Exploring the Solar System: Planet Webquest

Webquest: New Home for Humanity - 6th Grade Computer Science

photo: Jet Propulsion Lab, NASA, http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/index.cfm

By: Mrs. Bernard & Mr. Green
F-LMS, Lakeville, Massachusetts

Please remember: This is a simulation, not a real situation!

Introduction The Problem

Your Task The Procedure

The Process Resources

Evaluation Conclusion & Standards

Introduction:

Our galaxy is a wonderous place, with billions upon billions of stars and solar systems. Each solar system rotates around the center of the galaxy, just like the planets in our system revolve around the sun.

Outside of the orbit of Pluto lies the Kuiper Belt; this cloud contains many of the remnants of the formation of our solar system. Many large objects (almost the size of Pluto) and small objects (as small as dust) are in this belt. Beyond the Kuiper Belt lies the Oort cloud - a vast group of as are comets - giant balls of snow, ice, and rocks.

Approximately every 26 million years, our planet has experienced a mass extinction, with a large percentage of the life on our planet dying out. The reason for this is unknown, but some scientists have speculated that something massive (possibly a brown or red dwarf star) could disturb the orbits of these comets as it passes our system every 26 million years.

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(remember: this is only a simulation - this is not really happening right now!!!)

The Problem:

Unfortunately for us, that time is now. Within the next two years, a swarm of comets will pass the earth on their way in toward the sun. Most of these will miss us, but at the current time, it appears that one will approach close enough to our planet to be cought in our gravity and drawn in to impact upon our planet.

photo: http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9703/hale.bopp/what.if/comet_impact.lg.jpg

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Your Task:

We have gathered some of the best minds on Earth in helping with planning for a new home for our race.

Your mission is to research a planet or moon in our Solar System, with the end goal of finding the most promising new habitat, therefore giving our race a chance to survive.

Each team will be given a planet to explore and find out these essential questions:

1. Can we live on the planet with no additional material?

If not, what would we need to bring with us in order to survive on the planet/moon?

2. How far will we need to travel to reach your planet/moon?

3. What is the atmosphere like?

A. Is there an atmosphere on this planet/moon?
B. What chemicals make up the atmosphere?

C. Are there any interesting facts about the atmosphere?

4. What facts can you determine about the climate of the planet?

5. Are there any moons? What are the major ones called? What special features can you tell us about the moons?

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The Procedure:

Each student will research a planet in our Solar System and then create a PowerPoint Presentation (their own, not in a group) that will be presented to the class.

Each student will meet with other planet members to determine what will be needed at the new planet: How far will you travel?

What kind of conditions that you will face on your mission?

Are there any moons orbiting your planet?What are their names? These questions and many more will be answered by researching and meeting with your fellow astronauts.

This project will span approximately 4 weeks (meeting every other day).

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The Process:

1. Your Teacher will assign a planet to each student.

2. Students will research that planet, placing all their information in a packet (everyone must fill out a research packet). Please use the resources found in the webquest. The research packet will be passed out to each student. You will have three class days to find information on your planet. Time is of the essence - we will need to construct our spacecraft with the planet/moon's resources and conditions in mind. You need to make sure that you cite each source of information in your packet correctly (an example is given in the research packet). You will be graded on your packet for content information. See evaluation.

3. Students will then meet with other members researching their planet to discuss what materials will be needed for us to live there. You need to discuss some of the obstacles you will face and possible solutions. You will have two days to do this.

4. Each student will create a PowerPoint presentation. The teacher will instruct you how to create a PowerPoint presentation. This will take two days.

5. Students have to insert all their information from the packet into their PowerPoint Presentation.

6. Each day, students will learn something new to complete their presentation: Background schemes, Changing Fonts, Special effects and Transitions, Inserting clipart and web images, citing of information etc. This will take about 5-6 days.

7. Students will be graded on their technical areas of their presentation-see evaluation PowerPoint Mechanics.

8. Students will then present their PowerPoint slideshows to the class. In order to get an A in the presentation, students need to give the more information about your planet/moon than what is in the slideshow. It should take about 2 days to present all presentations.

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Resources:

The following websites are to be used to research your planet:

NASA
http://www.solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/index.cfm

NASA Planetary PhotoJournal
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html

Views of the Solar System
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/

BBC-Space
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/index.shtml

National Geographic- Solar System
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/solarsystem/ax/low.html?2d

National Air and Space Museum- Solar System
http://www.nasm.si.edu/ceps/etp/etp.htm

NASA Solar System Simulator- actual photos from spacecrafts
http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/

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Evaluation:

You will be graded in the following areas:

1. Your Research Packet will be graded on completeness and content information. You need to have three facts per slide and a Title. The credit slide needs to be properly filled out per the examples given. Also, you should provide information on the images you want to use in your slideshow.

