Objectives:

 Students will choose the best approach for their research.

 Students will critique information found online.
 Students will correctly cite information in a bibliography.

 Students will use their research to create a mini solar system.

Materials:

 Reference materials and websites.

Procedures:

1. Identify different features of the solar system like the Sun, the Moon, the planets, comets,
and asteroids.
2. Ask each student to choose one solar system feature to research. Work with students as
they choose their topics to be sure that each feature, including the nine planets, is chosen.
3. Talk about where students might find information about their topics. (books, Internet,
magazines, newspapers)
4. Review these steps to doing research:

Question - Ask your students what they would like to know about their solar system
topics. Have them record these questions.

Search - Tell students to use the Internet, as well as traditional sources, to find
information. Have them think of keywords that would apply to their solar system topic.

Analyze - Remind students to always analyze the sources for anything they read online.
They need to make sure the information they are using is accurate.

Compose - Have students organize their information and make a report, a presentation,
or a product that tells about the part of the solar system they researched.

Share - Schedule time for students to share their solar system product with others.
5. Have students determine what they would like to know about their solar system topic.
Help them create questions that express what they want to find out.
6. Students should use both online and traditional sources for their research. Encourage
them to check as many sources as time allows.
7. Limit students' online research to search engines that have been screened for children.
8. Ask students to organize their information and make a poster, drawing, diorama, mural,
or paper planets to show what they learned about their topic.
9. Tell students that when they do research, they need to make a list of the resources they
used, called a bibliography. They can go use the How to Write a Bibliography article to
see how their list of references should look. You may want to print copies of this for each
student.
10. Students set up and share their finished work in a "classroom galaxy."