6

SCIENCE
4TH QUARTER
Module - 5
The Planets
Science – Grade 6
Quarter 4- Module 5: The Planets
First Edition, 2021

All rights reserved.

No part of this module covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced and/or used in any
form or by any graphic, electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the
publisher and the author.

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Arnel T. De Quiros
Editor: Percy A. Rima
 6

SCIENCE
4th Quarter – Module 5
THE PLANETS
Introductory Message

For Facilitators

Welcome to Science 6 self-learning module on key concepts of Earth and Space! This
module was designed and developed according to the essential learning episodes as
defined by the Department of Education.

The activities and discussions are presented in a developmental approach to providing

support to the learners as they engage in independent learning, develop 21st-century
skills, and prepare for the different exit points namely higher education,
entrepreneurship, and employment. As facilitators, you may provide scaffold or support
using the suggested activities after every formative assessment.

For Learners

Welcome to Science 6 self-learning module. Here are some suggestions for the learning
module.

1. Familiarize yourself with the different components of the module.

2. Go through every activity in this module.
3. You can go back to the discussion that you need to further understand.
4. Do not be in a hurry but be mindful of your schedule and submission dates.
5. Be creative in doing the tasks and activities.
6. Observe honesty when answering exercises and tests.
7. Seek help when needed. It is okay to ask for help or assistance.
8. Do self-assessment and reflection. Be mindful of your learning progress.
9. Enjoy! Learning should be fun.
Content Standards

The learners demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of planets in the

solar system. They have to distinguish one planet from the others, identify which planets
belong to the inner planets and outer planets, and classify planets as terrestrial or
gaseous planets.

Performance Standards

The learners use their learning about planets in comparing one from another, and
draw, color, and put special features based on the characteristics of each planet.

Learning Competencies

The learners compare the planets of the solar system and classify the planets into
inner and outer planets and terrestrial and gaseous planets.
 Module
The Planets
5
Introduction and Objectives
This module is designed for you to compare the planets of the solar system.
Planets are celestial bodies that revolve around the Sun in the solar system. Mercury,
Venus, Earth, and Mars are terrestrial or inner planets, while Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune are gaseous or outer planets.

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. characterize each planet;
2. classify the planets into inner and outer planets; and
3. classify the planets into terrestrial planets and gaseous giants.

Pre-Assessment
Directions: Read each item carefully and choose the letter of the correct answer. Write
your answers in your activity notebook.

1. It is the closest planet to the Sun.

a. Mercury
b. Mars
c. Uranus

2. It is the hottest planet.

a. Venus
b. Mars
c. Saturn

3. It is the red planet.

a. Earth
b. Mars
c. Neptune
4. It is the largest planet in the solar system.
a. Jupiter
b. Mars
c. Uranus

5. It is our home planet or the living planet.

a. Mercury
b. Venus
c. Earth

6. It is the coldest and farthest planet from the Sun.

a. Saturn
b. Uranus
c. Neptune

7. It is the moon of the Earth.

a. Deimos
b. Luna
c. Phobos

8. It is a characteristic of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

a. terrestrial
b. gaseous
c. beyond the asteroid belt

9. It is the general state of matter of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

a. solid
b. liquid
c. gas

10. It separates the inner planets from the outer planets.

a. asteroid belt
b. meteor belt
c. planet belt
Recall

Directions: Put the following phrases in the corresponding column describing either
ROTATION or REVOLUTION in the table. Copy the table in your activity notebook.

• means orbiting around the sun

• means spinning around its axis
• cause day and night
• makes 365 and ¼ days
• completes in 24 hours
• causes sunrise and sunset
• causes aphelion and perihelion
• causes solstice and equinox
• follows an elliptical orbit
• occurs when the Earth turns on its own axis

ROTATION REVOLUTION

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

A. Directions: Name the planets in the solar system according to the order of their
distance from the Sun. Find the answers to the puzzle.

1.
2.
3.
4.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

A C N D P W M W D P L J R I Q

U F E D S O E I H W M G T E J

R H P N D F R I L I H Q I R U

A J T A L K C K I G F W L H P

N P U S M A U S K M S F G N I

U S N B B Q R L W W Y C B K T

S V E A Y L Y W B V C B O M E

B X A D H G A S A T U R N F R

L Z M N L M N C R H D M P D P

B T Y M A R S M O K R I H C M

D B X E P L N U E A R T H V L

V E N U S C I P N O E V A B G
B. Complete the table by naming the planet being characterized, then identify whether it
is an inner planet or an outer planet and a terrestrial planet or gaseous planet. Write your
answers in your activity notebook.

