Unit Pre-Planning Documents

Planetary Motion and Our Solar System

EALR 1 --- Systems: The student knows and applies scientific concepts and
principles to understand the properties, structures and changes in physical, earth /
space, and living systems.

The following two GLEs will be covered in my unit:

GLE 1.2.5 understand the structure of the solar system.

-Describe how the Earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth.
-Describe the sun.
-Describe how planets, asteroids, and comets orbit the sun.
-Describe meteors.
-Compare the relationships among the components of the solar system.

GLE 1.3.7 understand the effects of the regular and predictable motions of planets and
moons in the solar system.
-Describe the causes of seasonal changes on Earth and other planets
-Describe the effects of the position of the Sun and Moon on Earth phenomena.
-Describe how the spin of Earth and other planets accounts for the length of a day on
those planets.
-Describe how the orbit around the Sun of Earth and other planets accounts for the length
of the length of a year on those planets.

EALR 2 --- Inquiry: The student knows and applies the skills, and processes, and
nature of scientific inquiry.
I plan to do structured and guided inquiry for the part of the unit that deals with
how the sun, earth, and moon interact with each other. Through these inquiries the
students will understand the overall relationship with these three bodies and how the
moon phases, seasons, tides, and ecosystems are directly affected by the interaction of the
Earth, Sun, and Moon.
Some of the many skills and processes that the student will apply while doing
these inquiries are “how to plan and conduct scientific investigations,” (2.1.2) “how to
construct a scientific explanation using evidence and inferential logic,” (2.1.3) “how
models are used to investigate objects, events, systems and processes,” (2.1.4) and “how
to report investigations and explanations of objects, events, systems, and processes.”
(2.1.5). Along with these skills students will experience the importance of curiosity in
science and discover that inquiry and answering questions often leads to other
unanswered questions.

EALR 3 --- Application: The student knows and applies science concepts and skills
to develop solutions to human problems in societal contexts.
Some areas of this EARL that will be touched on in my unit is the area of “how
science supports technological development and vise versa,” (3.2.2) “the use of science,
math, and technology within occupational / career areas of interest,” (3.2.3) and “how
human societies’ use of natural resources affects the quality of life and the health of
ecosystems.” (3.2.4)

Atlas of Science Literacy (The Universe: Gravity, Solar System)

My unit on planetary motion and the solar system falls under the “Atlas of
Science Literacy” section on the universe, particularly the sub-sections of gravity and
solar system. Many of the characteristics in the 6 to 8 grade sections of these two sub-
sections will be covered in my unit.
In the 6 to 8 grade section of the gravity sub-section of the universe, the content
that is most pertinent to my unit is the one that describes the phenomena of the sun and
how the gravitational pull of the sun holds the Earth and all of the other planets in their
orbits. It also mentions that this relationship is the same as the relationship between
planets and moons. The prerequisites to this idea is that the Earth is one of several
planets that orbit the sun and that the moon orbits the Earth.
In the 6 to 8 grade section of the solar system sub-section of the universe, the
content that is the most pertinent to my unit is the one that mentions the length it takes for
the moon to orbit the Earth (and how the lighting changes) and that there are nine
different planets, all of which have different characteristics, orbit the sun. The
prerequisites for this idea are that the moon looks different everyday, and that the Earth is
one of the several planets that orbit the sun.

Rationale Paragraph
Studying about planetary motion and our solar system is important for students to
do because it explains many different phenomena that they see in their everyday lives,
like the movement of the sun across the sky, the way we see the moon and why it
changes, the tides, the seasons, and why our Earth has different ecosystems. Studying
about our solar system will also lead to a better understanding of concepts like gravity,
systems, and what factors are essential for life. All of which are extremely important
concepts in science and represented in the EALRS.
The unit will cover multiple topics that will help the student have a better overall
understanding of the world around them and thus let them become more science literate
citizens. The students will be able to look at their environment at a deeper level and
discover the beautiful intricacies developed through the relationships of this system.
With this feeling students will then be able to look closer and develop a better
appreciation for other systems they later explore. This unit will also create a forum where
students can practice the practical forms of science like inquiry and investigation.
This unit is the first unit of the year so there will be no educational unit before this
one. All that will be done before this unit, which is actually extremely important to the
unit, is the development of classroom norms, expectations, and safety rules. This will
create a strong foundation to begin developing a safe and caring environment for the
many group activities we will do in this unit.
With the conclusion of this unit we could go numerous directions. We could dive
deeper into gravity and its affect on our everyday lives. We could have a more in-depth
look at the ecosystems of Earth. We may also begin looking at the atomic level of
science, leading to a unit on chemistry. The options are endless!

