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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
LESSON PLAN
PART I
Title: The Sun and Its Domain
Instructional Methods
Informal Lecture with Discussion, Individual Writing and Reflection, Individual and Group
Activities, Internet Research, and Reading
Materials
Exploring Space: The High Frontier
Activities Worksheets
Resources
PowerPoint Presentation on Instructor Guide (IG) CD
Computer with Internet Access
Classroom Performance System (CPS)
Student Preparation
Reading Assignment: Chapter 3, Lesson 1: The Sun and Its Domain
Homework Assignment: Read Textbook Chapter 3, Lesson 2
Assessment/Evaluation
CPS Questions
CPS Vocabulary on IG CD
Quick Write
Discussion/Questions
CPS Test Files on IG CD
National Science Education Standards (NSES)
Content Standard B: Physical Science
Structure of atoms
Structure and properties of matter
Chemical reactions
Motions and forces
Conservation of energy and the increase in disorder
Interactions of energy and matter
Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science
The origin and evolution of the universe
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science
Science as a human endeavor
Nature of scientific knowledge
National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS●S) (Technology Activity)
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
a. Understand and use technology systems
b. Select and use applications effectively and productively
Lesson Objectives:
1. Know about the Sun’s Energy
2. Know about the Sun’s Core, Atmosphere, and Sunspots
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
3. Comprehend the Solar System’s Structure
Samples of Behavior/Main Points:
1. Identify the source of the Sun’s energy
2. Describe the nuclear fusion power of the Sun
3. Describe the Sun’s hydrostatic equilibrium
4. Identify the three modes of solar energy transfer
5. Identify the three layers of the Sun’s atmosphere
6. Describe the solar wind
7. Describe the impact of Sunspots and solar flares on Earth’s climate
8. Describe the sizes of the planets and their distances from the Sun
9. Describe the theories of how the solar system formed
10. Explain the three classifications of objects in the solar system
11. Explain the classifications of planets
Strategy: This lesson introduces significant issues regarding the Sun as the center of the Solar
System. It also discusses the solar system’s structure and how the solar system was formed.
Preparation:
Review the entire lesson plan (recommend trial run through PowerPoint, Internet URLs, and
use of CPS)
Gather any materials necessary for the activities
Make copies of all activity worksheets for the students
Have computers with Internet connection available, if possible
Thoroughly read the technology enrichment activity and complete any pre-class preparation
for it
Part IIA—Exploration: Begin the lesson with the CPS self-assessment and focusing questions.
Then complete the Quick Write reading/writing activity. During the presentation, provide a
mini-lecture to introduce an overview of the lesson content then check for learning using the
CPS.
Part IIB—Engagement: Use all or some of the following activities with CPS if applicable;
review them for detailed instructions:
1. Knowledge Review/Understanding Vocabulary: Sun BINGO Challenge
2. Group Application Activity: Three Kinds of Energy Transfer
3. Individual Reflection/Small Group Discussion: Observing the Sun
4. Technology Enrichment: Solar Wind
Part IIC—Wrap-Up: Review the material, and then reinforce it with the CPS review and transfer
of learning questions to judge the student’s comprehension of the material
Evaluation: Refer to the IG CD for the lesson test files
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
Lesson Outline:
1. Part IIA—Exploration (25 min)
a. Overview
b. Quick Write
c. Informal Lecture
2. Part IIB—Engagement (50 min)
a. Activities
b. Assessments
3. Part IIC—Wrap-Up (15 min)
a. Review
b. Conclusion
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
PART II
PART IIA—EXPLORATION
ATTENTION
It wasn’t until Galileo began using the telescope in 1609
that the Sun became a popular item to study. It was no
longer a mythical object in the sky, but became for the first
time a physical object scientists could investigate.
CPS Warm – Up Questions (1 – 2)
Note to teacher: Ask the following questions using the
CPS:
1. How much information do you already know about this
topic area?
a. Expert – I have done a lot of reading in this area
already.
b. Above Average – I have learned some
information about this topic.
c. Moderate – I know a little about this topic.
d. Rookie – I am a blank slate … but ready to
learn.
