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Solar System

The Solar System

Solar System. Turtle Diary. YouTube. (YouTube Standard Licence)
Let's learn something about the Solar System. Watch the video about it. Then order the sentences 1 to 10 as they appear on that video.
a. The Solar System is made up of one star, a handful of planets, more than a hundred moons, millions of rocky asteroids and billions of comets. f. Earth has one moon.
b. The Sun is a ball of fire shooting light and heat. g. There are eight planets in the Solar System.
c. Earth is the planet where we live. h. As comets heat up, gas and dust are expelled and trail behind.
d. Asteroids are small rocky bodies left over from the formation of the planets. i. Gravity of the Sun is a force that pulls the objects towards the centre of the Sun.
e. We live in the Milky Way galaxy. j. Comets are balls of rock and ice.

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Activity 1

I'm ready to listen!

1. Listen to these definitions and statements and write the missing word.
The Solar System is an area of the that includes the Sun and a group of planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), some dwarf planets (Pluto and Ceres), and which orbit the Sun.
The gravity of the Sun is a that pulls the objects towards the centre of the Sun.
A comet is a celestial consisting of a frozen nucleus whose external part vaporizes in a as it gets near the Sun.
An asteroid is a small object, much smaller than a planet, which the sun. Most asteroids are between Mars and Jupiter.
There are planets in the Solar System.

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Activity 2

Have a look at this presentation to know which the eight planets in the Solar System are.

a. is the largest planet.

b. Mercury is the planet.

c. is the hottest planet.

d. is the coldest planet.

e. Which is the nearest planet to the Sun?

f. The Earth is between Venus and .

g. The farthest planet from the Sun is

h. has the most visible rings.
And now let's learn how to pronounce them properly.
Mercury Venus Earth Mars
Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

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Activity 3

Look at the image and identify the planets in the order they are.

The Solar System

     The Solar System. Comfreak. Flickr. (Pixabay Licence)
Sun

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Activity 4

4. Do you know the planets? Write their names.
                                                  
                             
                                                      

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Extra activities

Teamwork1. In pairs search the Internet to find the answer for these questions. Write them in your notebook and prepare to explain to the other students. 2. Time to play. Follow this link and win the planet contest.
1. What is a dwarf planet? How many are there in the Solar System? I love playing
2. What is a trail?
3. How many planets have rings? What are rings made of?
4. What is the Asteroid Belt? 3. Why do you think the Earth is the only planet where human beings can live?
4. What is a Satellite?

NASA

Read this text about NASA.
Kennedy Space Centre
Various areas of the NASA Kennedy Space Center. NASA. Wikipedia. (Public Domain)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a U.S. government agency responsible for science and technology related to air and space. It was started in 1958.


NASA’s Headquarters is in Washington, D.C. The agency has nine centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Florida and seven test and research facilities located in several states around the country, for example, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas or Langley Research Center in Virginia.


NASA scientists work to improve air and space transportation technology. They study the universe and develop researches in astrophysics, biology, communications and information systems. They also have programs on science, technology, engineering and mathematics to prepare students to become NASA workers.


They organized the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. It was the first time that human beings walked on the moon. At the moment there are some NASA astronauts living in the International Space Station.
TeamworkIn pairs decide if the sentences are true or false. You have to find in the text the information that supports your decision.
1. NASA is a private agency.

JPL

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the upper Arroyo Seco and San Gabriel Mountains foothills, of Pasadena and Altadena, Southern California. NASA.  Wikipedia. (Public Domain)
2. NASA facilities are located in different areas in the U.S.
3. There is a Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Florida.
4. NASA researches only care about the Universe.
5. NASA is interested in obtaining prepared workers.
Curiosity Rover on the way to Mars
Curiosity Rover lifts off for Mars. FbThienVanHoc.  Flickr.  (CC BY-NC)
6. Fifteen years after NASA was started, a mission reached the moon.
7. Apollo 11 mission was unmanned.
8. NASA has stopped sending astronauts to space.

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Projects

Project 1

Draw a Solar System keeping the distances between planets and their size. Use cardboard, scissors, glue, a compass, crayons, rules etc.

Project 2

Create a slideshow with missions that have explored the Solar System and mention if they carried people and some discoveries they have made. Search the Internet for information about it.

You can use Libre Office Impress, Spark, Emaze or any other free program.

Project 3

Plan a trip to Mars. Use a mindmap to brainstorm your ideas. Here you have information to help you. Don't forget to mention distances and the time you will need.