Critical Attributes
1. All parts of our solar system (planets, moons, asteroids, and comets) orbit the sun and
are held in their orbits by the pull of the sun’s gravity.

2. The placement of the different planets around the sun creates the planets’
characteristics: level of gravity, its composition, its atmosphere, and the temperature.

3. The Earth’s position from the sun creates the necessary attributes to support life.

4. The Earth’s orbit, in combination with the Earth’s tilt, creates the four seasons and the
different ecosystems of the world.

5. All objects enact a force of attraction on other objects, for example planets pull other
objects like moons into orbits around the planet and moons also enact a force of
gravity on the planet, which can be seen through the movement of Earth’s tides.

Essential Questions
 Why is Seattle cold during the months from November to February, but it is warm in
places like Australia. Why is it always warm around the equator and cold at the
poles?

 Why are scientists so sure that there are no organisms like us on the other planets of
our solar system?

 Why do oceans go up and down on the beach? Why are their tides?

Description of Culminating Project

For the unit’s culminating project I would like to have the students (as individuals
or in groups) take on roles as real estate agents and create some type of media (i.e. poster,
pamphlet, article, computer presentation…) to advertise the land they are trying to sell, in
this case it will be one of the eight other planets. In their projects the students will have
to develop a description of the planet’s environment (“seasons” that may occur on the
planet, ranges of temperature… et.) and what materials will be provided to the new
owners in order for survival and reasons why these materials are necessary (we will
assume any type of technology is possible).
The critical attributes that will be covered by this culminating project are the
following:
 1. The placement of the different planets around the sun creates the planets’
characteristics: level of gravity, its composition, its atmosphere, and the
temperature.

2. The Earth’s position from the sun creates the necessary attributes to support life.

3. The Earth’s orbit, in combination with the Earth’s tilt, creates the four seasons and
the different ecosystems of the world.

After the culmination project we will spend time discussing the essential question
I stated earlier, “Why are scientists so sure that there are no organisms like us on the other
planets of our solar system?” They will provide evidence, from the research they did to
create their projects, of why we can believe this (or should not). We will also discuss the
technology they used to change the characteristics of the planet to support life and if this
technology is available or they think it may be possible sometime in the future.

A. Subject Area Description

This unit will be taught the fall trimester to seventh grade students in the general
science class at Kellogg Middle School. Kellogg Middle School is a suburban school in
the Shoreline school district. This district, compared with other Washington state
districts, is well funded and because of its location is not as diverse as schools in the city.
The majority of students are white with the main minority being Asian American. There
is a small minority of African American students.
This will be the first unit of the year so I will not have had the chance to work with
these students. Also, since the students have just come from elementary school, I do not
know what they have already been introduced to. From what I have heard, the students
coming from the districts elementary schools typically have spent little to no time
studying the solar system.

B. Essential Questions

The following three questions are the Essential Questions I will use throughout my
Unit.

1. Why is Seattle cold during the months from November to February, but it is warm
in places like Australia. Why is it always warm around the equator and cold at the
poles?

To answer this question students will need to understand that the Earth’s orbit, in
combination with the tilt of the Earth creates the amount of sunlight each area of the
Earth receives. This system then creates the four seasons as well as the different
ecosystems of the world. Through the use of inquiry and hands on activities students will
gain a deeper understanding of this process and be able to apply it to the environment of
the Northwest. They will then be able to take this understanding and make connections at
a more global level, for example, the poles, ecosystems of the equator, and the difference
between the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

2. Why are scientists so sure that there are no organisms like us on the other planets
of our solar system?

To answer question number two the students will need to understand that the position
of a planet, the distance it is from the sun, creates the planets’ level of gravity, its
composition, and the atmosphere. It is then Earth’s position from the sun that creates the
necessary attributes to support life. And it is because these characteristics are so specific
that scientists are so sure that there are no other organisms like us in our solar system.

