Mi portfolio de formación: Solar System

The unit is called The Solar System. It is aimed at 9-10 year-old students in the 3rd grade of Primary Education. It takes place at the beginning of the school year in the Social Science subject.

I chose this topic because I am currently working on it with my students, so I can take advantage of the materials designed to use them in my lessons.

The goals I want my students to achieve are:

Name and identify the different elements that form the Solar System.
Name the planets and recognize their main characteristics.
Locate the planets position according to the Sun.
Explain the Earth's rotation and revolution and their consequences.
Describe the Moon movements, their consequences and identify the Moon phases.
Research and find out information about the Solar System using different sources.
Design a representative model of the Solar System.

The unit is divided up in 11 lessons of 50 minutes each. They have to create a model of the Solar System as the final product.

Lesson 1

Initial assessment
Students fill in the column 'What I Know' on a KWL chart.
The teacher uses flashcards to elicit their memories about the topic.
Students also draw a picture with what they remember. They label the name of the stuff they have drawn.

Lesson 2

Students watch the video about the Solar System.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJrDiUG2JAo
They answer some questions orally.
On their tablets students label the planet names using the app Skitch.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evernote.skitch&hl=es
Students listen to the song ‘The Solar System song’ and they get familiar with planet features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbgnF7373oY&feature=youtu.be

Lesson 3
Students listen for the second time to the song. Then, they complete a song worksheet where they have to write the missing planets according to their features.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dB1prNGjhEzrM210ttVbYmmPoUagP_-olTXvlbPct6U/edit?usp=sharing
To conclude the lesson, they make a planet and Sun mobile colouring and cutting the objects on the worksheet below.
http://printables.scholastic.com/shop/prcontent/Solar-System-Mobile/9780439503761-059

Lesson 4
Teacher hands the students a worksheet that they use as a language model to answer some questions orally

Which is the hottest planet?
Which is the coldest planet?
Which is the largest planet?
Which planet is the closest to the Sun?
Which planet is the furthest to the Sun?
Which planet is the closest to the Earth?
Which planet is called the Red Planet?
Which planet is tipped on its side?

Students play a card game in pairs. One student describes one of the planets and the other has to guess. Then, they change roles. They finish when they have described all the planets.
http://spaceracers.org/pdf/sun-and-planets-matching-game.pdf
To end the lesson, they write sentences on a worksheet using the superlative form.
http://bogglesworldesl.com/kids_worksheets/solarsystem.htm

Lesson 5

Students watch the video ‘Day and Night Explanation, Causes Science for Kids’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=242&v=hWkKSkI3gkU
Then, they answer the following online quiz:
http://www.makemegenius.com/gk-activities-kids/quiz-or-questions/day-and-night-quiz-questions
Using playdough, a wooden stick, a shoebox and a torch they make a model of the Earth showing the axis and also explaining where it is day and where it is night.

Lesson 6
Students watch the video ‘Why Seasons Change’ to find out about the Earths’ revolution and its consequences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCLX27NqMg
After watching the video, students complete the texts on the following worksheet:
http://www.macmillanelt.es/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/The_Earth_Rotation_and_revolution_Worksheet.pdf

Lesson 7

Students will participate in the Solar System Scavenger Hunt:
https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/space/solarsystem-scav-hunt_WMTTD.pdf
Each student has a copy of the question worksheet.
The fact cards will be placed around the classroom where students can find them.

Students have to move around the classroom and find the answers on the fact cards.
When they finish, they will talk in pairs about their answers checking they have the same ones.
Finally the answers will be corrected aloud with all the students.

Lesson 8

Students watch the video ‘Moon Phases’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToQ3k-jBIbk
Students make the moon phases using Oreo cookies. Here is the explanation:
https://sciencebob.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Oreo-Cookie-Moon-Phases.pdf

Lesson 9 and 10

Students fill in the column ‘What I want to know’ on the KWL chart. According to what they wrote, they search the net in order to find the information.
They also start to prepare their final project and presentation. Each student chooses a planet and makes a model of it using a balloon, newspaper, paint and glue. The student finds information about the planet on the Internet and on the app Solar System 3D.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.cyberlemons.solarsystem&hl=es
On the last lesson the students share their models and make an oral presentation of their planet.

Lesson 11

Students fill in the column ‘What I learned’ on the KWL chart.
To finish the unit and assess the students’ knowledge, the teacher launches a Kahoot quiz about the Solar System.
https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/28ed1000-280f-458d-b753-f6359a7973c9