The Planets - marilenabeltramini.it

Geography
Unit: The Solar System
Teachers: Fogli Giacinta (docente L2 presso la Scuola Media di Jolanda di Savoia dell’Istituto Comprensivo di Tresigallo – FE)
Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of English – Level A1/A2
SS should know the ordinal numbers and basic geographical notions
Class: Year 5 (PRIMARY SCHOOL)
Objectives
- To understand and use a specific terminology
- Describing the planets in our Solar System: Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
- Introducing the comparative and the superlative forms of the adjectives
Time: at least 6 hours
Tools: pictures or slides, photocopies, SS’s books
Lesson 1 Step 1
7 minutes
Brainstorming with pictures 7 minutes
The Planets
Zoom Astronomy
What are these? (pointing to the pictures)
What do you know about planets?
What do you know about the Earth?
Lesson 1 Step 2
Introducing vocabulary: on the blackboard
Earth = terra
Sun = sole
Moon = luna
Planets = pianeti
Solar System = sistema solare
Life = vita
Diameter = diametro
Circumference = circonferenza
Mass = massa
Density = densità
Size = grandezza
Escape = velocità di fuga
Average = media
Largest = più largo/grande
Densest = più denso
15 minutes
Unit: The Solar System
Lesson 2 Homework checking
5 minutes
Step 1 The Earth: length of the day and year - Brainstorming 5 minutes with picture: What is a
day? What is a year?
Step 2: Vocabulary on the blackboard 10 minutes
Each = ciascuno
Verbs: To rotate = ruotare;
Around = attorno
To orbit = orbitare
To take = prendere
Axis = asse
Once = una volta
Sidereal day = giorno siderale
Rock – rocky = roccia - roccioso
Crust = crosta
Mantle = mantello
Outer = esterno
Inner = interno
Iron = ferro
Nikel = nickel
Water = acqua
Molten = fuso
Step 3: Reading together with text
Earth rising over the moon.
Photo taken by NASA's
Apollo 8 mission.
15 minutes
LENGTH OF A DAY AND YEAR ON EARTH
Each day on Earth takes 23.93 hours (that is, it takes the Earth 23.93 hours to rotate around its axis
once - this is a sidereal day). Each year on Earth takes 365.26 Earth days (that is, it takes the Earth
365.26 days to orbit the Sun once).
The Earth's rotation is slowing down very slightly over time, about one second every 10 years.
Step 4: Looking at a picture of the Earth and discussing it
10 minutes
GT explains the inside of the Earth
Step 5: Writing the definitions
10 minutes
GT explains the various parts of the Earth while ET writes the definitions on the blackboard and SS
copy them down.
Definitions
crust - the rigid, rocky outer surface of the Earth, composed mostly of basalt and granite. The crust
is thinner under the oceans.
inner core - the solid iron-nickel center of the Earth that is very hot and under great pressure.
mantle - a rocky layer located under the crust - it is composed of silicon, oxygen, magnesium, iron,
aluminum, and calcium. Convection (heat) currents carry heat from the hot inner mantle to the
cooler outer mantle.
outer core - the molten iron-nickel layer that surrounds the inner core.
Homework: Labeling the diagram of the Earth
Read the definitions, then label the diagram below.
Unit: The Solar System
Lesson 3 Step 1 homework checking
Lesson 3 Step 2 Introducing the Earth’s Orbit – brainstorming with picture
What do you know about the Earth’s orbit?
10 minutes
5 minutes
Lesson 3 Step 3: GT explains the Earth’s Orbit and ET writes the new words on the blackboard:15
distance = distanza
tilt = inclinare
To define = definire
plane = piano
Close = vicino
to affect = influenza
Perihelion = perielio
amount = quantità
Aphelion = afelio
speed = velocità
Far – farther – the farthest = lontano – più lontano – lontanissimo
Layer = strato
Nitrogen = azoto
Oxygen = ossigeno
Argon = argo
Carbon dioxide = anidride carbonica
Lesson 3 Step 4: Reading the text together and underlining Key Words.
10 minutes
THE EARTH'S ORBIT
The Earth orbits, on average, 93 million miles (149,600,000 km) from the Sun. This distance is
defined as one Astronomical Unit (AU). The Earth is closest to the Sun (this is called perihelion)
around January 2 each year (91.4 million miles = 147.1 million km); it is farthest away from the
Sun (this is called aphelion) around July 2 each year (94.8 million miles = 152.6 million km).
Orbital Eccentricity
The Earth' orbital eccentricity is 0.017; it has an orbit that is close to being circular.
