Introduction
Learning about the Solar System can be a very exciting thing for third grade students. However, some concepts and ideas are difficult for their young minds to understand. In preparing to organize this Unit of study, it was important for me to gain as much content knowledge as required to best facilitate the learning process to my students. I realize that there are going to be many challenges throughout this Unit, but they will be tackled accordingly as they arise.
I have decided to teach this Unit using literature. One of the ways I will do this is by introducing many theme related books to the students and having them work in groups or pairs to find information and report their findings to another group or the whole class. The students will each be responsible for reading the material, answering any questions that are associated with the material, and defining vocabulary within the literature. I will break down the Unit into sections and each one will have appropriate literature to help introduce, and support the topics being taught.
Unbelievably, the concept of the Solar System is difficult for third graders to understand for a variety of reasons. First, anytime a new word or idea is introduced, the students need time to process the information and break it down to a level that is easy for them to understand. Second, although learning new material can be fun, interesting and engaging, it can also be intimidating. Sometimes, large ideas, like the ones being introduced in this Unit, are too much for young minds to grasp. My students often ask "why" things happen in their lives. They want to know why events occur around them, why things are the way they are, and why order is an important part of life. These questions are relevant in all subjects, but there is one in particular that is more difficult for young minds to understand. Science and the Technology of Space is a topic that posses many questions of "why".
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