3. Why do oceans go up and down on the beach? Why are their tides?

The students will need to understand the sun, earth and moon system and through the
use of inquiry and other activities students will make connections between the phases of
the moon with the level of the tides. Through hands on exploration activities the students
will then relate the phases of the moon with the location of the moon around the Earth at
these different times. With this understanding the students will be able to relate the
position of the moon to the height of the tides and gain a greater understanding of the
Earth and moon system. This understanding will also demonstrate that all objects enact a
force of attraction on other objects.

C. Learning Goals & Related Objectives

1. Students will understand that a planet’s position from the sun determines its different
characteristics (composition, atmosphere, gravity, temperature, amount of sunlight) and
its ability to support life. GLE 1.2.5 understand the structure of the solar system.
1.1 Students will analyze the characteristics of the planets in our solar system and
discover their similarities and differences.
1.2 Students will understand that the distance of the Earth from the sun creates its
unique characteristics that support life.

2. Students will understand that the combination of the Earth’s tilt, rotation, and orbit
around the sun determines the amount of sunlight that places around the world receive
and this creates the seasons as well as the many ecosystems of the world. GLE 1.3.7
understand the effects of the regular and predictable motions of planets and moons
in the solar system.
2.1 Students will understand that day and night is created by the rotation of the
Earth.
2.2 Students will understand that the Earth revolves around the Sun and that one
revolution takes one year.
2.3 Students will model that the Earth is tilted.
2.4 Students will verify that the seasons are determined by the amount of sunlight
that reaches the Earth and that this is directly related to the Earth’s tilt, rotation,
and orbit around the sun.
 2.5 Students will explain the connections between the different ecosystems of the
world and the amount of sunlight that area receives.

3. Students will create relationships with the position of the moon around the Earth and
the tides, as well as how the moon is observed from the Earth at that time (full, new, first
quarter, third quarter, waxing, and waning). GLE 1.3.7 understand the effects of the
regular and predictable motions of planets and moons in the solar system.
3.1 Students will understand that the moon is reflecting the light from the sun.
3.2 Students will identify connections between the way they observe the moon
from the Earth and the position of the moon around the Earth.
3.3 Students will construct relationships between the position of the moon and the
level of the tides to understand the phenomena of tides.

4. Students will be familiarized with scientific inquiry, particularly exploration and the
development of models. GLE 2.1.3 understand how models are used to investigate
objects, events, systems, and processes.
4.1 Students will practice making and applying hypotheses to questions they will
be investigating.
4.2 Students will interpret different phenomena through hands on activities to
better understand the different concepts in this unit.
4.3 Students will construct models (to describe the phenomena of the four seasons
as well as the phenomena of tides and the phases of the moon).

5. Students will work with each other, doing group work, to achieve a better
understanding of these concepts while also gaining a greater appreciation for their
classmates.
5.1 Students will work together with the teacher to create a safe and caring
classroom.
5.2 Students will work in a variety of groups developing an appreciation for their
fellow classmates as learners and learn to overlook personal prejudices they may
have against individual students in order to become better learners.

Part III: Unit Matrix

DAY 1: Introduction to the Sun-Earth-Moon System (100 minutes)