THE EARTH'S AXIS TILT AND THE SEASONS
The Earth's axis is tilted from perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic by
23.45°. This tilting is what gives us the four seasons of the year: Summer,
Spring, Winter and Autumn. Since the axis is tilted, different parts of the globe are
oriented towards the Sun at different times of the year. This affects the amount of
sunlight each receives.
SPEED
At the equator, the Earth's surface moves 40,000 kilometers in 24 hours. That is
a speed of about 1040 miles/hr (1670 km/hr). This is calculated by dividing the
circumference of the Earth at the equator (about 24,900 miles or 40,070 km) by the
number of hours in a day (24). As you move toward the poles, this speed decreases to
almost zero (since the circumference at the extreme latitudes approaches zero).
The Earth revolves around the Sun at a speed of about 30 km/sec. This compares with
the Earth's rotational speed of approximately 0.5 km/sec (at middle latitudes – near
equator).
The Earth’s Atmosphere
The Earth's atmosphere is a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth. It is
composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide, and
trace amounts of other gases.
Lesson 3 Step 4 QUIZ
Work in groups and answer to the following questions + checking together
1. Is the Earth the largest planet in our Solar System?
□ YES
□ NO
2. Is the Earth the densest planet in our Solar System?
□ YES
□ NO
10+5 minutes
3. Is the Earth the only planet in our Solar System with liquid water?
□ YES
□ NO
4. The Earth’s atmosphere is mostly __________?
□ Oxygen
□ Nitrogen
5. The seasons are caused by __________?
□ Axis Tilt □ Changes in rotation rate
6. The Earth’s core is made of _________?
□ Iron and nickel
□ Rock
7. What is the name of the thin, rocky layer on the surface of the Earth?
□ Crust
□ Mantle
8. Does the Earth have a magnetic field?
□ YES
□ NO
HOMEWORK: Read all the pieces of information about the Earth and fill in the following chart
The Earth
Mass
Diametre
density
day
Year
Distance from the sun
Speed at the
equator
Unit: The Solar System
Homework Checking
10 minutes
Lesson 4 Step 1 Introducing the planets – Brainstorming with pictures
5 minutes
GT asks SS to tell what they know (also in Italian) and ET writes the words in English on the
blackboard in order to make a spider map
Lesson 4 Step 2 GT explains our solar system and the ET draws the planets and their orbits
around the sun on the blackboard and SS draw
10 minutes
ET writes the new words on the blackboard:
Vocabulary
Belt = cintura
Roughly = approssimativamente
Minor = minore
It is followed by = seguito da
To lie = essere – stare
Could fit = possono adattarsi come misura –
inserirsi – incastrarsi
Lesson 4 Step 3 Reading the text about the planets
10 minutes
The Planets
Our solar system consists of the sun, nine planets (and their moons), an asteroid belt, and
many comets and meteors. The sun is the centre of our solar system; the planets, their
moons, the asteroids, comets, and other rocks and gas all orbit the sun. The nine planets
that orbit the sun are (in order from the sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. A belt of asteroids (minor planets made of rock and
metal) lies between Mars and Jupiter. These objects all orbit the sun in roughly circular
orbits that lie in the same plane, the ecliptic (Pluto is an exception; it has an elliptical
orbit tilted over 17° from the ecliptic).
A memory game to remember the order of the planets:
(Easy ways to remember the order of the planets are the mnemonics: "My Very Excellent Mother
Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas" and "My Very Easy Method Just Simplifies Us Naming Planets" The first
letter of each of these words represents a planet - in the correct order.)
The largest planet is Jupiter. It is followed by Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus,
Mars, Mercury, and finally, tiny Pluto. Jupiter is so big that all the other planets could fit
inside it.
The Inner Planets vs. the Outer Planets
The inner planets (those planets that orbit close to the sun) are quite different from the
outer planets (those planets that orbit far from the sun).
• The inner planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. They are relatively
small, composed mostly of rock, and have few or no moons.
• The outer planets include: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. They are
mostly huge, mostly gaseous, ringed, and have many moons (again, the exception
is Pluto, which is small, rocky, and has only one moon).
Lesson 4 Step 4
20 minutes
GT explains the graphs of the temperatures, the density, the mass, the gravitational forces, the
average orbital speed and the duration of the days of the planets of our Solar System. ET writes the
difficult words on the blackboard.
Temperatures on the Planets
Generally, the farther from the Sun,
the cooler the planet. Differences
occur when the greenhouse effect
warms a planet (like Venus)
surrounded by a thick atmosphere.
