Science at key stage 3 (Year 7)
Unit 7L: The solar system and beyond
Section 11: c. What does the solar system consist of?
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Objectives |
| Children should learn: |
- that within our solar system only Earth is known to support any life forms
- to evaluate the strength of the evidence
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Ask pupils to consider the evidence collected about the solar system in the previous activities and to use it to support a discussion about the possibility of life existing on other planets. If necessary prompt with questions,
eg
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What conditions are necessary for life forms to survive?
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Do any planets have these conditions?
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What evidence would we look for in searching for life?
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What is so special about Earth that it supports life?
- Help pupils to record the main points from the discussion and to evaluate how good their evidence is.
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- state that within our solar system only Earth is known to support any life forms
- describe the conditions necessary for life in the solar system
- describe how strongly their evidence supports or does not support the idea of life elsewhere in the solar system
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Points to note |
- Pupils could visit a website of an organisation that is searching for extraterrestrial intelligence,
eg SETI, which includes an interactive game
(www.seti.org/game/)
- In unit 7C 'Environment and feeding relationships' pupils consider how organisms are adapted to their environment.
- Work carried out in this section could form the basis of a classroom display or presentation.
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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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