1. What students are  Introduce essential questions (1 & 3)
doing?  Eliciting ideas: Students will work in groups and as a class to
discuss the following questions;
(Sun-Earth) What type of effect does the sun have on the Earth? What
determines day and night? Why is one year 365 days? How do your
natural surroundings change during the year? (Show pictures of the
seasons) What causes the seasons? Do all places on Earth experience the
same season at the same time? We will then have a group discussion to
collect the ideas from each group. From this process the students and I
will write out a classroom KWL chart for the Sun-Earth system (each
 group will at least input one idea).
(Moon-Earth) Once again students will work in groups to answer the
following questions; Why can we see the moon? Why does the shape of
the moon change over the course of a month? (Show pictures of the
phases.) How does the moon affect the Earth? We will then have a group
discussion to collect the ideas from each group. From this process the
students and I will write out another classroom KWL chart for the
Moon-Earth system (each group will at least input one idea).
(Models) As a class we will discuss their ideas of a model and “How
models can help us understand concepts?” I will make sure to keep this
simple and stress that models are just ways to express relationship
between different components of a system.
 Class will then begin to create preliminary models (in groups) for the
Earth-Moon system. Models will be 2D and need to represent how
the moon orbits the earth and illustrate how the moon changes. This
part will be modeled and scaffolded.
2. Objectives 5.3 Students will work in a variety of groups developing an appreciation 
for their fellow classmates as learners and learn to overlook personal 
prejudices they may have against individual students in order to become 
better learners.
4.3 Students will construct models (to describe the phenomena of the 
four seasons as well as the phenomena of tides and the phases of the 
moon).
3. Reasons for content I will start this unit with the introduction of the essential questions (1 &
and instructional 3) illustrating to the students that the material that will be covered in this
strategy unit will be very relative to their surroundings and lives. We will then
have class and group discussions from questions that I pose to the
students that will challenge them to think and bring out their
misconceptions and the prior knowledge of this area of study. Through
this process of eliciting students’ knowledge we will also construct KWL
charts which can continually be looked back on and used to give
ownership of the material that we will cover to the students. We will be
discussing models and creating one for the Earth-Moon system together
because it is essential for students to see the importance of models and
the power they can have to illustrate relationships and create
understandings of a concept. Models will be used throughout the lesson
and it is important for the students to understand the process used to
create one. Because of this, this section will be scaffolded for the
students.
4. Evidence of I will be listening to the students’ ideas of the Earth-Sun-Moon system as
understanding well as looking over the KWL charts we make as a class to see how the
students explain their thinking on this topic and to uncover what prior
knowledge or misconceptions they might have. I will also be able to see
the students’ thinking on models as we critique the one we create
together as a class.
5. Cultural This will be as culturally responsive as possible by building on the
responsiveness classroom norms that were created at the beginning of the year. These
norms, which focus on respect, support the development of relationships,
reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of personal and
classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This lesson will have class
discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced. And
finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all materials
available to students as well as making all content as relative to the
students’ lives as possible.
6. Resources Butcher paper, markers, and pictures of the seasons in Seattle.

DAY 2: Continuation of Introduction (100 minutes)

1. What students are  Groups will finish their preliminary model of the Earth-Moon
doing? system (or start) and present to class. These models will be displayed
in the classroom throughout the unit.
 Students will be introduced to two inquiry projects that will be
done during the unit. Discuss the idea of inquiry and what it is.
How do we explain the phenomena of the moon’s phase changes?
(Half of the students will begin to take daily observations of how they
see the moon.)
How does the moon’s position around the Earth affect tides? (EQ #3)
(The other half of the students will record the high and low tides for each
day.)
 Students will be introduced to the concept of making a hypothesis
and spend time developing a hypothesis to answer the two questions
they are doing inquiry on.
 Students will share their hypotheses to their groups and class. We
will decide on one class hypothesis for each question.
 If time… the students will revisit their KWL charts that were created
in the previous lesson on the Sun-Earth system. The students will
then create another preliminary model for this system. It will be a 2D
model that should show a representation of how the sun affects the
Earth as it rotates around the sun (the season / amount of light).
Students do this model on their own.
2. Objectives 4.1 Students will practice making and applying hypotheses to questions 
they will be investigating.
4.3 Students will construct models (to describe the phenomena of the 
four seasons as well as the phenomena of tides and the phases of the 
moon).
3. Reasons for content On this day I will introduce the inquiry projects in order for the students
and instructional to start collecting data. This data will be needed when we revisit the
strategy Earth-Moon system at the end of the unit. We will also discuss the
investigation and I will illustrate to the students that what they are doing
is authentic science. We will talk about different levels of investigation
and how this one will help us understand concepts and how that is a very
 important part of science but there are also other levels of inquiry and
investigation. The students will then work on one of the most important
parts of investigation, making predictions and hypothesis. This is a skill
that not only scientists use but that can be seen in our everyday lives, and
by giving the students practice at doing this it will make them more
thoughtful students as well as prepare them for more open inquiry and
investigations.
4. Evidence of I will be looking for the level of understanding the students have, as they
understanding continue to create models on the Earth-Moon system. I will also do this
while they create models for the Earth-Sun system. During this lesson I
will also be examining the students’ hypotheses, and see how they make
predictions based on their current ideas. The students will also have the
chance to critique the ideas of other students as we choose, as a class, a
hypothesis for each question I posed to them.
5. Cultural This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on
responsiveness the classroom norms that were created at the beginning of the year.
These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of
relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of
personal and classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This lesson will have
class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced.
And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all
materials available to students as well as making all content as relative to
the students as possible.
6. Resources Butcher paper and markers.