Glossary:
Farther = più lontano
Cooler = più freddo
Occur = accadere, occorrere, avvenire
The greenhouse effect=effetto serra
Warm = scaldare
Surround = circondare
Thick = spesso, denso
Density of the Planets
The outer, gaseous planets are much less dense
than the inner, rocky planets.
The Earth is the densest planet. Saturn is the least
dense planet; it would float on water.
Glossary:
Outer = esterno
Inner = interno
Less dense = meno denso
The densest = il più denso di tutti
The least dense = il meno denso di tutti
“it would float” galleggerebbe
The Mass of the Planets
far
trails
Earth,
and
less
The
pesante, massiccio
Trail = seguire
Orders of magnitude = serie di magnetitudini
Jupiter is by
the most
massive
planet; Saturn
it. Uranus,
Neptune,
Venus, Mars,
Pluto are
orders of
magnitude
massive.
Glossary:
most = il più
Massive =
Gravitational Forces on the Planets
The planet with the strongest gravitational
attraction at its surface is Jupiter. Although
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are also very
massive planets, their gravitational forces are
about the same as Earth.
Glossary:
the strongest = il più forte
surface = superficie
although = sebbene
about the same = circa lo stesso
A Day on Each of the Planets
A day is the length of time that it takes a planet to
rotate on its axis (360°). A day on Earth takes
almost 24 hours.
The planet with the longest day is Venus; a day on
Venus takes 243 Earth days. (A day on Venus is
longer than its year; a year on Venus takes only 224.7
Earth days).
The planet with the shortest day is Jupiter; a day
on Jupiter only takes 9.8 Earth hours!
Glossary:
The length = lunghezza
Take = occorrere
Its = suo/sua di oggetto
The longest = il più lungo / the shortest = il più corto
The Average Orbital Speed of the Planets
As the planets orbit the Sun, they travel at
different speeds. Each planet speeds up when it is
nearer the Sun and travels more slowly when it is
far from the Sun.
Glossary:
Average = media
Travel = viaggiare – muoversi
Speed = velocità
Speed up = accellerare
More slowly = più lentamente
Far = lontano
Lesson 4 Step 5 Discussion in the classroom about the planets
5 minutes
Homework: Look at the diagrams and find out:
1. the hottest planet: _______________
2. the coldest planet: _______________
3. the densest planet: _______________
4. the most massive planet: _________________
5. the planet with the strongest gravitational attraction at its surface: _____________
6. the planet with the longest day: __________________
7. the planet with the shortest day: __________________
8. the planet that travels most slowly around the sun ________________
Unit: The Solar System
Lesson 5 Step 1 Analysing the features of each planet while reading the following chart GT
together with ET
15 minutes
The Planets in Our Solar System
Distance
from the
Sun
Period of Period
Apparent Temperature
Revolution
of
Number
Diameter
size
(K
Planet (Astronomical Around Rotation Mass (miles
of
(kg)
Range or
from
(1
the
Sun
km)
Moons
Units
Average)
Earth
(1 planetary planetary
miles
km)
0.39 AU, 36
million
miles
Mercury
57.9 million
km
0.723 AU
67.2 million
miles
Venus
108.2
million km
1 AU
93 million
miles
Earth
149.6
million km
1.524 AU
141.6
million
Mars
miles
227.9
year)
day)
87.96 Earth
days
58.7
Earth
days
3.3 x
1023
224.68
Earth days
243
Earth
days
4.87
x
1024
5.98
365.26 days 24 hours x
1024
686.98
Earth days
24.6
Earth
hours
=1.026
Earth
3,031
5-13 arc
miles
seconds
4,878 km
7,521
miles
12,104
km
10-64 arc
seconds
7,926
miles
Not
12,756 Applicable
km
6.42 4,222
4-25 arc
x
miles
seconds
1023 6,787 km
100-700 K
mean=452 K
0
726 K
0
260-310 K
1
150-310 K
2
million km
5.203 AU
483.6
million
Jupiter
miles
778.3
million km
9.539 AU
886.7
million
Saturn
miles
1,427.0
million km
19.18 AU
1,784.0
million
Uranus
miles
2,871.0
million km
30.06 AU
2,794.4
million
Neptune
miles
4,497.1
million km
39.53 AU
3,674.5
million
Pluto
miles
5,913
million km
Distance
from the
Sun
Planet (Astronomical
Units
miles
km)
days
120 K
(cloud tops)
18
named
(plus
many
smaller
ones)
88 K
18
3-4 arc
seconds
59 K
15
2.5 arc
seconds
48 K
2
0.04 arc
seconds
37 K
1
11.862
Earth years
9.84
Earth
hours
88,729
1.90
miles
x
142,796
1027
km
29.456
Earth years
10.2
Earth
hours
74,600 15-21 arc
5.69
miles
seconds
x
120,660
excluding
1026
km
rings
84.07 Earth
years
17.9
Earth
hours
8.68
x
1025
32,600
miles
51,118
km
164.81
Earth years
19.1
Earth
hours
1.02
x
1026
30,200
miles
48,600
km
247.7 years
6.39
Earth
days
1.29 1,413
x
miles
22
10 2,274 km
31-48 arc
seconds
Period of Period
Apparent Temperature
Revolution
of
Number
Diameter
size
(K
Around Rotation Mass (miles
of
Range or
(kg)
from
(1
the Sun
km)
Moons
Average)
Earth
(1 planetary planetary
year)
day)
