By Tammy Griffith

Table of Contents MercuryMercury Stars Stars Slide 5- VenusVenus Slide 6- EarthEarth Slide 7-MarsMars Slide 8- JupiterJupiter Slide 9- SaturnSaturn Slide 10- Trivia QuestionsSlide 16-SatellitesTrivia QuestionsSatellites Slide 11- Comets Slide 17-Trivia Questions IICometsTrivia Questions II Slide 12-NeptuneSlide 18- TEKSNeptuneTEKS Slide 13-UranusUranus Slide 14-SunSun Slide 15-MeteoritesMeteorites Slide 3 Slide 4

Mercury Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It has lots of craters upon it’s surface. The inside of Mercury is made up of the element Iron (Fe). Question: Do you think that Mercury is hotter planet than Earth? If so, why? If not, why not?

Stars Stars begin as “little stars” called prostars. Prostars are glowing clouds of dust and gas. When all the “prostars” are pulled together, the cloud gets hot. It gets SOOOO hot, that it begins to GLOW from within, like a light bulb. This allows us to see stars!!!

Venus Let’s watch a video about our neighbor VenusVenus It is one of the brightest objects in the sky. We can see it here, from Earth, with a telescope, or on a really clear night, just by looking up in the sky. Venus is a planet that is covered in hot lava. Venus is also made up of LOTS of clouds. The clouds are form from an natural element called Sulfuric Acid.

Earth Earth is the 3 rd planet from the Sun. It is mostly made up of water. Earth has a total of 7 layers. It is the only planet know to have life on it, because it has usable water. Why is Earth the only planet in the entire solar system to have life?

Mars Mars gets it’s name from the Greek God, Ares, which means “war.” Mars surface is very planar and flat. Activity: In groups of 5 or less, begin a compare and contrast chart dealing with all of the planets you have been introduced to so far.

Jupiter Jupiter is the 5 th planet from the Sun. Like planet Earth, it has moons. However, Jupiter holds the record for the MOST moons, with a total of 63!! Gravity keeps us from floating off of Earth’s surface and allows the moon to orbit (circle) around Earth. If Jupiter has so many more moons than Earth, what does that tell us about Jupiter’s gravity? (hint: which planet has stronger gravity?)

Saturn Saturn has the ability to create it’s own heat. Saturn has LOTS a rings around it. These rings are in the order of: F, A, Cassani Division, B, Enck’s Division and C. Activity: By yourself, draw a copy of the planet Saturn. Write down 2 facts or questions that you have about Saturn. Color and put into your “Solar System” Notebook.

Trivia Questions

Comets Scientists USED to believe that comets were a bad sign, and brought death and destruction. Comets follow an orbit, just like planet Earth. A comet is made up of gas and dust, with an ice- center. Comets do smash into planets! OUCH!! Now, lets watch as Bill Nye gets attacked by a COMET!!!

Neptune On the surface of Neptune, there are many storms. Imagine waking up to a thunderstorm every day of the year! YIKES!! Because Neptune is made up solely of gases, there is not a real surface to it. If astronauts were to try and walk on it, they would fall right through. Neptune has 13 moons, made up of rock and ice. Brrr!!!!!!!!!

Uranus Has it’s own magnetic field. Uranus has 27 moons. The 5 largest are:Ariel, Miranda, Oberon, Titania and Umbriel The center of Uranus is made up of ice. However, this is where Uranus has it’s magnetic field. So, if we took a magnet to the center of Uranus, we would be pulled in.

Sun The BRIGHTEST star in the Universe, is…. THE SUN!!! It is made up of very hot gases. The Sun is about 4 and ½ BILLION years old!! Amazing!! It gives us life, because of the energy it sends to Earth.

Meteorites These “fire flying baseballs” are made up of rock, or ice, or stone. They are extra pieces of the Solar System, that fall down to planet Earth.

Satellites Have you ever wonder how we SEE the planets from out space? Astronauts use what are known as satellites, to get images of other planets and outer space. These “space cameras” are shot off into outer space and circle around certain planets. While they circle, they take photographs of the planets and other objects that are in outer space.

Trivia Questions Revisited After you have been split into teams, numbers will be called. Pair up with your number and together, you will answer the questions provided or complete a short activity. What is a satellite? How can it help us find out about our solar system? Can we see meteorites from here on Earth? If yes, why? If no, why? Would you and I be here today if the Sun didn’t exist? What is one major difference between Neptune and Saturn? Without using notes, you and your partner must group the planets according to which ones have moons and which ones do not. Is Venus a hot or a cold planet? How do we know? Can you think of another part of the Solar System that is like Venus? What are the similarities between these 2 parts? What are the differences? Draw a meteorite and a comet. Can you tell the difference between them? How so?

TEKS (5A) Classify and sequence organisms, objects, and events based on properties and patterns (12D) Identify gravity as the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun and the moon in orbit around the Earth.