Week 4: Scale Model Solar System

 

  1. What did you do in lab today? In lab this week we created our own model of the solar system, that was set to scale. We started by picking the size of our sun, which was 500 mm, then calculated the size of the rest of the 4 planets- Mercury (1.748 mm), Venus (4.349 mm), Earth (4.577 mm), Mars (2.428 mm) and the Moon (1.247 mm). ​ 
  2. What was the big question? How big is the solar system? ​
  3. What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? In discussion this week I learned more about the origin of Earth and the universe. I learned that Earth was not created during the big bang, and that scientists believe that it was created by a former star that exploded- so Earth is made up of it's dust and debris. I also learned that the big bang was not actually an explosion but an expansion. ​
  4. Read the online textbook chapter:                                                                                  What did you learn?​ I learned about how the 4 inner planets- Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars- are rocky planets, meaning they have a solid surface. Similarly, I learned that the 4 outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, are gas planets, meaning they are composed of gases. The solid planets are much smaller in size as compared to the gas planets, and one theory for this is that when the sun became a star, it caused gas clouds and the 4 inner planets blew away, leaving the rocky planets with a smaller, solid planet. Since the gas planets were further from the sun they retained their composition, and as they increased in mass, their gravity increased, allowing them to attract more material in space and grow in size.                                                                                                                 What was most helpful?​ I liked how at the end of this chapter, there were lesson ideas for students. I like the idea of having students keep a moon journal to write their observations in and then having them bring back to discuss in class. I think this would be a beneficial lesson for elementary school kids that allow them to learn more about the moon and sun.                                                                                                                                                 What do you need more information on?​ I would like to learn more about the origin/ make of the Earth. I have read and learned about the Plane of the Ecliptic, but am still a little confused about it. It is my understanding that it is what keeps the Earth orbiting around the sun, but would like to further my understanding on this topic. 
  5. What questions, concerns, and/or comments do you have? One comment I have is that I feel like this chapter was very versatile in the way it distributed information, which I find very helpful. The videos are always very clear and allow me to further my understanding, and I especially found the lesson ideas helpful. Likewise, I like how the standards for 5th grade and middle school were given. 

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