Lesson 5 Step 2 Planet Quiz: group work - competition
15 minutes
1. How many planets are in our Solar System?
□6
□7
□8
□9
□ 10
2. Which planet is closest to the sun?
□ Venus
□ Mars
□ Mercury
□ the Earth
□ Saturn
□ Pluto
□ Mercury
3. Whis planet is farthest from the Sun?
□ Venus
□ Mars
□Neptune
4. Which planet has prominent, beautiful rings?
□ Neptune
□ Pluto
□ Saturn
□ Mars □ Uranus
5. Do all the planets have moons?
□ Yes
□ No
6. Which planet has the longest year ?
□ Mars □Neptune
□ Pluto
□ Mercury
□ The Earth
7. Which planet is the largest?
□ Mars
□Uranus
□ Pluto
□ Mercury
□ Jupiter
□ Pluto
□ Mercury
8. Which planet is the smallest?
□ Venus
□ Mars
□Neptune
Scores: 1 point for each right answer
Lesson 5 Step 3 Checking together + prize (testimonial for the best group/s)
15 minutes
Lesson 5 Step 4 Colour the planets
Homework: finish colouring the planets
10 minutes
Unit: The Solar System – Lesson 6
Test
Unit: The Solar System
Completa il seguente testo usando le parole corrette
SCORE
/30
1. FOURTH, SECOND, THIRD
2. DEATH, LEGS, LIFE
3. ROCK, PICTURE, PLANET
4. METRES PER HOUR, MILES PER HOUR, MEN PER HOUR
5. BALLOONS, OXYGEN, GASES
6. PLANET, MOON, SUN
7. CLOSEST, FARTHEST, SHORTEST
8. PERIHELION, APHELION, AUGUST
9. OCTOBER, AFTERNOON, AUTUMN
10. RIGHT, CENTRE, LEFT
11. NINE, SEVEN, EIGHT
12. URANUS, PLUTO, JUPITER
13. URANUS, PLUTO, JUPITER
14. SHORT, SMALL, BIG
15. PLANETS, COMETS, MOONS
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
The Earth is the 1. _______________ planet from the Sun in our Solar System. It is the planet we
evolved on and the only planet in our Solar System that is known to support 2.
_______________________. The Earth is about 7,926 miles (12,756 km) in diameter; it is the fifthlargest 3.___________________ in our Solar System. The Earth's mass is about 5.98 x 1024 kg.
Earth is the densest planet in our Solar System. To escape the Earth's gravitational pull, an object
must reach a velocity of 24,840 4.________________ (11,180 m/sec). The Earth's atmosphere is a
thin layer of 5.________________ that surrounds the Earth. The Earth has one 6. ____________.
The moon is about one quarter of the diameter of the Earth. The moon may have once been a part of
the Earth. On average, the Earth orbits at 93 million miles (149,600,000 km) from the Sun.
The Earth is 7. ____________to the Sun (this is called perihelion) around January 2 each year
(when we are 91.4 million miles = 147.1 million km from the Sun); it is farthest away from the Sun
(this is called 8._________________) around July 2 each year (when we are 94.8 million miles =
152.6 million km from the Sun).
The Earth's rotation is slowing down very slightly over time, about one second every 10 years. The
Earth's axis is tilted from perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic by 23.45°. This tilting is what
gives us the four seasons of the year: Summer, Spring, Winter and 9.___________________. The
sun is the 10. __________________ of our solar system; the planets, their moons, the asteroids,
comets, and other rocks and gas all orbit the sun. The 11. _______ planets that orbit the sun are:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The largest planet is 12.
_______________. It is followed by Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, and
finally, tiny 13. _______________. The inner planets orbit close to the sun. They are: Mercury,
Venus, Earth and Mars. They are relatively 14.________________, composed mostly of rock, and
have few or no moons. The outer planets include: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. They
are mostly huge and have many 15.____________.