Classroom Activities
Below is the scope and sequence of the unit. I have organized the 10 lessons into 5 subgroups. Lesson 1A &1B: What is Gravity? and “Gravity and Me” Experiments. Lesson 2A & 2B: Laws of Gravity and ISS Learning Center. Lesson 3A & 3B: Unit Conversion and Scale Model. Lesson 4A & 4B: Exoplanets and Writing. Lesson 5A & 5B: Check on Progress and Celebration.
1) Fun “Gravity and Me” Experiments
Lesson 1A Objective: Students will generate questions and comments about gravity and its impact on the human body to show what they know and want to know. Begin with the unit’s first essential question: Q1) What is gravity and the basic laws it follows? On a large chart paper, write the question on top of a KWL three-column graphic organizer: “What We Know”, “What We Want to Know” and “What We Learn.” Give students two minutes of think time before passing out two posits per students to write a statement/comments/question to pick under “What We Know” and “What We Want to Know.” Students may work together or independently. Use teacher’s observations to pre-assess what students know. After students post their answers, look for the common misconceptions listed below. Possible answers: Gravity can move things. Planets farthest from the Sun has the least gravity. Heavy objects fall faster than lighter objects. Conclude the lesson with a demonstration of Galileo’s Law of Free Fall by dropping an apple, a book, a bag of feathers, a paper clip and/or other objects of various mass from a table to the floor, and ask what happens. Have students Think-Pair-Share. Record student observations on a chart paper. Explain to students that tomorrow (or during the next lesson) they will learn about gravity from three famous male scientists: Galileo, Newton, and Einstein.
Lesson 1B Objective: Students will be introduced to laws about gravity. Review answers to the first essential question from yesterday’s KWL graphic organizer written on chart paper. Tell students today they will record their additional observations on their own KWL graphic organizer inside their science journals. Distribute Table 1: Gravity and Me Experiments to each student. Teacher will demonstrate one law from each of these scientists: Galileo, Newton, and Einstein with a video and/or an in-person demonstration using resources from this unit. As time permits, give students opportunities to test out some of these ISS activities and gravity experiments in a group or independently during learning centers. Most of the selected activities have a video version and/or require basic items that you, your students and parents can find at home or in the classroom. Have students stapled Table 1: Gravity and Me Experiments, Table 2: Our Solar System and Table 3: Exoplanets to their science journals to serve as a Table of Content, and reference for later classroom activities. Ask students what did you learn today and have them reflect on their KWL chart under L (What We Learned).
2) International Space Station (ISS) Learning Center
Lesson 2A Objective: Students will perform experiments to understand the basic laws of gravity. Begin this pair of lessons by focusing on the 2nd essential question. Q2) How does gravity affect life and space travel? Possible misconceptions: Astronauts can fly in space. Zero-gravity means you weight 0 pounds (remember all matter has mass & volume). A black hole has nothing in it. Set up an ISS learning centers with activities for students to inquire how gravity impact astronauts and space travel. For instance: Have a plastic cup stacking contest to “defy” gravity, visit the website “Phet” https://phet.colorado.edu/en/search?q=gravity for investigate computer-based simulation, or check out this space flight simulation: https://steampeek.hu/?appid=1607560).
Lesson 2B Objective: Students will be introduced to the concepts and experiments of microgravity that the International Space Station and other programs had conducted. A science educational program called STEM in 30 produces 30 minutes videos by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Visit https://airandspace.si.edu/iss-science and choose one of the following experiments to replicate: 1) Bone Density with Cereal; 2) Puffy Head Bird Legs; 3) “Taternauts” and Spacesuits; 4) How to Launch a Rocket; 6) and Spot the International Space Station in Your Backyard! In addition, YouTube has an extensive collection of classroom and ISS experiments about microgravity: 1) NASA Explorers S4 E1: Orbiting Laboratory; 2) How Mass and Gravity Work in Space-Classroom Demonstration; 3) and Space Station Highlights. Additional activities for the ISS Learning Center: 1) Imagine You’re an Astronaut, www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/imagine-youre-an-astronaut; 2) NASA Astronaut Talks to Students, www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1O7XfcXGTI; 3) International Cooperation, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/cooperation/index.html; 4) and STEMonstrations: Newton's First Laws of Motion, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-luKN6mad5w.
