ClASSROOM ACTIVITIES

 

 

kindergarten – grade 3

Educators  •  kindergarten – grade 3

The Moon


The aim of this presentation is to expose students to the Earth-Moon system and the impact this system has on the Earth. This presentation is activity driven, with the students actively playing out the roles of the Moon, Earth and Sun. With a personal model Moon, students will create the phases of the Moon by turning on the spot a set distance from a model Sun. Students will also see the effects of the various eclipses using these techniques.



Single period
Recommended: grade 1 to 6


 
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

*For Ontario curriculum. National curriculum connections soon to come.

Grade 6 (Understanding Earth and Space Systems – Daily and Seasonal Changes)
2.4 use scientific inquiry/research skills, including generating questions about knowledge acquired from previous investigations, to identify daily and/or seasonal changes and their effects (e.g., the sun shines during the day, and the moon and stars are visible at night)

Grade 6 (Understanding Earth and Space Systems – Space)
2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including axis, tilt, rotation, revolution, planets, moons, comets, and asteroids, in oral and written communication
3.1 identify components of the solar system, including the sun, the earth, and other planets, natural satellites, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids, and describe their physical characteristics in qualitative terms
3.2 identify the bodies in space that emit light (e.g., stars) and those that reflect light (e.g., moons and planets)
3.5 describe the effects of the relative positions and motions of the earth, moon, and sun (e.g., use models or simulations to show solar and lunar eclipses, phases of the moon, tides)

Grade 9 (Academic Science)
D2.3  simulate interrelationships between celestial objects visible in the night sky (p. 55)
D2.4  identify properties of celestial objects in our solar system (e.g. planetary surfaces, etc.) (p. 55)
D2.5 compare and contrast properties of planetary bodies (Earth/Moon) (p.55)
D3.3 describe solar system components using appropriate scientific terminology (p.55)
D3.5 explain the causes of astronomical phenomena and how they can be observed (p.55)

Grade 9 (Applied Science)
D2.2 investigate patterns in the night sky (e.g., constellations) and the motion of celestial objects (e.g., the sun, our moon, planets, stars, galaxies), using direct observation, computer simulations, and/or star charts, and record the information using a graphic organizer or other format
D3.5 describe the causes of major astronomical phenomena and how various phenomena can best be observed from Earth

Grade 12 (Earth and Space Science)
C2.4 investigate the ways in which interactions between solid bodies have helped to shape the solar system, including Earth
C3.4 identify the factors that determined the properties of bodies in the solar system
C3.9 describe the major external processes and phenomena that affect Earth

Tour of the Solar System


Looking at the solar system through different eyes, this presentation will explore those solar-system bodies that are less frequently discussed.





Single period
Recommended: grade 1 to 6

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

*For Ontario curriculum. National curriculum connections soon to come.

Grade 1 (Understanding Earth and Space Systems)
3.1 identify the sun as Earth’s principal source of heat and light

Grade 1 (Understanding Matter and Energy)
3.2 demonstrate an understanding that the sun, as the earth’s principal source of energy, warms the air, land, and water; is a source of light for the earth; and makes it possible to grow food

Grade 6 (Understanding Earth and Space Systems)
2.2 use technological problem-solving skills (see page 16) to design, build, and test devices (e.g., a sundial, a model of the earth’s rotation
around the sun) for investigating the motions of different bodies in the solar system
2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including axis, tilt, rotation, revolution, planets, moons, comets, and asteroids, in oral
and written communication
3.1 identify components of the solar system, including the sun, the earth, and other planets, natural satellites, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids, and describe their physical characteristics in qualitative terms

Grade 9 (Academic Science) Earth and Space Science: The Study of the Universe
D2.1 use appropriate terminology related to the study of the universe, including, but not limited to: celestial objects, orbital radius, retrograde motion, and satellite
D2.5 compare and contrast properties of celestial objects visible in the night sky, drawing on information gathered through research and using
an appropriate format (e.g., compare the size of planets; represent the distance of stars from Earth using scientific notation; compare star
temperatures and colour)
D3.3 describe the major components of the solar system and the universe (e.g., planets, stars, galaxies), using appropriate scientific terminology and units
D3.4 describe the sun’s composition and energy source, and explain how its energy warms Earth and supports life on the planet (e.g., with
reference to the types of radiation the sun emits and the interaction of the sun’s energy with Earth’s atmosphere)
Grade 9 (Applied Science) Earth and Space Science: Space Exploration
D2.1 use appropriate terminology related to space exploration, including, but not limited to: astronomical units, gravitational pull, and universe
D3.1 describe the major components of the universe (e.g., planets, moons, stars, galaxies), the motion of the different types of celestial objects, and the distances between certain objects, using appropriate scientific terminology and units
D3.2 compare the characteristics and properties of celestial objects that constitute the solar system, including their motion and their distance from other celestial objects in the solar system
D3.4 describe the characteristics of the sun and the effects of its energy on Earth and Earth’s atmosphere

Grade 12 (Earth and Space Sciences)
B3.2 explain the scale of distances between celestial bodies (e.g., with reference to astronomical units, light years, and parsecs) and the methods astronomers use to determine these distances (e.g., stellar parallax, cepheid variables)
C3.1 explain the composition of the solar system (e.g., the sun, terrestrial inner planets, the asteroid belt, gas giant outer planets, the
Kuiper belt, the scattered disc, the heliopause, the Oort cloud), and describe the characteristics of each component
C3.2 identify and explain the classes of objects orbiting the sun (e.g., planets, dwarf planets, small solar system bodies
C3.4 identify the factors that determined the properties of bodies in the solar system (e.g., differences in distance from the sun result in temperature variations that determine whether substances on a planet, moon, or other body are solid or gaseous)
C3.6 compare Earth with other objects in the solar system with respect to properties such as mass, size, composition, rotation, magnetic field, and gravitational field