Inquiry-Based Lesson Design

AUTHORS’ NAMES: Almira Akinpelu

TITLE OF THE LESSON: Universal Wonder

TECHNOLOGY LESSON: Solar System scope, YouTube, and NASA Science Space Place

DATE OF LESSON: April 16, 2020

LENGTH OF LESSON: 100 minutes total (50 per day)

NAME OF COURSE: 6th Grade Science

SOURCE OF THE LESSON:

https://www.solarsystemscope.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W47Wa7onrIQ

“Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide” by
Michael Geisen

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/play/

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SZjD8aaWEEDkM61uHAGPxnMFMCzgnKM8tWffJzeLjzY/edit?
usp=sharing

TEKS ADDRESSED:

6.3 Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem
solving to make informed decisions and knows the contributions of relevant scientists. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning,
and experimental and observational testing, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student

6.11 Earth and space. The student understands the organization of our solar system and the relationships among the
various bodies that comprise it. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the physical properties, locations, and movements of the Sun, planets, moons, meteors,
asteroids, and comets

ELPS ADDRESSED:

c.1.C use strategic learning techniques such as concept mapping, drawing, memorizing, comparing, contrasting, and
reviewing to acquire basic and grade-level vocabulary

c.3.E share information in cooperative learning interactions

CCRS:

XI.C.1. Describe the structure and motions of the solar system and its components.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE:

Asteroid: a small rocky body orbiting the sun

 2007 The University of Texas at Austin

UTeach Tyler - July 2012
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Elliptical orbit: nearly circular but more of an oval shape

RESEARCH-BASE:

Egan, K. (1975, April). How to ask questions that promote high‐level thinking. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1492320?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Johnson, D., Johnson, R., & Smith, K. (1991). Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom. Edina, MI:
Interaction Book Company.

Shapiro, S. (1993). Strategies that Create a Positive Classroom Climate. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00098655.1993.9956031?journalCode=vtch20

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to describe the physical properties, locations, and movements of celestial bodies by creating a
solar system poster.
RESOURCES, SUPPLIES, HANDOUTS:
Laptop, Celestial bodies handout, posters, markers, pencils, pens, scissors, glue, crayons, construction paper, Who
Am I? handouts
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS:
Students are not to run with scissors, cut themselves or classmates, and can ask for assistance if needed
Students are not to mark on each other or their desks when using the markers
Glue must be used lightly and not create a mess
ACCOMMODATIONS/MODIFICATIONS/EXTENSIONS:
Accommodation: students can ask for cutouts of celestial body facts to cut and glue onto poster
Modification: students can fill out Order the Planets worksheet
Extension: Play games on NASA Science Space Place https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/play/

ENGAGEMENT Est. Time: _5 mins/ 10 mins__

What the Teacher Will Do
DAY 1: Read off solar system order
of planets mnemonics:
My Very Educated Mother Just
Served Us Nachos
My Very Elderly Mother Just
Squished Uncle Ned
Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
Listen and guess what the sentences mean
What do both these sentences have Answer: they sound like how we would
in common? remember the solar system
- These are mnemonics (a
tool to help remember
something) for the order of
planets in our solar system

DAY 2: Have student desks or What other ways can we Turn to a partner and create their own

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ENGAGEMENT Est. Time: _5 mins/ 10 mins__

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
tables moved out of the way so remember the order of the mnemonic
students can gather in a circle or go planets? Answers will vary
into hall - Answers will vary but
Ask for 13 volunteers if possible or should be along the lines of
adjust to class size their own mnemonic
- One sun
Raise hands to be selected and remember
- One student per planet (8)
their role
- One moon
- Asteroid belt (3)
Once roles are given out, give Hold their string until given further
students, except the asteroid belt and instructions
moon, varying string lengths to
represent the distances planets are
from the sun

Have the student that is the sun stand This student stands in the center
in the center

One by one, starting with Mercury, Each student moves as far as their string
each planet gives the sun their string allows and stands at different spots around
and stands as far away from the sun the sun
as their string allows The terrestrial planet students can make a
“hard face” to show they are rocky
The gas giant planet students can make
bubbles with their mouths to show they are
gaseous

Asteroid belt students stand in The asteroid belt students can twiddle their
between Mars and Jupiter fingers to show there are many of them

The moon stands close to Earth This student finds the Earth and stays close
to them

Once all students are in place, Every student, including the sun, begins to
instruct all of them to begin to walk around the sun to represent the
slowly orbit the sun at varying planetary orbits
speeds while walking

DAY 1 T: If you want to see what our solar system looks like, go online to this “out of this world” simulation!
DAY 2 T: It was so much fun to watch you become our solar system! Now you’re going to get in groups of 3
with people that have on the same color as you.