2. You will be given a grade on PowerPoint Mechanics- all the technical information on how to create a PowerPoint slideshow. See PowerPoint Mechanics Rubric

3. You will be given a grade for your Presentation to the class. In order to get an "A", you need to give the class more information than what is on your slides. You can use a card or piece of paper to help with this information.

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Conclusion:

Congratulations - if you have done your research correctly, and have been able to make the right choices, our race has a good chance of surviving!

Standards:

This webquest addresses the following standards:

Massachusetts Instructional Technology Standards:

1.13

Save a file to the desktop, the hard drive, and external storage spaces (e.g., floppy disk, CD-ROM, virtual electronic space).

1.17

Identify and use editing and formatting features of a word processing program (e.g., centering, line spacing, margins, cut and paste, fonts, styles, spelling, page numbers).

1.18

Insert images (e.g., graphics, clip art, tables) from other files into word-processed document.

1.25

Identify and use navigation features of browser (e.g., "go," "back," "forward").

1.26

Using a browser, "bookmark" a Web site for future reference.

1.28

Copy an image from a Web site into a file on the desktop; write a correct citation caption in keeping with copyright law.

1.32

Create a slide presentation using appropriate applications.

2.14

Write correct citations for text and images gathered from electronic sources. Understand that use of materials is limited by the fair use rule of copyright law.

3.9

Communicate results of research and learning with others using the most appropriate tools (e.g., desktop-published or word-processed report, multimedia presentation).

Massachusetts Science Standards:

Earth & Space Science, The Earth in the solar system;

Standard 8:

Recognize that gravity is a force that pulls all things on and near the earth toward the center of the earth. Gravity plays a major role in the formation of the planets, stars, and solar system and in determining their motions.

Standard 10:

Compare and contrast properties and conditions of objects in the solar system (i.e., sun, planets, and moons) to those on Earth (i.e., gravitational force, distance from the sun, speed, movement, temperature, and atmospheric conditions).

Massachusetts English Language Arts Standards:

Language Strand, Standard 3: Oral Presentation

Students will make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and the information to be conveyed.

Composition Strand, Standard 22: Standard English Conventions

Students will use knowledge of standard English conventions in their writing, revising, and editing.

Composition Strand, Standard 23: Organizing Ideas in Writing

Students will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose.

Composition Strand, Standard 24: Research

Students will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of information they obtain, and use it to answer their own questions.

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Introduction	The Problem
Your Task	The Procedure
The Process	Resources
Evaluation	Conclusion & Standards

1.13	Save a file to the desktop, the hard drive, and external storage spaces (e.g., floppy disk, CD-ROM, virtual electronic space).
1.17	Identify and use editing and formatting features of a word processing program (e.g., centering, line spacing, margins, cut and paste, fonts, styles, spelling, page numbers).
1.18	Insert images (e.g., graphics, clip art, tables) from other files into word-processed document.
1.25	Identify and use navigation features of browser (e.g., "go," "back," "forward").
1.26	Using a browser, "bookmark" a Web site for future reference.
1.28	Copy an image from a Web site into a file on the desktop; write a correct citation caption in keeping with copyright law.
1.32	Create a slide presentation using appropriate applications.
2.14	Write correct citations for text and images gathered from electronic sources. Understand that use of materials is limited by the fair use rule of copyright law.
3.9	Communicate results of research and learning with others using the most appropriate tools (e.g., desktop-published or word-processed report, multimedia presentation).

Standard 8:	Recognize that gravity is a force that pulls all things on and near the earth toward the center of the earth. Gravity plays a major role in the formation of the planets, stars, and solar system and in determining their motions.
Standard 10:	Compare and contrast properties and conditions of objects in the solar system (i.e., sun, planets, and moons) to those on Earth (i.e., gravitational force, distance from the sun, speed, movement, temperature, and atmospheric conditions).

Language Strand, Standard 3: Oral Presentation	Students will make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and the information to be conveyed.
Composition Strand, Standard 22: Standard English Conventions	Students will use knowledge of standard English conventions in their writing, revising, and editing.
Composition Strand, Standard 23: Organizing Ideas in Writing	Students will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose.
Composition Strand, Standard 24: Research	Students will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of information they obtain, and use it to answer their own questions.