Safety Alert
As an educator you are responsible for the implementation of the activities found on this site. You must have safety procedures and rules established for you classroom and make sure all of the students follow the rules to ensure a safe environment. South Dakota Public Broadcasting cannot in any way be responsible or liable for any injury as a result of using the activities. Use the activities you feel are appropriate and safe for your individual class. Have fun and stay safe.

Questions, comments or ideas for Kids Quest can be e-mailed to Edservices@sdpb.org

It is common knowledge that all kids love to play.
Unfortunately, some of the students you have in the classroom are not as thrilled about math, language arts or science class. Their minds may be on recess or a television show they watched the night before. The activity that follows is a very fun and easy supplement to bring your class alive without straying from learning. The kids will learn and have fun.

Activity:
    The focus of the following activity examines the relative location of the planets in our solar system. The Kids Quest episode "Fill Your Head with Space” explains the location of the shuttle during a normal orbit. For your convenience, all of the Kids Quest episodes can be viewed on line at http://www.sdpb.org/.

     The activity below in one form or another has been used for years. I have seen it completed in many ways. The distance from each planet to the sun is hard to imagine. I have chosen a football field to represent the solar system. The chart below provides a scale breakdown of the distance from each planet to the sun. You will use the chart below to complete the lab. The distances shown on the chart are approximations. The distances have been rounded to make the visual comparisons easier for the students to understand. I have included a short clip below to explain map scale.

Watch the Science Sample clip

Materials per group:
10 Round pieces of paper to represent the planets & moon -Note: I have not scaled the planets for the following activity. Although, I did find two fascinating web sites below.

Cool food comparison: http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1965.html
Cut outs of planets: http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/act09_imagecards.html

1 Football field
1 Yard stick
1 Ruler
1 Tape Measure (optional)
Goggles(1 per student)

Procedure:
Introduction of topic (space) (1-2 class periods)
1. Watch Kids Quest "Fill Your Head With Space”
2. Cover information in your science text.
3. Visit educational web sites about space.
http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/curric/space/planets/
http://www.freeimages.co.uk/galleries/space/planets/

Process:
1. Print a copy of the chart above. You can make your own planets or use one of the web sites above. Make sure the students realize the planets and distances are not scaled the same.

2. Take your class to a football field. Chose one of the end-zones as the sun. The students should have the opportunity to guess the placement of each planet from the sun. They should also place the moon in its correct location. To help them, you should place one of the planets. For example, Mars would be 3 yards and 31 inches from the sun (end-zone). Let the students have fun with this.

3. Hand out a copy of the chart to each student. You should explain the distances shown. Now place the planets in the correct location and distance from the sun (end-zone).

4. The size of our solar system is huge Students have a hard time comprehending how large its is. Completing the above activity will give the students something to think about. For example, the elevation of a plane flying to Chicago on the above scale would be .0000026 / 16th of an inch.

State Standards:
If completed correctly, the following standards are used in the activity above. More standards could be used by including spin-offs of the activity. For example, a model of the solar system could be made.

FOURTH GRADE NATURE OF SCIENCE STANDARDS- STUDENTS WILL:
3. identify men and women who have revolutionized scientific thinking. (extension - write a paper on history of astronomers or inventors of telescopes)
10. use appropriate scientific equipment for investigations.
11. use proper safety procedures in all investigations.

FOURTH GRADE EARTH/SPACE SCIENCE STANDARDS- STUDENTS WILL:
9. describe the motions of Earth, sun, and moon. (example: revolution and rotation) (extension - it would be a perfect time to explain the difference between rotation and revolution using the models on the field)
10. describe relative size, position and makeup of Earth, moon, and sun.
11. describe how Earth is part of the solar system.
12. distinguish appearance from fact regarding the movement of objects across the sky. (extension - great time to talk about movement of objects across the sky using the models on the field)

FOURTH GRADE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIETY STANDARDS-STUDENTS WILL:
1. describe how people continue to invent new ways of doing things, solving problems, and getting work done. (extension - invention of telescopes and improvements)
2. investigate how new ideas and inventions often affect people. (extension - telescopes and space exploration)
4. explain how inventions have changed people's lives. (example: television, electric lights) (extension - telescopes)

Resource: South Dakota Department of Education and Content Standards