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EXPLORATION: DAY 1 Est. Time: _ 15 mins__

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
Instruct students to go to solar Each student goes to solar system scope
system scope online individually and writes down observations
on planets
How many planets do you see?
- 8, Pluto is on there but is
not a planet Answer: I see 9, but I think there is only 8
Which planet is the closest?
- Mercury Answer: Mercury
Which planet is the farthest?
- Neptune Answer: Pluto is the farthest, but I don’t
think it’s a planet
What are the lines around each
planet?
- Their orbital paths around Answer: the path they make around the sun
the sun
What is in-between Mars and Answer: lots of rocks or tiny planets
Jupiter?
- An asteroid belt
T: Now that we’ve interacted a little bit with our solar system, let’s learn about its components and
composition

EXPLANATION: DAY 1 Est. Time: _25 mins___

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
Have students share their Raise hand and wait for teacher to call their
observations by asking the questions name to give an answer
again and calling on students by
name
What is a celestial body? Answer: not sure
- A natural physical structure
in the universe
Is a person a celestial body? Answer: no
- No
Is the sun a celestial body? Answer: yes
- Yes
What else would not be a celestial Answers will vary
body?
- Answers will vary
Show Sun, Earth, Moon animation View animation
on YouTube
What is gravity’s role in the solar Answer: it pulls things together
system?

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EXPLANATION: DAY 1
What the Teacher Will Do
Have a student pass out Celestial
Bodies Handout and instruct
students to fill in chart as
information is given
Explain the Sun
- A star with helium at its
core
- Takes 27 days to make a
full rotation
Explain Mercury
- Inner planet: those closest
to the sun
- Terrestrial
- Looks like Earth’s moon
with cliffs and craters
Explain Venus
- Inner planet
- Terrestrial
- Close in size and mass to
Earth
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Est. Time: _25 mins___
Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
- It’s the attractive force that
brings things together and
causes things to orbit each
other
What is the sun?
Answer: a star
- A star and source of energy
What is a planet?
Answer: something that orbits around
- A celestial body orbiting
something else
around a star
What is a moon?
Answer: something that orbits around a
- A celestial body that orbits
planet
a planet
Is the orbital path planets make
circular? Why or why not? Answer: yes, but I don’t know why
- They are not circular but
rather elliptical, nearly
circular but more of an oval
shape, because of Newton’s
Law of Gravity
One student passes out handout
All students look at PowerPoint and fill out
handout
Why is the sun the center of the Answer: it supplies energy for the planets
solar system and not the Earth?
- It has a very strong
gravitational pull on the
planets. Also, planets must
orbit around a star to be
considered a planet
What does terrestrial mean? Answer: land or rocky like
- Earthlike because it’s made
of rocks and has an iron
core
Fill out handout
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EXPLANATION: DAY 1 Est. Time: _25 mins___

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
- Has dense atmosphere of
mostly carbon dioxide
Explain Earth Why are the inner planets Answer: it’s the planet we live on and know
- Inner planet compared to Earth? the most about
- Terrestrial - Possibly because we
understand the most about
- Has one moon
Earth, so it makes a good
- Only planet known to frame of reference
support life
Discuss the pros and cons of
Earth’s location from the sun. Make a group of 3 or 4 and come up with an
answer for both
- Pros: close enough to
receive heat and light Answer: a pro is that it can still receive heat
and light. I don’t know a con
- Cons: if it were to move
further away, it would
become too cold and life
would end
Explain Moon Fill out handout
- Defined as a celestial body
that orbits around a planet
- Earth has one
- Other planets have several
Explain Mars Fill out handout
- Inner planet
- Terrestrial
- Red because of iron oxide
(rust)
- Has largest volcano in solar
system (Olympus Mons)
- Has huge dust storms and
seasons
Explain asteroid belt What is an asteroid? Answer: little rocks in the universe
- In-between Mars and - A small rocky body
Jupiter orbiting the sun
- Are solid, irregularly
shaped bodies that are
smaller than planets
Explain Jupiter Would Jupiter and the other outer Answer: they are cold because they are too
- Outer planet: planets planets be warm or cold? Why? far away from the sun to get heat
furthest from sun - They would be cold
- Largest planet in solar because they are very far
system from the sun and don’t

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EXPLANATION: DAY 1 Est. Time: _25 mins___

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
- Contains gases: hydrogen, receive as much heat
helium, ammonia, methane
- Has 66 moons
- Has gas storms
Explain Saturn Fill out handout
- Outer planet
- Second largest planet
- Mostly hydrogen and
helium
- Rings are made of ice, rock
particles, and dust
Explain Uranus Fill out handout
- Outer planet
- Bluish-green color is
because of methane in
atmosphere
- Looks like it’s flipped on
its side because its axis is
parallel to its orbit
Explain Neptune What makes Pluto no longer Answer: it is too small
- Outer planet classified as a planet?
- Farthest from sun - It is too small to some
scientists
- Atmosphere can change
rapidly
- It and the other outer
planets have diamond rain
- Made of methane
T: Great work filling out your handout. To end, we are going to try to solve a mystery.