Beside the extensive collection of resources, videos, and free printouts from the NASA’s website (https://nasa.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_NASA_websites), also take advantages of the resources from SETI Institute (search for extraterrestrial intelligence, https://www.seti.org/education) and the other four participating space agencies of the International Space Station, and compare any discrepancies and biases: Roscosmos (Russia, https://en.roscosmos.ru/), JAXA (Japan, https://edu.jaxa.jp/en/), ESA (Europe, https://www.esa.int/kids/en/teachers), and CSA (Canada, https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/youth-educators/), especially look for videos with astronauts talking to students. Keep issues about the gender, racial, and income disparities as a global forefront for humanity future in your day-to-day discussion of space travel. Make deliberate efforts to select interviews from individual of underrepresented groups and countries.
3) Scale Models of Our Solar System
Lesson 3A Objective: Students will be able to convert different units of measurements using scientific notations, fractions, and decimals. Discussion: Astronomers have to work with dimensions and distances that far exceed our everyday experience. If you open a science book about the Solar System, every single picture that you would see will not be to scale. Why? The reason is that the distance is too great to represent on a piece of (8 ½ by 11 inches) paper. All the planets would be microscopic, and you will not be able to see any of the planets. The term "terrestrial planets" refers to Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The term "gas giants" refers to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) “demoted” Pluto to the status of “dwarf planet” since 2006. Our host star is the Sun. Math Lesson (Standards 5.MD.A.1): Explain to students that the numbers needed to construct the Solar System are huge, and scientists use scientific notations to make calculations easier. For example: The distance from the Sun to Earth is 92,960,000 miles (1 AU, an astronomical unit), Earth’s mass is 5,972,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms (kg), and the Sun’s mass is 1,989,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg. It is easier to write these numbers as 92.96 million mi, 5.972 x 1024 kg, and 1.989 x1030 kg. Have students count the number of zeros, and ask “higher order thinking” questions: “Why the number 1.989 x 1030 kg written out in kg would have 27 zeroes, but 30 zeroes if convert to grams (g)? Why would it be correct to say the Sun’s mass is 0.333 x 106 times greater than the Earth’s mass? What operation(s) is needed to calculate this comparison? Point out most scientists also work with very small numbers and use scientific notations like these: 8 x 10-4 cm (0.0008 cm) for the average diameter of a red blood cell, the diameter of the COVID-19 virus is ≈ 0.1 μm (one micrometer = 1 μm = 1.0 x 10-6 meters), and the mass of an electron is 9.1096 x 10-31. Explain to students that when they scale the Solar System, they are mastering their math skills and applying numbers to solve a real-life problem.
Lesson 3B Objective: Students will collaboratively discuss, choose, and make a scale model of our Solar System. Computer Simulation: Log into https://gravitysimulator.org/solar-system/the-inner-solar-system (it may take a minute to load) to see a visual simulation of planets rotating around our Sun. Click on the “play” arrow. Select the speed of the rotation by years, months, and days. First, play it with our “Sun” as the rotating reference frame, then change the rotating reference frame to Earth and other planets. Under the menu Masses, students can investigate the various effects by changing the Sun into other host stars (such as Kepler-62, and GJ 66 C). Scale Model-Making: I’ve gathered the following solutions to the scale problem for students and teachers to discuss and choose their solution. Use Table 2 and 3 as reference.
Scale Model #1 (watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR3Igc3Rhfg): Filmmakers Wylie Overstreet and Alex Gorosh built the 1st-ever scaled model in Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Earth was scaled to the size of a marble, and the entire model required 7 miles of empty space.
Scale Model #2: The Exploratorium website, https://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/, allow users to enter the Sun’s diameter in inches or millimeters, and will automatically “Calculate” the scaled distances for each planet. The site suggested using a roll of toilet paper and scaled the Sun’s diameter to 0.4 inch (10 mm). The scaled distance of the entire Solar System can be covered with one roll of toilet paper. Mercury will be about 1½ feet from the Sun, Venus over 2½ feet, Earth over 3½ ft., Mars almost 5½ ft., Jupiter over 18½ ft., Saturn over 34 ft., Uranus over 68½ ft. and Neptune over 107½ ft. A standard roll of toilet paper has about 450 sheets (each sheet about 4.375 inches long) that would make the entire roll about 164 ft. long.
