Science at key stage 3 (Year 7)
Unit 7L: The solar system and beyond
Section 10: b. What does the solar system consist of?
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Objectives |
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- how to find out about the relative sizes of the Sun, Earth, Moon and other planets and the relative distances of the planets from the Sun
- to frame a question that can be investigated
- to search for patterns from ICT data
- to draw conclusions from data, evaluating the strength of the evidence
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Present pupils with information about the planets in the solar system, in the form of a spreadsheet. Show pupils how to sort the information,
eg mass, diameter, distance from Sun, number of moons, length of year, length of planetary day, on the spreadsheet and how to use the applications to sort data and draw graphs. Ask them to draw conclusions from their graphs and explain to other pupils how strong they think the evidence is for these conclusions.
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- frame a relevant question about which data from secondary sources can be collected
- present data on comparisons between characteristics of planets in a suitable way,
eg table, chart or graph
- present evidence of relationships in data on aspects of planets
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Points to note |
- To help pupils analyse the data, pre-prepare the spreadsheet in advance or allow pupils to enter data which they have collected about a planet.
- Care is needed in choosing scales. Models showing relative diameters and distances are usually made separately, because of scaling problems.
- Extension: pupils could use these applications to search for patterns within the planetary information, using the graphing function,
eg Is distance from the Sun related to planetary year length? To mass? Is mass related to diameter? Other pupils could use the data to make scale models or drawings.
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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
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