This unit deals with the sun and planets, as well as the stars and constellations. Human societies have placed a wide variety of meanings on the solar system and stars, observing and keeping records of them since ancient times. In this area, students learn the properties of the solar system and compare the relative sizes of the planets and their distances from the sun. They come to understand what a star is and that a grouping of stars is a constellation. Such activities help them to consider the meaning of space exploration and inspire curiosity and an inquiring spirit.

The grade 5 English science unit, The Solar System, meets the academic content standards set in the Korean curriculum, which state students should:

a) Study the planets that comprise the solar system and understand that the sun is the energy source of the Earth.

b) Compare the planets in terms of size and distance from the sun.

c) Understand the definitions of stars and constellations.

d) Understand why people explore space.

What do I need to do?

1. Decorate a film canister with origami paper so that it looks like a space rocket. Use tape to try and make it waterproof.

2. Fill 1/3 of the film canister with water.

3. Add 1/4 of an Alka-Seltzer tablet to the film canister. Quickly put on the lid and turn it upside down. Wait for it to launch. What happened?

Draw a picture of your space rocket launching.

What did I learn?

1. How was the launch of your rocket similar to a real space rocket?

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2. Why do people want to explore space?

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Things I need:

Film canister Alka-Seltzer tablet Water Origami paper Tape

What’s my target?

Humans are curious by nature. People will explore space because we want to learn new things. Learning new things can help make the world better. Zero gravity allows many experiments not possible on Earth to be done. It could help us find a cure for many illnesses.

Astronauts use a space rocket that propels itself into orbit by burning fuel. This process creates a lot of hot gases that expand and explode out of the nozzles at the bottom of the rocket.

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What do I need to do?

1. Drop a small marble onto the surface of a bowl filled with fish tank sand.

2. Throw a marble at the surface of the sand.

3. Throw a small handful of marbles at the surface of the sand.

What happened?

Draw pictures showing the craters that were made at each step.

What did I learn?

1. How were Mercury’s craters made?

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2. What are two interesting facts about Mercury?

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Things I need:

Fish tank sand Bowl Small marbles

What’s my target?

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It is also the smallest planet known. It is three times smaller than Earth. It takes Mercury 88 Earth days to travel around the sun.

There is hardly any atmosphere on Mercury. The days are extremely hot (427 degrees Celsius). The nights are very cold (-183 degrees Celsius).

Mercury has many craters. The deepest ones have ice in them. The largest crater, The Caloris Basin, is 1,300 km wide.

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What do I need to do?

1. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 2 teaspoons of dishwashing liquid and a squirt of red food coloring into an empty pet bottle.

2. Put the pet bottle into a bucket.

3. Add 60 mL of vinegar. Stand back and observe.

What happened?

Draw a picture showing what happened.

What did I learn?

1. What makes Venus so hot?

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2. What are two interesting facts about Venus?

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Things I need:

Empty pet bottle Baking soda Dishwashing liquid 60 mL vinegar Red food coloring Tbsp. /Tsp Measuring cylinder Bucket

What’s my target?

Venus is about the same size as Earth. It travels around the sun in 225 Earth days. Its day is longer than its year and it spins in the opposite direction to most other planets.

Its atmosphere is full of carbon dioxide gas which helps to keep the heat in. Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system, as it can get to 500 degrees Celsius. Its clouds are also full of acids.

Venus has many volcanoes. They are not erupting at the moment, but they could start at any time.

The bubbles created in this chemical reaction are carbon dioxide gas. This is the gas on Venus that helps to keep it so hot.

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What do I need to do?

1. Brainstorm ideas of what humans would need to survive on Mars.

2. Begin to make a Lego land with things that humans would need to live.

3. Present your terraformed Mars to the class. Explain what you made and why you made it.

What happened?

Sketch your terraformed Mars.

What did I learn?

1. What would humans need to live on Mars?

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2. Why do you think people would want to live on Mars?

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Things I need:

Whiteboard Marker Lego

What’s my target?

There is no liquid on Mars because it is too cold. There is no oxygen and there are strong winds that carry the red dust. There is no ozone to protect life from radiation.

In theory, Mars can be changed so that humans can live there. This task is called terraforming. One of the most important early steps would be to unfreeze the carbon dioxide. Then, many centuries would need to pass before the temperature and pressure reached a point where life could survive.

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What do I need to do?

1. Attach one wire to one side of the 9V battery and the other side to a sharpened pencil. Attach a different wire to the other side of the battery and the lead of another sharpened pencil.