Scale Model #3: Plot the Solar System on Google Map or Google Earth. Have students use city blocks and spherical objects like fruits, seeds, beans, balls and/or balloons to visualize the model. Have students measure the diameters of spherical objects, and place them in size order, and then find the closest real-life spheres to the suggested spheres for each planet. Use 161 meters as one city block (the scaled distance from Sun to Earth) as well as Earth’s orbital radius. Start with the Sun (a person standing, 1.5 meters in height) as the center. Mercury (a small bean, 5 mm in diameter) is 62 meters away from the Sun (< ½ of a city block). Remember to draw a circle of < ½ of a city block on your map for Mercury’s orbit. Venus (a grape, 13 mm) is 116 meters (< one city block away). Earth (a grape, 14 mm) is 161 meters (one city block). Mars (a large bean, 7 mm) is 245 meters (> 1 ½ of a city blocks away), Jupiter (a large orange, 155 mm) is 838 meters (> 5 city blocks), Saturn (a small orange, 125 mm) is 1538 meters (> 9 ½ city blocks away), Uranus (an apple, 50 mm) is 3093 meters (> 19 city blocks), Neptune (an apple, 49 mm) is 4849 meters (> 30 city blocks), Pluto (a poppy seed, 2.4 mm) is 6372 meters (> 39 ½ city blocks). https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1eugZcZgb_7KYXsyCc811sWRxgb8&usp=sharing is a sample Google Map model from the Spring View Middle School, California.
Scale Model #4: Use time instead of distance. Since it takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds or 1 AU for light to traverse the distance from the Sun to the Earth. This unit of time can replace the unit of length which equals to 93 million miles (150 million km). Mercury is 0.39 AU away from the Sun (0.39 multiply by 8 min. 20 sec. is > 3 min.), Venus 0.723 AU (6 min.), Earth 1 AU (8 min. and 20 sec.), Mars 1.524 AU (> 12 min.), Jupiter 5.203 AU (> 40 min.), Saturn 9.539 AU (> 76 min.), Uranus 19.18 AU (152 min.), Neptune 30 AU (240 min.), Pluto 39.53 AU (320 min.).
4) Argumentative Writing: Super Earth v. Mars-Like Earth
Lesson 4A Objective: Students will examine Table 3: Exoplanet and compare units in terms of mass, radius, distance from its host Sun, orbital period, and rotation period to evaluate the likelihood of alien lifeforms on each exoplanet. Begin this pair of lessons by focusing on the 3rd essential question. Q3) Does gravity play a role in evolution? Possible misconceptions: Yes, gravity made human stronger. No, gravity doesn’t change how we grow. Lesson 4B Objective: Students will choose an exoplanet, give reasons why it is habitable for humans and write an argument supporting their decision with data evidences. Teacher will model how to write an argument using data from Table 3 and Table 2. Writing Instruction for Students: You are the author of a new Universe with two Earth-Like exoplanets: one more massive (heavier) and one less massive (lighter). If the only variable is mass, where would you choose to live; give at least 3 reasons. If there were alien lifeforms in these exoplanets, what would they look like? Include a drawing of an alien lifeforms and data to support your argument. Start with the following data:
Name of the Earth-like planet you chose: ____________________________________________.
Mass of the Earth: ______________________________________________________________.
Mass of the exoplanet you chose: __________________________________________________.
This means that your exoplanet is ________________ times greater OR less massive than Earth.
5) Celebration (See Teaching Strategies for More Details): Lesson 5AObjective: Allow students time to write their exoplanet arguments with student talks, peer-to-peer support, internet research, and teacher’s guidance. Give post-assessment survey. Lesson 5B Objective: Discuss as a group how to present what the class has learned about the impact of gravity on life to each other, and other members of the community.
Table 1: Gravity and Me Experiments. The above chart serves as a teacher and student guide to explanations, formulas, and resources on some basic laws about gravity. Students can use it as a table of content with quick drawings and note-taking.
Table 2: Our Solar System. This table shows data that I had gathered from NASA and other sources online. Please Note: *The Sun’s orbital eccentricity is at this time impossible to determine because it takes the Sun about 226-million years to complete one orbit around the Milky Way Galaxy. **At this time, we don’t have the technology for a spacecraft to withstand the Sun’s extreme surface temperature (photosphere) at about 5,500 °C (10,000 °F) to travel to the Sun and back. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/in-depth/
Table 3: Exoplanets. A short list of exoplanets with habitable zone, possible atmosphere & liquid water. Earth, Mars and our Moon are included for comparison. Visit NASA’s exoplanet catalog at https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/discovery/exoplanet-catalog/ for updates.
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