2. Which of the following is a mode of solar energy
transfer?
a. Radiation (p. 81)
b. Equilibrium
c. Solar flares
d. Solar wind
MOTIVATION
Before we study the rest of the Solar System, it is important
to have a thorough understanding of the Sun. Today, we
are going to learn about the center of the Solar System, the
Sun.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
In this chapter on The Sun and The Solar System, we’ll
cover the following topics:
1. The Sun and Its Domain
2. The Terrestrial Planets
3. The Outer Planets
4. Dwarf Planets, Comets, Asteroids, and Kuiper Belt
Objects
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
LESSON OVERVIEW
Today, we’ll cover the following topics:
1. The Sun’s Energy
2. The Sun’s Core, Atmosphere, and Sunspots
3. The Solar System’s Structure
QUICK WRITE WITH CPS
Note to teacher: Have the students read/review the opening
story in the lesson. Then have them write a response to the
Quick Write on a separate piece of paper. Use “Pick a
Student” button in CPS to select 2 -3 students to share their
answers.
What are some of the differences in the way you regard the
Sun, and the way an ancient Egyptian teenager would have
regarded it?
(Note: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
PRESENTATION
1. The Sun’s Energy
a. The Source of the Sun’s Energy
(1) Hermann von Helmholtz and Lord Kelvin
proposed that the source of the Sun’s energy
was a very slow gravitational contraction –
shrinking caused by the force of gravity.
(2) Einstein proposed his special theory of
relativity, and scientists began considering that
mass can be converted to energy, and energy
into mass.
b. The Nuclear Fusion Power of the Sun
(1) An atom’s nucleus, which is most of the atom’s
mass, is made up of two kinds of particles:
protons, positively charged particles; and
neutrons, particles with no electrical charge.
(2) In nuclear fusion, two nuclei combine to form a
larger nucleus. They “fuse.”
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
(3) The primary source of the Sun’s energy, then, is
a series of nuclear fusion reactions.
2. The Sun’s Core, Atmosphere, and Sunspots
a. The Sun’s Equilibrium
(1) The Sun is in a state of equilibrium, or balance,
neither noticeably contracting nor expanding.
The equilibrium conditions in the Sun are
known as hydrostatic equilibrium.
(2) The gas at the center of the Sun is supporting
the weight of the gas all the way out to the
surface, so you should expect great pressures at
the center. This tremendous pressure pushes
protons close enough together that hydrogen
fusion can take place.
(3) The fusion reactions in the core provide a heat
source. When a gas is heated, it tends to
expand. The Sun exists in a state of
equilibrium, with the force of gravity balanced
by forces tending to expand the gas.
b. The Three Modes of Solar Energy Transfer
(1) Conduction is the transfer of energy in a solid
by collisions between atoms and/or molecules.
In order for conduction to take place, the
particles of the substance must be in close
contact. This is rarely the case in stars, so
conduction is not a significant factor in
transporting energy from within the Sun.
(2) Convection occurs when the atoms of a warm
liquid or gas move from one place to another.
In the case of the Sun, this condition is met only
in the region within about 125,000 miles of the
surface. In this region, convection constantly
mixes the solar material as hot gas rises and
cooler gas descends.
(3) Radiation is the transfer of energy by
electromagnetic waves. Radiation is the
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
principal means of energy transfer inside the
Sun.
c. The Three Layers of the Sun’s Atmosphere
(1) Photosphere is the visible part of the Sun and
that part of the solar atmosphere that emits
light. The photosphere is about 250 miles thick.
The variation in brightness is a result of hot
areas within the photosphere rising and falling
within the region – variations in temperature
produce variations in brightness.
(2) Chromosphere is the region between the
photosphere and the corona. This is where
solar flares and eruptions come from.
(3) Corona is the outermost portion of the Sun’s
atmosphere. This region extends for hundreds
of thousands of miles from the Sun and can be
seen during total solar eclipses.
d. The Solar Wind
(1) Solar wind is a continuous outflow of charged
particles from the Sun, mostly in the form of
protons and electrons.
(2) Moving at about 249 miles per second near
Earth, it plays a significant role in space weather
activity.
(3) One of its effects is to cause comet tails to point
away from the Sun as its particles sweep comet
material along with them. Another dramatic
effect is the auroras you can see near the Earth’s
poles.
e. The Impact of Sunspots and Solar Flares on Earth’s
Climate
(1) Sunspots are the dark spots appearing
periodically in groups on the Sun’s surface.
(2) Alexander Wilson proposed in the late
eighteenth century that sunspots were actually
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
windows of a sort, showing glimpses of a cooler
surface beneath the hot outer layer of the Sun.
(3) William Herschel suggested that the interior of
the Sun might be cool enough to support life.