DAY 3: Tilt of the Earth and the seasons (100 minutes)

1. What students are  Students will be introduced to the “inquiry wall.” This will have the
doing? questions I posed to them and the hypotheses we developed as a
class. Revisit why we are doing “inquiry.”
 Students will finish their preliminary models on the Earth-Sun
mode and present them to the class. These will also be displayed in
the classroom.
 Students will then look at data that illustrates the length of daylight in
Seattle through out the year. We will connect which lengths
correspond with what season. The students will then reexamine their
models and use the information presented to them to derive a
hypothesis for “How does the Sun-Earth system create the
seasons?”
 Students will then do a hands on activity to explore how the obit of a
ball (the Earth) around a bulb / flashlight (the Sun) could represent
what happens in the Earth-Sun system and illustrate the amount of
daylight that occurs in Seattle throughout the year.
2. Objectives 2.3 Students will model that the Earth is tilted.
2.4 Students will verify that the seasons are determined by the amount of 
sunlight that reaches the Earth and that this is directly related to the 
 Earth’s tilt, rotation, and orbit around the sun.
3. Reasons for content I will continue to use class and group discussions to increase the amount
and instructional students get to input along with building a strong learning and safe
strategy environment. I will also use the strategy of guided exploration when we
begin to look at the relationships of the Sun-Earth system. The students
will gain practice with exploration, comparison of data, drawing
relationships, and trying to answer questions through investigation. All
of these skills are extremely important to inquiry, developing models, and
becoming a more scientifically literate and thoughtful student and citizen.
4. Evidence of I will be looking for the students to be able to justify a position on
understanding inquiry and explain their thinking about why they think this way and why
we are doing these projects. They will then finish creating their models.
Along with this I will examine how well the students are able to interpret
new data (the length of the days through out the year) and come up with
predictions as we start exploring the Earth-Sun system. And finally, as
the students do the hands on activity, I will look to see if the students are
able to systematically analyze what they are doing and come up with
relationships and a better understanding of the Earth-Sun system.
5. Cultural This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on
responsiveness the classroom norms that were created at the beginning of the year.
These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of
relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of
personal and classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This lesson will have
class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced.
And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all
materials available to students as well as making all content as relative to
the students as possible.
6. Resources Butcher paper, markers, tennis balls, and flashlights / lamps.

DAY 4: Tilt of the Earth and the Seasons (100 minutes)

1. What students are  Students will continue with the hands on activity and make
doing? connections with the tilt of the Earth, the orbit of the Earth around the
sun, and the amount of light that hits a specific spot. They will then
relate this to the seasons.
 Students will write down their conclusions and then compare that
with their original hypotheses.
 Students will discuss their groups’ results and as a class we will
gain a strong understanding of this system.
 I will show pictures / movie / computer simulation of the Sun’s
position of the sun on the horizon changing throughout the year.
 Students will revise their preliminary models.
 Students will look more closely at their models, and through
questioning compare the northern and southern hemispheres and the
different ecosystems of the world. Through this process they will
make connections with the tilt and the amount of light received by
the Earth and then how this produces the different ecosystems of the
 world as well as the seasons.
 Students will be introduced to their first project, making a complete
model of the Earth-Moon-Sun system.
2. Objectives 2.4 Students will verify that the seasons are determined by the amount of 
sunlight that reaches the Earth and that this is directly related to the 
Earth’s tilt, rotation, and orbit around the sun.
2.5 Students will explain the connections between the different 
ecosystems of the world and the amount of sunlight that area receives.
3. Reasons for content This is an important lesson for the students to gain practice in making
and instructional connections and relationships through analyzing data gained from the
strategy activity, discussions, and revising their models. We will do this through
the strategy of interactive concept building. This lesson is needed to
bring everything together for the students and to solidify their
understanding of the Earth-Sun system.
4. Evidence of I will look at the students’ conclusions (the relationships they found in
understanding the Earth-Sun activity), and examine how the students’ understanding of
this system, particularly in how it relates to seasons, changed. Through
the revision of their models and group and class discussions I will also
look to see how the students explain their thinking and understanding of
this concept. In the final part of the lesson I will examine the students’
ability to generalize from one context to another. In this case it will be
making the generalization that the sun heats the planet different amounts
in different areas and applying this more globally and to the broader
concept of ecosystems.
5. Cultural This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on
responsiveness the classroom norms that were created at the beginning of the year.
These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of
relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of
personal and classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This lesson will have
class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced.
And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all
materials available to students as well as making all content as relative to
the students as possible.
6. Resources Butcher paper, markers, tennis balls, and flashlights / lamps.