ELABORATION: DAY 2 Est. Time: __35 mins___

What the Teacher Will Do
Instruct students to work in groups
of 3 to create a solar system poster
- Must cut out or draw each
celestial body
- Include name and 2 facts
for each celestial body on
the poster
- Draw the orbital path
Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
Why are the inner planets like Answer: they are made of rock
each other?
- They are made of rock
Why are the outer planets like Answer: they are gas giants
each other?
- They are gas giants
How would you compile facts
Turn to their group of three to think of an

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ELABORATION: DAY 2
What the Teacher Will Do
- Put the planets, moon, and
asteroid belt in correct
order from the sun
- Each member of group
must speak when
presenting
Positive interdependence: students
must choose and write on the back
of their poster who is doing what
- Each student must do at
least 3 celestial bodies
- Other tasks are divided
equally
Face To Face Interaction: students
must work together to coordinate the
planet order, which facts to include,
and how best to organize the poster
Individual Accountability: each
student’s contribution is established
and written on the back of the poster
prior to starting so that everyone’s
role is defined. Group members
remind each other what to do and
help as needed
Social Skills: as problems and
conflict arises, each member uses
respect and an open mind to problem
solve. If they need mediation, the
teacher will fill in and model how to
resolve conflict
Group processing: students discuss
why we learned about the solar
system and present that along with
their poster
Est. Time: __35 mins___
Probing Questions and Answers
about the planets?
- Answers will vary
Why did we learn about the solar
system?
- The night sky is something
we see almost every day
and learning about what is
in our universe helps us
understand the different
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What the Student Will Do
answer
Answers will vary
Work together to assign roles and establish
group expectations
- Each person is responsible for the
cut out or drawing, 2 facts, and
presenting of their celestial bodies
- One person does the inner planets
- One person does the outer planets
- One person does the sun, moon,
and asteroid belt
- One person draws the orbital paths
- One person explains the reason we
learned about the solar system
Decide as a group what goes on the poster
Work together remind each other to their
roles and carry out their group expectations
Try to resolve conflicts without teacher
intervention
Groups discussed this while making their
poster and one person from the group
answer while presenting
Answer: it’s interesting to learn about what
is outside of our world
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ELABORATION: DAY 2 Est. Time: __35 mins___

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
things we see.
T: These posters are truly ‘out of this world” spectacular! Let’s solve another mystery before we go

EVALUATION Est. Time: _5 mins per day__

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions and Answers What the Student Will Do
DAY 1: Have student pass out Whst Identify what the new celestial body is
Am I? handout
How would you know if it is a Answer: it must supply energy
star?
- It must supply energy Answer: it orbits around the sun
A planet?
- It orbits around the sun Answer: it orbits around a planet
A moon?
- It orbits around a planet Answer: it orbits around the sun and is
An asteroid? smaller than the planets
- It orbits around the sun, is
rocky, and smaller than
planets
DAY 2: Have student pass out What Identify the celestial body
Am I? Part 2 handout
What criteria would you use to Turn to a partner to make a criteria list
assess what the celestial body Answers will vary
is?
- Answers will vary

DAY 1 T: Thank you for working so hard to learn about our solar system!
DAY 2 T: I loved learning about and teaching you the solar system! Thanks for being such great scientists
and astronauts!

KEY FOR WHAT AM I? An asteroid

KEY FOR WHAT AM I? PART 2: The sun

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Name: Date:

Celestial Bodies
Directions: Only check boxes with the correct characteristic for that celestial body. For location, write
the number for the order the planet is from the sun and describe the location of the sun, the moon, and
asteroid belt.
Important note: The planets have a(n) orbit.

Celestial Body Location Inner planet? Outer planet? Terrestrial & Gaseous & what
kind of core type
Sun

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Moon

Mars

Asteroid belt

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

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Name: Date:

Word Bank: Mars Uranus

Mercury Jupiter Neptune
Saturn Earth Venus

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Key for Celestial Bodies Handout

Grading: each box is worth one point (27) and fill in the blank is worth one point. 2 extra points can be
given for type of gas in the sun and the type of rock the moon or asteroids are made from
Important note: The planets have a(n) elliptical orbit.

Celestial Body Location Inner planet? Outer planet? Terrestrial & Gaseous & what
kind of core type
Sun Center of the
solar system

Mercury 1
  iron
Venus 2
  iron
Earth 3
  iron
Moon Orbiting Earth

Mars 4
  iron
Asteroid belt In-between
Mars and Jupiter

Jupiter 5
  hydrogen
Saturn 6
  hydrogen
Uranus 7
  methane
Neptune 8
  methane

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Key

Neptune

Uranus

Saturn

Jupiter

Mars

Earth

Venus

Mercury

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