(4) Between 1645 and 1715, scientists saw very few
sunspots. At the same time, the Earth went
through a “little ice age.” These incidents
suggest a clear connection between changes in
solar activity and the Earth’s climate.
(5) A solar flare is an explosion near or at the
Sun’s surface, seen as an increase in activity
such as prominences (bulges). In just a few
seconds, flares can heat solar material to tens of
millions of degrees. They also eject solar
particles at very high speeds. In the largest
flares, these particles reach Earth in less than an
hour. They not only cause spectacular auroras,
but also disrupt radio transmissions on Earth.
3. The Solar System’s Structure
a. Sizes of Planets and Distances From the Sun
(1) The Sun makes up more than 99 percent of the
Solar System’s mass. It is 10 times larger in
diameter than Jupiter, the largest planet. The
Sun’s diameter is about 862,000 miles. In other
words, the Sun’s diameter is about 110 times
that of Earth.
(2) Think of the Sun as an object the size of a
basketball, a sphere 9.4 inches in diameter.
Now consider the distances between the planets.
Put the basketball (the Sun) at one end of a
tennis court. A pin at the opposite end of the
tennis court would be Earth. A one-inch ball
one and a half football fields away would be
Jupiter. Pluto would be a grain of sand a
kilometer (6/10 of a mile) away.
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
b. How the Solar System Formed
(1) There is no single evolutionary theory for the
solar system’s origin. But there are several
theories that share common ideas about how the
solar system came to be as part of a natural
sequence of events.
(2) Renè Descartes in 1644 suggested that the Solar
System formed out of a gigantic whirlpool, or
vortex, in some type of universal fluid.
(3) Catastrophe theory does not refer to a disaster.
Rather, it refers to an unusual event. In 1745,
George Lewis de Buffon proposed the passage
of a comet close to the Sun. The comet pulled
material out of the Sun to form the planets.
Astronomers now know this was not possible,
but it seemed plausible at the time.
(4) More recently, some thought that perhaps the
Sun was once part of a triple-star system – three
stars revolving around one another.
(5) Catastrophe theories have been nearly
abandoned in favor of modern evolutionary
theories. These hold that the formation of the
Solar System resulted from gravitational forces
and pressures on heat and mass.
(6) In the 1940s, German scientist Carl von
Weizsaecker showed that different areas of a
gas disk rotating around the Sun would not all
rotate at the same speed. The inner portion
would move faster than the outer. Eddies would
form as a result.
(7) The farther from the Sun, the larger these eddies
would be. These eddies are the beginnings of
planet formation.
(8) Scientists now believe that stars such as the Sun
form from vast clouds of interstellar gas and
dust. When the cloud collapses, any rotation
that it had at the beginning greatly increased in
the central portion.
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
(9) Newton’s laws predict this increase, which
results from the law of conservation of angular
momentum. This law says an object will spin
more slowly as resistance increases and spin
faster as resistance decreases. Over millions of
years, the material in the central portion
becomes a star.
c. Classifying Objects in the Solar System
(1) The four innermost planets – Mercury, Venus,
Earth and Mars – are called the terrestrial
planets because of their similarity to Earth. The
next four planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune – are called the Jovian planets because
of their similarity to Jupiter. Pluto is now
considered a dwarf planet.
(2) A planet is a celestial body that orbits the Sun,
has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to
overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a
nearly round shape, and has cleared the
neighborhood around its orbit.
(3) A dwarf planet has the same first two qualities
listed above, but has not cleared the
neighborhood around its orbit. In fact, Pluto
actually crosses inside Neptune’s orbit for about
20 years of its 248-year orbital period.
CPS Learning Check Questions (3 - 4)
Note to teacher: Ask the following questions using the
CPS:
3. What is the outermost portion of the Sun’s atmosphere?
a. Chromosphere
b. Photosphere
c. Equilibrium
d. Corona (p. 82)
4. Which of these is a Jovian planet?
a. Saturn (p. 91)
b. Pluto
c. Venus
d. Mercury
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
PART IIB—ENGAGEMENT
Note to teacher: All student handouts and answer keys for
the activities are following the “Checkpoints” answers at
the end of the lesson.
Activity 1: Sun BINGO Challenge
Instructions for the teacher:
1. This is an individual and group activity that enables
students to review the vocabulary and other terms from
the lesson.
2. Copy a blank BINGO card for each student.
3. Have students fill in the vocabulary and other terms
randomly on their BINGO card.
