Solar System Webquest
3rd Grade
Meadow Village Elementary

Created by:
Corina Gonzalez, Anita Rivera, and Serena Torres

Introduction/Task/Process/Resources/Evaluation/Conclusion

Introduction:

5-4-3-2-1...and you're off! You have been chosen to fly into space on a special assignment. You've been granted special powers that allow you to get close to the Sun and planets without being harmed. Your mission is to explore the Sun and all the planets in our Solar System. You must return to Earth and report your findings directly to NASA.

Task:
Your mission will lead you on an exploration of the Solar System. You will research all eight planets, including the Sun and create a PowerPoint presentation. When you are finished with your research, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. How many moons does each planet have?
2. What are the inner and outer planets?
3. What order are the planets in from the Sun?
4. What is an asteroid?
5. What two planets does the asteroid belt divide?
6. What is the largest planet? What is the smallest planet?

Process:
Step 1: Put on your spacesuit and get ready to blast off into space! As you travel to the Sun, look out the window. What do you see? Write a paragraph about what you see on your journey. What are you feeling right now? Do you see other people or other living things? Be as creative and descriptive as possible.

Step 2: Start your exploration at the Sun. This will be your first stop. You will research the Sun and find amazing facts. Click here for a short introduction to the Sun. Be sure to answer the questions on your Sun Power Datasheet. **Note: After opening your Word document be sure to do "File>Save As". Save the document in Projects (G)>Integration>Your Grade> Your Teacher>Your Name. You can tell if you saved it by looking at the blue title bar. If it has (Read Only) then you did not save your document. Do this for all other Word documents on this site.

Step 3: Now it's time to visit each planet. Start with the first planet from the Sun, Mercury. As you visit each planet, remember to complete your Planet Power Datasheet. Don't forget you will need eight datasheets, one for each planet.

Step 4: When you finish your research, you will put all the information you gathered into a PowerPoint. Be sure to refer to the Journey from the Sun Rubric when you are creating your slideshow. Follow the guidelines of the rubric as you work on your presentation.

Step 5: Your journey has come to the end. You are to return to Earth and present your slideshow to NASA.

Resources:
Here are some websites you will need in order to complete your mission. Don't forget to complete the appropriate datasheet to help you record your information.

The Sun

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Asteroids

Evaluation:
As you prepare to complete your slideshow, keep in mind the Journey From the Sun Rubric. You will need to follow the guidelines in order to successfully complete the mission.

Journey from the Sun Rubric

Conclusion:
5-4-3-2-1...and you're on your way home. As you leave Neptune, the last planet in our Solar System, think back about what you have learned. Is it possible for human beings to live on another planet other than Earth? Why or why not? What was your favorite planet? How did you feel while you were in space? Take a moment to reflect on your exploration.

For added fun, create a model of the Solar System using a sentence strip and pictures of the planets, provided by your teacher. Make sure the planets are in correct order from the Sun. You can also play I have/Who has? with a partner who has already completed his/her mission. Go to our school website and research the Solar System for more information through the Library links.

You can even visit these sites for a few more fun activities.
Go on an Alien Safari! or What's a Meteor? or go on a Mars adventure!

Way to go!

Credits

Text and images are courtesy of Kids Know It,
www.kidsastronomy.com 1998-2008

Planet images are Courtesy of Windows to the Universe, http://www.windows.ucar.edu".
www.windows.ucar.edu

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/?pID=clipart

Space background courtesy of ImagesGoogle.com.

Animated divider courtesy of artist.jpghttp://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20051205/minisystem_spa_zoom0.html