Terrestrial or
Planet Characteristic Inner or Outer
Gaseous
has liquid water 1.
Earth on its surface inner ___________________
first gaseous
2. giant after the
__________________ asteroid belt outer
has two moons
namely Deimos 4.
Mars and Phobos ___________________ terrestrial
rotates slower
Mercury than revolves inner terrestrial
most distant from 5.
Neptune the Sun ___________________ gaseous
has an extensive
and complex ring 6.
Saturn system outer ___________________
spins on its axis
7. parallel to its
___________________ orbit outer gaseous
hotness is due to
trapped carbon 8.
Venus dioxide ___________________ terrestrial
half side is so hot
9. and the other
___________________ side is so cold inner terrestrial
10. has rusty color
__________________ due to iron oxide inner terrestrial
What is It

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are small, inner terrestrial planets. They are
called terrestrial planets because they have solid, rocky surfaces. They are also
considered inner planets because they are closer to the Sun.

INNER TERRESTRIAL PLANETS

Mercury is the smallest planet in

the solar system and the nearest planet to
the Sun. It rotates slowly that it is about
twice for every three orbits it completes.
Its side facing the Sun is very hot, while
the other side not facing the Sun is very
cold. It has a thin atmosphere but has no
moon and no ring.

Venus is the hottest planet in the

solar system and the brightest planet seen
from Earth. It spins slowly in the opposite
direction from most planets. It has a very
high temperature due to the greenhouse
effect. It has a thick atmosphere
consisting mostly of sulfuric acid and
carbon dioxide. It has no moon and no
ring.

Earth is our home planet and the

only planet where life exists. It is the only
planet known to have liquid water on its
surface. Its atmosphere is made of mostly
nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide
which are crucial to its ability to support
life. It has one moon and no ring.
 Mars is known as the red planet. Its
red color surface comes from iron oxide or
rust in the soil. It has a dry riverbed, which
can be a hint to the possibility that water
existed there. It is colder than Earth. Its
carbon dioxide atmosphere is very thin,
and it experiences frequent planet-wide
windstorms. It has 2 moons and no ring.

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are giant, outer gaseous planets. They are
called “Jovian Planets” which means “huge, gaseous giants”. They are also considered
outer planets because they are farther from the Sun or beyond the asteroid belt. The
asteroid belt separates the inner planets from the outer planets.

OUTER GASEOUS PLANETS

Jupiter is the largest planet in the

solar system. Its colored cloud
patterns are caused by enormous,
swirling storms in its atmosphere,
which consist primarily of hydrogen,
helium, methane ammonia, and water
ice. It is more than twice as massive as
other planets combined. It has 67
moons and a faint ring system.

Saturn is considered the ring

planet because of its spectacular,
extensive, and complex icy ring system.
It has over 150 moons and satellites,
but only 62 are known and confirmed as
moons. It has 7 large rings made up of
dust, particles, and ice.
 Uranus is an ice giant planet that
spins on its axis parallel to its orbit. It is
a cold planet, which is made of a large
atmosphere of methane. It has 27
moons in its orbit and a faint ring
system.

Neptune is the coldest planet in

the solar system and the farthest planet
from the Sun. Its atmosphere is mostly
methane, which gives the planet its
blue color. Its cold interior is mainly
methane ice. It has a faint ring system
and has 13 moons.
Practice Task 1

Directions: Complete the characteristics of the given planets by choosing the correct
word from the parenthesis.
1.

Earth is a (gaseous, terrestrial) planet.

2.

Jupiter is the (biggest, smallest) planet.

3.

Mars is a (blue, red) planet.

4.

Mercury is the (biggest, smallest) planet.

5.
Mercury
is the (nearest, farthest) planet from the Sun.
6.

Neptune is the (coldest, hottest) planet.

7.

Uranus
is the (farthest, nearest) planet from the Sun.
8.

Saturn is a (rock, ring) planet.

9.

Uranus is a/an (ice, rock) giant planet.

10.

Venus is the (coldest, hottest) planet.

Practice Task 2

Match the characteristics from column A with the corresponding planet in Column B.
Write the letter of the correct answer in your activity notebook.

Column A Column B
1. An inner, terrestrial smallest planet A.

Mercury

2. An outer, gaseous largest planet B.

Venus

3. An inner, rocky and hottest planet C.

Earth

4. An outer, gaseous ring planet D.

Mars

5. An inner, terrestrial living planet E.

Jupiter
6. An outer, gaseous ice giant F.

Saturn
7. An inner, rocky red planet G.

Uranus
8. An outer, gaseous coldest giant H.

Neptune
9. An inner, terrestrial brightest planet
from Earth
10. An outer, gaseous farthest planet
from the Sun
Practice Task 3

Directions: Choose the planet that does not belong to the group of either terrestrial
planets or gaseous planets. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1.