DAY 5: Differences of Earth and other planets (100 minutes)

1. What students are  Introduce essential question number two
doing?  Students will start with discussing the necessary attributes of life in
their groups and report these to the class.
 The class will then break these down and look at their sources. This
conversation will hopefully lead in the direction of our atmosphere,
and temperature.
 Students will then be introduced to the rest of the planets and in
 groups make comparisons (using textbooks…) with Earth and the
planet they are looking at. There results will be presented to the
class.
 Students will brainstorm about how the distances from the sun
may illustrate to us the characteristics of those planets.
 Students will then understand scale and make a scaled down
representation of the solar system.
 Students will do a planet walk
2. Objectives 1.1 Students will analyze the characteristics of the planets in our solar 
system and discover their similarities and differences.
1.2 Students will understand that the distance of the Earth from the sun   
creates its unique characteristics that support life.
3. Reasons for content This lesson is important for connecting their surroundings (Earth, Sun,
and instructional and Moon) with the rest of the planets. These connections will be made
strategy by having the students brainstorm ideas for this question, “how does the
distance from the sun change the characteristics of a planet?” This
process will illustrate to the students the unique characteristics of Earth
and the specific attributes organisms need to survive. It is also an
important lesson because it shows students that it is possible to make
connections between two systems (earth-sun-moon system and
ecosystems).
4. Evidence of In this class I will be looking for effort by the students to research their
understanding planet and make comparisons with the Earth. I will also be examining
students’ ability to draw connections between the distance from the sun
and the amount of light that reaches that planet, and how it affects the
planet’s environment. The students will then produce ideas of how to
create a scaled down model of the solar system. They will make the
connection of how spread apart our solar system is when we go outside
to do a planet walk, where each step becomes millions of miles.
5. Cultural This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on
responsiveness the classroom norms that were created at the beginning of the year.
These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of
relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of
personal and classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This lesson will have
class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced.
And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all
materials available to students as well as making all content as relative to
the students as possible.
6. Resources Textbooks, computers, butcher paper, markers, and good weather.

DAY 6: Similarities of Earth and other planets (100 minutes)

1. What students are  Students will revisit the planets and the differences. Through this
doing? process they will also look for any type of similarities or
characteristics that are fairly close to the Earth’s characteristics.
 Students will use their textbooks and other information I provide
 them, to find out more about the planets. (They will possibly do a
jigsaw method.)
 Students will be introduced to their culminating project and spend
time selecting a planet to advertise.
 The rest of the class the students will brainstorm ideas for their
final project, research, and ask questions.
2. Objectives 1.1Students will analyze the characteristics of the planets in our solar     
system and discover their similarities and differences.
1.2 Students will understand that the distance of the Earth from the sun 
creates its unique characteristics that support life.
3. Reasons for content This lesson is an important lesson because it improves the students’
and instructional understanding of our solar system while also strengthening the class’s
strategy ability to work together. These will be done through using a jigsaw
activity. Each group will be assigned a planet and the responsibility to
teach the other students about their planet. And finally they will be given
time to brainstorm and research for their culminating project. This
project will tie many of the concepts they learn in this unit together.
4. Evidence of In this class I will be looking for presentations (during the jigsaw) that
understanding illustrate that the students applied effort to find and understand the
similarities between the planet and the Earth. I will also look for effort
and ideas that the students generate as they brainstorm ideas for their
culminating project.
5. Cultural This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on
responsiveness the classroom norms that were created at the beginning of the year.
These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of
relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of
personal and classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This lesson will have
class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced.
And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all
materials available to students as well as making all content as relative to
the students as possible.
6. Resources Textbooks, computers, butcher paper, and markers.

