Fun & Engaging

This is a great engagement activity, although has to be done in a smaller group to keep focus and attention where you aim for it to be. Incorporates math skill and scaling of models to get a... See More

This is a great engagement activity, although has to be done in a smaller group to keep focus and attention where you aim for it to be. Incorporates math skill and scaling of models to get a glance at the planet spacing. The article also includes some extended activities if desired.

Discovering Distances in Space

As the author says: "We feel that having the students experience or explore the model solar system helps to internalize the relative magnitudes involved, whereas the calculate-the-scale... See More

As the author says: "We feel that having the students experience or explore the model solar system helps to internalize the relative magnitudes involved, whereas the calculate-the-scaledistance approach helps them appreciate the mathematics involved." I have tried the mathematics way of doing this, but I feel that this author is right that students internalize more by exploring the model. Very few materials are needed and the directions are very clear.

Tried and True: Solar System in the Hallway

I really enjoyed the fact that this is a hands-on activity that uses very few resources. I also enjoyed the fact that in AU, a real scientific unit that people in astronomy would really use ... See More

I really enjoyed the fact that this is a hands-on activity that uses very few resources. I also enjoyed the fact that in AU, a real scientific unit that people in astronomy would really use - the students could use it with confidence that it was actually applicable. I also really enjoyed the fact that relative size of the planet is taught as part of the activity. The pre- and post-activity questions also allow for some good reflection, and any students that work faster than the rest of the class could also be equally entertained with the activities under the "Possible extensions" section.

Good activity for students to Visualize

This activity is geared towards middle school students but I do not think that it would be out of line to try it with some upper elementary classes. It is also nice because the same general... See More

This activity is geared towards middle school students but I do not think that it would be out of line to try it with some upper elementary classes. It is also nice because the same general idea could be used for younger students. Does not require a lot of resources but students gain a lot of information.

An easy, effective activity

This activity is designed to give students a better understanding of the relative distances between planets throughout the solar system. It is designed for middle school, but could be done b... See More

This activity is designed to give students a better understanding of the relative distances between planets throughout the solar system. It is designed for middle school, but could be done by upper elementary as is or easily adapted for younger grades. Another benefit of the activity is its simplicity. Not much more than a long hallway or open space, pictures/markers for the planets, and stop watches is needed.

Visualizing the size of our Solar System

This article introduces practical ideas to help students grasp the size of our solar system. This activity helps students visualize the distance between planets by engaging in a hands-on ac... See More

This article introduces practical ideas to help students grasp the size of our solar system. This activity helps students visualize the distance between planets by engaging in a hands-on activity that enables them to experience the distance between the plants in a practical, scaled model. This is an excellent activity to engage students while they learn about the scale and size of our solar system.

Tried and True: Solar System in the Hallway

The abundance of background information on the misconceptions of the size of our solar system and the included lesson plan that is written with clear directions can be very beneficial to an ... See More

The abundance of background information on the misconceptions of the size of our solar system and the included lesson plan that is written with clear directions can be very beneficial to an Astronomy classroom. This resource helps the teacher understand that there are many misconceptions around-adults and students alike. With the teacher’s clear knowledge of any misconceptions, the lesson may go smoother with a result in fewer misconceptions around the world. The lesson plan is explained in depth to the teacher in the article surrounding it. This is very beneficial to the teacher as well because it helps guide the lesson and keep the students inquiring about other ideas. I feel that all of the information included in this article, the teacher will be better fit to teach this lesson plan to a classroom filled with students as well as keep inquiry alive in the classroom.

Great resource

This is a great activity to do with your class. Students will really enjoy being able engaged with the lesson. I have not done this exact activity, but I did participate in one that was very... See More

This is a great activity to do with your class. Students will really enjoy being able engaged with the lesson. I have not done this exact activity, but I did participate in one that was very similar. The interactive aspects really help the concepts stick in your memory. Scale models are important to demonstrate what we can’t really conceive without them. It is also helpful that the lesson includes pre- and post-activity questions. While these questions can certainly help teachers prepare and assess, they should definitely be adapted to meet the class’s specific needs.

Great Planet Distance Activity

This is a great activity to illustrate the distances between planets and their distance from the sun.

Fun Activity With Models, Easy to Manipulate

I think this activity would be eye opening for students. However, I think setting up the model ahead of time, may take away from the students awe at the distance between the sun and its surr... See More

I think this activity would be eye opening for students. However, I think setting up the model ahead of time, may take away from the students awe at the distance between the sun and its surrounding planets! While setting up a scale, might focus on mathematics, I believe its important to garner and understanding that math and science go hand in hand. A happy medium here, would be to set up the scaled model as a group. Lead the students to the hallway and hang The Sun poster, then guide them through setting up the model by telling them what each tile represents. Ask students to provide the rest of the information - the distance between each planet and gather feedback and observations as set up continues. Then, set the students free, requiring certain observations to be reported. Easily differentiated as well - different groups can be responsible for a different tier of observations.

Hallway Solar System

This is a great article for teachers to gain ideas about how to make the solar system relative to their students understanding. The solar system isn't a place where the students can take a f... See More

This is a great article for teachers to gain ideas about how to make the solar system relative to their students understanding. The solar system isn't a place where the students can take a field trip to. This article will help teachers to bring the solar system to the classroom while keeping the proportions relatively the same. This article used tiles in the hallway. In my methods course, we did this same type of activity but with toilet paper. We had to do the math to determine how many squares needed to be between the planets. Once we finished, we set up our model in the hallway and completed a solar system walk. It was interesting because it showed how far apart the planets were. As a class we stopped at each planet and discussed a few facts about each one.

Great intro for MS / great review for HS!

I like that this activity (designed for middle school kids) does not have them making the calculations on their own. I would provide that information to them (how the calculations were made... See More

I like that this activity (designed for middle school kids) does not have them making the calculations on their own. I would provide that information to them (how the calculations were made) but middle school students often get very intimidated by large numbers - completely distracting them from the objective which is to just have an appreciation for the scale of our solar system. For high school students, they would probably have little difficulty working with the numbers, but might not need to bother if they only needed to remember the scales involved. Great activity!

A Twist on an Old Activity

This article describes a takeoff of a toilet paper solar system in the school hallway. Instead of sheets of toilet paper, the students use tiles on the floor. They extension questions pose... See More

This article describes a takeoff of a toilet paper solar system in the school hallway. Instead of sheets of toilet paper, the students use tiles on the floor. They extension questions posed in this activity are good. It is a good math/science activity but not really new.