T1030Group2-Teachers+Info+Page

= = Home Task Resources Teachers Info = = =Teacher's Information = ===As teachers we need to welcome students to the world of science. By teaching student's that we live in a Solar System with surrouding planets will open their minds to a new way of thinking. When students learn about the Solar System its not just a lesson. The student's take away knowledge that will be with them for the rest of their education. As time and their knowledge progresses they will see that learning that Earth is surrounded by a number of planets they are going to want to expand their knowledge and want to learn more. The Solar System is a fantastic subject to teach as it can be taught in a number of different ways and the difficulty of the lessons can change when different age group start to learn about science. ===

=Suggested Lesson Plan = ===**This will be a two week program. The first two days will be based on learning about all the planets in the solar system. The students need to know information about each planet and understand that we live on Earth and have a number of planets around us. The second week the students will be choosing their own planet. (Please note that students cannot choose Pluto as there planet as some of their research will tell them it's still a planet.) Students will spend roughly three lessons finding information about their planet. There will be a worksheet provided so their information is all kept together. They will then create a PowerPoint presentation using the information they collected. There will then be a day set up where parents come to see their students presentations. **===

===For the first lesson the students need to get an overview of the planets. Start by playing the Solar System Song === ===This song is great for getting started. It can be played more than once during the two weeks as it gives a fantastic overview of each planet. === ===Go to the Kids Astronomy Website and explain what The Solar System is and briefly go over each planet. Make sure a computer room is booked if there is not computers available. Inform parents that a presentation day will be occurring in the next two weeks. ===

===Briefly recap what was said about yesterday's lesson. Begin with asking the students to pick a partner if there is an odd number there can be a group of three. Ask the pairs to discuss which planet they would like to pick. If there are students choosing too many of the same planet suggest that they choose another one. Hand out the worksheet provided to every student as they all need to have evidence of researching. Students will sit at their __own__ (so they can find their own information and provides evidence that they have the ability to research) computer and collect information on their planet. Briefly go over the worksheet so there is no confusion and tell students that the 'Fun Facts' is where they use their own imagination and can create their own facts. ===

===Students will continue to collect their information. Make sure the students are collecting the right information and providing enough information to put into their PowerPoints. At day six the students worksheet should completed and filled with sufficient information that can be added to the PowerPoint. When the worksheets are finished collect all of them so the students don't lose them. Make sure students don't take the worksheets home as their worksheets are needed for evaluation. ===

===Run a lesson with the students pretending they are on a planet. This activity should give the students some help with their presentations. Simply state facts such as aliens are on your planet or changes that are completely different to Earth. Allowing them to role play what they would see and how they would react would be a great way to get the students involved. ===

===Ask the students to sit with their partner and hand out all the worksheets. Before the students start creating their PowerPoint the YouTube video below will help them get started. ===

Let the students know that the video will still be available to them in case they need further clarification.
===Allow students to move to a computer, sharing it with their partner. Start students off by walking around and making sure they have a cover page with their names on it and know how to insert new slides. At this time students should not be researching anymore and should be using the worksheets they had previously been working on.===

===Students should still be working on their PowerPoints. Make sure that they are making progress; students should at least finish two whole slides a day if not more. The students that are struggling to finish on time give them some extra help so they are able to present on the right day. By day nine the PowerPoint's should be completely finished and ready to be presented the next day.===

===This day will be when the students will present their presentations. Make sure the student's don't feel too nervous. Make sure they see it as a way of showing off their fantastic work. By making them excited they will enjoy the day much more. Students will be called up from a list and their PowerPoint's will be shown. The students will stand up the front and talk about what they have explored. By the end of the day the PowerPoint's need to be saved for evaluation as well as the worksheet completed before.===

=References= = =

KidsTV123. (2011, June 21st). //The Solar System Song//. Retrieved May 17th, 2012, from []

Network, K. K. (1998). //Our Solar System//. Retrieved May 17th, 2012, from []

Trainer, D. (2008, Jan 7th). //PowerPoint 2007 Demo: Create a basic presentation quickly//. Retrieved May 17th, 2012, from []