4. Read the description or definition and have students
place a marker on their card for the correct term or
concept.
5. It is recommended that you not read these in order.
Keep track of which ones you have read though!
6. Student calls out Bingo when they have 5 in a row
vertically, horizontally or diagonally.
7. Review each term as you verify the winner.
8. You may need 2-3 winners in order to review the
material fully.
9. Hand out a small fun prize to winners.
Instructions for students:
1. Randomly fill in the terms on your BINGO card.
2. Match the definition read by your instructor with the
term on your card and mark that square.
3. Call BINGO when you have five in a row vertically,
horizontally or diagonally.
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
Activity 2: Three Kinds of Energy Transfer
Instructions for the teacher:
1. This is a small group activity that enables students to
study the differences between the three different kinds
of energy transfer. Instruct students to refer to pages
80-81 of the textbook.
2. Divide the class into groups of 4-5.
3. Hand out copies of the worksheet located at the end of
this lesson.
4. Have students write the examples from the bottom of
the page under the correct kind of energy transfer –
conduction, convection or radiation.
5. Give student groups about 15-20 minutes to discuss and
complete the worksheet.
6. Facilitate a brief discussion about the activity.
7. Briefly review the correct answers.
Instructions for students:
Write each of the examples into the column where it
belongs.
Activity 3: Observing The Sun
Instructions for the teacher:
1. This individual reflection/small group discussion allows
students to reflect on how much of their knowledge
about the Sun is from scientific discovery.
2. Hand out copies of the worksheet located at the end this
lesson.
3. Divide the class into groups of 4-5, depending on the
size of your class.
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
4. Instruct students to individually reflect on the situation
and to answer the questions on the worksheet.
5. Then have the students gather in their assigned groups
to discuss and share their answers to the questions on
the worksheet.
6. Use the CPS to select 2-3 students to share their
thoughts.
Instructions for students:
We know a great deal about the Sun through the many
discoveries that scientists have made. Think about how
you might view the Sun differently if you did not have
access to any scientific data.
1. Read the questions on your worksheet; individually
reflect on and answer the questions.
2. Gather in your assigned group to discuss and share your
answers to the questions. Be prepared to share your
thoughts and ideas with the class.
Technology Enrichment: Solar Wind
Instructions for the teacher:
1. This is a small group activity that enables students to
gain a deeper understanding of solar wind and how it
affects the Earth.
2. If possible, prior to this activity, save the video Internet
URLs as a favorite on the designated computers. Note:
Flash player is required. If you have trouble viewing
the videos, then transcripts are provided below the
video screen.
3. Hand out copies of the worksheet located at the end of
this lesson.
4. Divide the class into groups of 4-5
5. Instruct students to watch the videos as a group and
complete the questions listed for each video.
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
6. Use the CPS to select 2-3 students to share their
findings.
Instructions for students:
Watch the videos and answer the questions on the
worksheet.
PART IIC—WRAP UP
REVIEW
The Sun provides the light, heat and energy that make
life on Earth possible
In order for the Sun to produce its enormous power, a
large number of fusions of hydrogen nuclei must take
place every second
The three layers of the Sun’s atmosphere are
photosphere, chromosphere, and corona
Sunspots and solar flares impact Earth’s climate
The Sun makes up more than 99% of the Solar
System’s entire mass
Theories that share common ideas about how the solar
system formed are: evolutionary, catastrophe, and
modern evolutionary
CPS Review Questions (5 - 6)
Note to teacher: Have the students write a response on a
sheet of paper. Then use the “Pick a Student” button in
CPS to select 2 -3 students to share their answers with the
class.
5. What is the continuous outflow of charged particles
from the Sun called?
a. Solar flares
b. Sunspots
c. Solar fission
d. Solar Wind (p. 84)
6. What is the most interesting thing you learned today?
(Note: Use “Pick a Student” button in CPS)
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Chapter Three, The Sun and the Solar System
SUMMARY
In this lesson we discussed the following:
1. The Sun’s Energy
2. The Sun’s Core, Atmosphere, and Sunspots
3. The Solar System’s Structure
REMOTIVATION
The Sun is the center of the planets, dwarf planets and other
objects that circle it. You have learned some interesting
information about the Sun. It is important to know its role
in the galaxy.
CLOSURE
Today, you have learned about The Sun and Its Domain.
Next, you’ll learn The Terrestrial Planets.
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