beach & mountains) with questions – 3.RI.1, 3.RI.10,3.RF.4, 3.RF.4a, 3.L.4, 3.L.4a: (see above).

Vocabulary – 3.L.4: (see above).

COMMON CORE MATH STANDARDS COVERED:

Our Planet Changes worksheet – Mathematical Practices: 2,3, 7, 8: (see above). Numerators and Denominators worksheet – 3.NF.1: (see above).

NM Science Performance Standards Covered: