Space+Girls+-+Authentic+Task


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**Authentic Learning Task ** Over the next term your students will be learning about the solar system. They will be divided into 8 groups, one group per planet in the Solar System. As a group they will complete tasks on the location of their planet within the Solar System, learn about the composition of their planet and many other interesting facts that they will research themselves. They will then make a model of their planet to place on a class solar system display. The final product will be the groups of students presenting a speech using a PowerPoint on the smart board as a visual aid. A performance of the Solar System Song will also be presented at assembly for fellow students, parents and staff members to admire while the class Solar System model will be placed on display alongside them.
 * Task- To research planets in groups and present the information to fellow peers. **

**Suggested lesson plans ** **Week 1:** This lesson is to introduce the students to the solar system, with a song and a video (please see teacher and student resource pages on this Wiki). The song will be learnt throughout the term and performed at a school assembly. Students are to be put into 8 groups and asked to pick a planet name out of a hat.

**Week 2:** Students will get into their groups and brainstorm what they learnt about their planet from the video. Handing the students some worksheets at this stage will be useful to direct their thinking and researching. Students will then research facts about the solar system using the internet, and find a book on their given planet at the library. From here they will create a mind map then share their mind map with other groups.

**Week 3:** Students will take turns doing some activities on the SmartBoard. On the teacher resources page of this Wiki you can find links to various SmartBoard activities most of which are from the Learning Federation website. One activity requires the students to arrange the planets according to distance from the sun and the others allow students to observe and explore space. Completing these will stimulate the students thinking and raise questions about their planet that they can research further. Completing the arrangement activity will allow the students to figure out the order in which they will present their final project. They will also learn how to use the SmartBoard through this interaction.

**Week 4:** This week would be an ideal week to take the students on an excursion to SciTech and the Planetarium. It will allow them to accumulate extra learning material for their planet, and get an idea of how there planet will look for their model. Getting the students to fill in another copy of the worksheets you gave them in week two will allow them to see the progress the have made.

**Week 5:** This week’s task is for each group to create a model of their planet. Provide them with a variety of craft materials which they can use to create their model. It is a good idea to get the groups to ask each other about the size of their planet so they can make sure the ratios are reasonable. The idea is for each group to place their model planet on a class model when they present their final project. As a teacher you should create a base/board for the students to put their model planet on when they present their final project.

**Week 6:** This week students will experiment with gravity and learn how weights change on different planet. Each group should focus on the effects of gravity on their planet and then share their findings with other groups. A great website for converting weights on different planets is [|Your Weight on Other Worlds] but ensure that students are only using the weights of objects and not of people (this should prevent any teasing and derogatory comments related to the different weights of students).

**Week 7:** Within their groups the students will collate all there information on their planet. They will then begin to put together their PowerPoint display. The entire class should be learning the Solar System Song to sing at assembly

**Week 8:** As a break from group work students will write their own creative narrative about visiting the planet that they have been learning about. This will get the students writing as creatively as possible about their planet and this will help them to refine their PowerPoint and final presentation. Although this task will create a quiet environment you may wish to have some students read out their stories.

**Week 9:** This week should allow students to add final touches to their projects, including their model, PowerPoint and speech. The entire class should also be polishing their song performance, with your guidance.

**Week 10:** Group presentations will commence with groups presenting in order of distance from the sun. The class will also perform at school assembly.

**Advice to Teachers **