Specified Objectives:   HEY STUDENTS!  These are your objectives for this activity:
 

• Identify the name of our solar system.
• Name each of the nine known planets in our solar system (there may be more out there that haven't been discovered yet!).
• List the nine planets in ascending order in which they are located, relative to our Sun (in other words, from closest to the Sun to furthest away).
• Explain basic features and characteristics of each planet:
• its atmosphere (is it similar to Earth's, or is it different?)
•  average temperature
• ability to support life
• average size
• color of the planet
• any moons, satellites or rings
• length of its orbit around the Sun
• distance from Sun (sometimes called the "average solar distance").
• Explain in writing the reasons why Earth seems to be the only known planet that can support life.
• What specific factors are involved here?
• Which characteristics would have to be different in order for life to be possible on these other planets?
• Calculate the size of our solar system through a FUN outdoor experiment (this will involve your teacher and the rest of the class).

Computer Functions:    These are the ways in which you will complete this activity using the computer:

• Use a DATABASE to store the information you find about the features and characteristics of each planet.
• Use a SPREADSHEET to present this information in different ways.  In other words, you will manipulate the data found in data base.
• Use a WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM (such as Microsoft Word) to present your explanation of planets' ability to support life.

Specifying the Problem:    How is Earth both similar and different to the other planets in our solar system?
 
 

Data Manipulation:    Does this seem like a difficult problem to solve?  It really isn't.  By using the computer, all of you will be able to complete this fun activity!!  This is how you should use the computer functions that were just talked about:

•  Database:
• CREATE a database (with the teacher's help, of course!) and input each planets' basic features and characteristics into a Microsoft Access database.
• Once you've done this, the teacher will show you how to SORT that data in various ways (for example, sort by planets' distance from the Sun, by planets' size, etc...).
• Spreadsheet:
• Next, you will MANIPULATE your information to find out averages of some of the data, sort data in ascending or descending order (in other words, smallest to largest or largest to smallest) etc...
• Word Processing:
Finally, you will take all of the work you have done so far and REFLECT upon it in an essay that you will WRITE and TURN IN to your teacher.  Your essay should talk about what makes Earth unique or different from the other planets, and at the same time, how it is similar to them.  

Results Presentation: 

• Your results from this activity will be PRESENTED in three different forms:
• Your database
• Your spreadsheet
• Your reflective essay

Activities While at the Computer:

• When you sit down at the computer, FIRST GO to the Star Child web site to begin your research into the solar system and the planets.
• If you come across words or scientific terms that you don't know, use either this glossary or a more advanced glossary for harder words.
• Besides just using this web site for information, you will also want to USE a variety of Internet search engines to locate web sites that contain information on this topic.

• BEFORE you begin to work on the computer, you and your teacher will spend some class time deciding what key (or main) words, terms or phrases would best be appropriate for your information search on the Internet.  This way, you can make your search EASIER AND MORE EFFECTIVE!
• In case you aren't already excited about this fun activity, you and your classmates (and the teacher, of course) will perform a classroom experiment where you will actually "CREATE" your own comet!

• Get together in small discussion groups (4-5 people in each group) to discuss what you found while doing the activity.
• After you finish discussing your findings (take about 15 minutes or so to do this), the entire class will come together.
• Your teacher will talk about how just as Earth shares common characteristics with the rest of the planets in our solar system, all people who live our planet are pretty much alike, despite some differences.  People, like planets, come in all different shapes, sizes and colors.  Your teacher can use this discussion as a stepping stone to the important topic of multiculturalism.

• Plan a classroom wide science fair with an emphasis on astronomy.
• Explain how physicists and astronomers like Galileo, Issac Newton, Copernicus, Keppler and Hubble undoubtedly had a great impact on today's understanding of our solar system.

• Teachers can use several on-line quizzes to evaluate whether students achieved the objectives of this lesson.