DAY 7: Relating the phase of the moon to the position of the moon around the
Earth (100 minutes)
1. What students are  Students will look at the data that was collected over the past two
doing? weeks on the phases of the moon. I will provide other data to fill in
the gaps.
 Students will then watch a computer simulation and video of the
moon phases.
 Students will analyze the data and revisit the hypothesis they made
on day two.
 In groups and as a class we will brainstorm ideas of how the phases
of the moon occur.
 Students will do a hands on activity much like the Sun-Earth
 activity.
 Students will discuss how to change the class model, and
individually write the revised model down.
If time: the students will work the first project (Sun-Earth-Moon system
model)
2. Objectives 3.1 Students will understand that the moon is reflecting the light from the
sun.
3.2 Students will identify connections between the way they observe the 
moon from the Earth and the position of the moon around the Earth.
3. Reasons for content This is an important lesson for the students to gain practice in making
and instructional connections and relationships through analyzing the data gained from the
strategy activity, discussions, and revising their models. We will do this through
the strategies of guided exploration and interactive concept building.
This lesson is needed to bring everything together for the students and
solidify their understanding of the Earth-Moon system.
4. Evidence of In this lesson I will look to see how much effort the students put in to
understanding analyzing the data and making connections with this data, the movie, and
the hands on activity. I will also look to see how their ability to do this
process has improved over the course of this unit. They will then critique
and revise their preliminary models.
5. Cultural This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on
responsiveness the classroom norms that were created at the beginning of the year.
These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of
relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of
personal and classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This lesson will have
class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced.
And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all
materials available to students as well as making all content as relative to
the students as possible.
6. Resources Computers, pictures, tennis balls, flashlight / lamp, butcher paper, and
markers.

DAY 8: The position of the moon and the tides (100 minutes)
1. What students are  If needed, students will be given more time to finish the hands on
doing? explorations of the Earth-Moon system and or revising the model.
 The students will then look at the data that the students collected
about the tides over the past two weeks. For areas that need data I
will provide the class with this data.
 Student will watch a computer simulations and video of the moon
phases and tides changing.
 Students will analyze the data and revisit hypothesis they made on
day two.
 In groups and as a class we will brainstorm ideas of how these two
phenomena are related.
 Students will them make connections between the two and together
 we will create a model of this phenomena.
Finally the students will revisit Essential Questions (1 – 3) and discuss
their learning and understanding. Students will fill out some type of
evaluation of their learning and on the unit as a whole (content, my
teaching…)
If time: students will work on their Sun-Earth-Moon models.
2. Objectives 3.2 Students will identify connections between the way they observe the 
moon from the Earth and the position of the moon around the Earth.
3.3 Students will construct relationships between the position of the 
moon and the level of the tides to understand the phenomena of tides. 
3. Reasons for content This is an important lesson for the students to gain practice in making
and instructional connections and relationships through analyzing the data gained from the
strategy videos, discussions, and revising their models. We will do this through
the strategy of interactive concept building. This lesson is needed to
bring everything together for the students and solidify their
understanding of the Earth-Moon system.
4. Evidence of In this lesson I will look to see how much effort the students put in to
understanding analyzing the data and making connections with this data, the movie and
our discussions. I will also look to see how their ability to do this
process has improved over the course of this unit. They will then create,
critique and produce a final model for the Moon and tide phenomena.
The final part of the class I will have the students explain their thinking
(in writing / diagrams, and in speaking) about answers to the essential
questions.
5. Cultural This will be as culturally responsive as possible because it will build on
responsiveness the classroom norms that were created at the beginning of the year.
These norms, which focus on respect, support the development of
relationships, reduce prejudices, and recognize the importance of
personal and classmates’ ideas and backgrounds. This lesson will have
class discussions and group work where these norms will be enforced.
And finally this lesson will be culturally responsive by making all
materials available to students as well as making all content as relative to
the students as possible.
6. Resources Computers, pictures, tennis balls, flashlight / lamp, butcher paper, and
markers.