Mars Earth Saturn Mercury

2.

Neptune Jupiter Saturn Earth

3.

Uranus Mars Mercury Earth

4.

Jupiter Venus Earth Mars

5.

Jupiter Venus Mars Earth

6.

Mercury Uranus Jupiter Saturn

7.

Neptune Mars Earth Mercury

8.

Jupiter Saturn Mars Uranus

 9.

Venus Earth Jupiter Mars

10.

Earth Neptune Uranus Jupiter

Application/Group Activity

Group I: Write IN if the phrase refers to inner planets and OUT if it refers to outer
planets. Write your answers on a piece of paper.

1. The closest planet to the Sun

2. Beyond the asteroid belt
3. The terrestrial planets
4. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
5. The gaseous giants
6. Made up of rocky surfaces
7. Mars, Venus, Earth, and Mercury
8. Inside the asteroid belt
9. With faint ring systems
10. The farthest planet from the Sun

Group II:
A. Complete the table of inner and outer planets.
Inner Planets Outer Planets
Mercury Jupiter
1. 2.
Earth 4
4. 5

B. Complete the table of terrestrial and gaseous planets.

Inner Planets Outer Planets
Mercury Jupiter
1. 2.
3 Uranus
4. 5.
Group III:

Choose 1 terrestrial planet and 1 gaseous planet and compare them to Earth. Write the
similarities and differences between the planets.

Earth Chosen Inner

Terrestrial planet

Earth Chosen Outer

Gaseous planet
Generalization/Synthesis:
Directions: Complete the statements in your activity notebook.

I have learned that …

____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________.
Inner planets are ________________________________________________ while outer
planets are
_______________________________________________________________________________.

Terrestrial planets are ______________________________________________, while

gaseous planets are
_______________________________________________________________________________.

Post Assessment:

Read each item carefully and choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer
in your activity notebook.

1. How do we describe terrestrial planets?

A. They have solid, rocky surfaces.
B. They have liquid, rocky surfaces.
C. They have gas, smooth surface.

2. Which of the following are terrestrial planets?

A.
Earth Mars Uranus
Saturn
B.

Venus Earth Mars

Mercury
C.

Venus Earth
Neptune Mercury
3. Why are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars considered the inner planets?
A. because Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are near the Sun
B. because Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are far from the Sun
C. because Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are beyond the asteroid belt

4. Which of the following planets are inner planets?

A.
Earth Mars Uranus
Saturn
B.

Venus Earth Mars

Mercury
C.

Venus Earth
Neptune Mercury

5. What separates the inner planets from outer planets?

A. asteroid belt
B. comet belt
C. meteor belt

6. Why are some planets called “Jovian planets”?

A. They are huge, solid giants.
B. They are huge liquid giants.
C. They are huge, gaseous giants.

7. Which of the following are gaseous planets

A. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
B. Saturn, Neptune, Mercury, Earth
C. Uranus, Neptune, Mars, Jupiter

8. What do you call the planets that are beyond the asteroid belt?
A. inner planets
B. terrestrial planets
C. outer planets
9. Which of the following are outer planets?

A.

Jupiter Saturn Uranus

Neptune
B.
Earth
Saturn Neptune Mercury
C.
Uranus Mars Jupiter
Neptune

10. Which of the following is TRUE about planets?

A. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars: rocky and outer
B. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune: Jovian and inner
C. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars: terrestrial and near the Sun
Additional Activities

Directions: Draw the Sun, the planets, and the asteroid belt in their correct positions to
show the small, inner terrestrial planets and the large, outer gaseous planets. Label and
color them correctly, then put special features of each planet such as moons and rings.
Put your work in your activity notebook.

Rubrics in Grading the Planets

Performance Indicators
Criteria Need
Excellent (3) Good (2)
Improvement (1)
Completeness and All 8 planets are 4-7 planets have 1-3 planets have
Accuracy present with accurate color and accurate colors and
accurate colors and relative sizes. relative sizes
relative sizes.
Proper Labeling All 8 planets are 4-7 planets are 1-3 planets are
labeled with names labeled with names labeled with names
properly. properly. properly.
Creativity The whole The whole The whole
illustration is quiet illustration is illustration is not
creative. somewhat creative. creative.
Reference:

NASA Science. “Planets in our Solar System.” https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets

/overview/
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Bureau of Learning Resources (DepEd – BLR)

Ground Floor, Bonifacio Building., DepEd Complex

Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, Philippines 1600

Telefax: (632) 8634-1072; 8634-1054; 8631-4985

Email Address: blr.lrqad@deped.gov.ph * blr.lrpd@deped.gov.ph