2. Fill the jar with water and add a few teaspoons of salt.

3. Insert the lead pencils into the water and observe what happens.

What happened?

Draw a picture showing what happened.

What did I learn?

1. What is the atmosphere made of on Jupiter?

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2. What are two interesting facts about Jupiter?

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Things I need:

2 lead pencils Jar 9V battery 2 wires Salt Water

What’s my target?

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It is 1,321 times bigger than Earth. It takes 11.8 Earth years for Jupiter to travel around the sun.

The atmosphere of Jupiter is made up mostly of hydrogen and some helium. It also has the largest storm in the solar system. This is called the Great Red Spot.

Jupiter spins so fast that it bulges in the middles. Its day is less than 10 Earth hours.

Hydrogen gas is given off from the pencil connected to the wire attached to the negative terminal.

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What do I need to do?

1. Rip up paper into smaller pieces and throw them into a blender. Add some water and mix it up. Pour the mixture into a paper making frame. Make sure the paper is evenly spread.

2. Take the paper out. Use a sponge to try and make the paper dry more quickly.

3. Write a postcard to a friend on the paper you made. Write about all the things you would see or experience on Saturn.

What happened?

Write your postcard draft below.

What did I learn?

1. Why can’t we see Saturn’s rings every 15 years?

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2. What are two interesting facts about Saturn?

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Things I need:

Origami paper Paper making kit Bucket Sponge Water

What’s my target?

Saturn is 764 times bigger than Earth. It takes 29.5 Earth years to travel around the sun. The gravity is only 1.16 that of Earth. This is because Saturn is mostly made up of weak gases. If you could make a bath big enough, it would float on top of the water. It is a very light planet.

Saturn is most famous for its rings. They are 270,000 km wide, but only 30 m thick. There are thousands of rings made up of ice and rocks.

Every 15 years, the rings of Saturn cannot be seen. This is when the rings are level like in the activity above. They are too thin and too far away.

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What do I need to do?

1. Mix 100g of salt, 100g of flour and 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar in a bowl.

2. Mix in 100mL of water and add a few drops of blue food coloring.

3. Put the mixture on a hotplate and stir until it turns into a thick dough. Allow it to cool, and then shape it into a sphere.

What happened?

Draw a picture showing what your playdough sphere looked like. Add arrows to show the direction Uranus spins.

What did I learn?

1. Why does Uranus look greenish?

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2. What are two interesting facts about Uranus?

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Things I need:

Flour Salt Cream of tartar Water Blue food coloring Teaspoon Bowl Hotplate Wooden spoon Saucepan

What’s my target?

Uranus is 63 times larger than Earth. It takes 84 Earth years to travel around the sun. It spins on its side, head over heels

The atmosphere of Uranus is made up of hydrogen and some helium. The reason it looks greenish is due to the methane gas clouds.

Uranus also has rings, but they are only 1.6 km thick and made of black rocks. This makes them a little difficult to see.

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What do I need to do?

1. Set all the values on the exercise bike to 0 and put it on the distance function.

2. Decide in your groups who will ride between what planets. Use the following chart to help make your decisions. The goal is race against other groups to get to Neptune the fastest in this scaled event. Time your group. What happened?

Complete the chart with your group’s times to reach the following planets.

Planet Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Time

What did I learn?

1. How far is Neptune away from the sun?

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2. What are two interesting facts about Neptune?

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Things I need:

Exercise bike Stopwatch

What’s my target?

Neptune is 58 times larger than Earth. It takes 165 Earth years to travel around the sun. Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. It is about 4,486,000,000 km from the sun.

The atmosphere of Neptune is mostly hydrogen and some helium. It also contains a small amount of methane,

Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar system. They travel at 2,000 km/h. There is a storm the size of Earth on Neptune, which is called the Great Dark Spot.

Distances from the Sun

Planet Distance (million km)

Scaled Distance (m)

Mercury 58 40 Venus 108 70 Earth 150 100 Mars 228 150

Jupiter 778 520 Saturn 1,427 950 Uranus 2,870 1,920

Neptune 4,486 3,010

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What do I need to do?

2. Place 30 sheets of toilet paper in a straight line on the ground.

3. Use the chart AU chart to help you glue the planets in the correct place. Each piece of toilet paper is equal to 1 AU.

What happened?

Draw a picture of your AU creation.

What did I learn?

1. Why do astronomers use AU?

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Things I need:

Colored pencils Toilet paper Glue

What’s my target?

Astronomers have learnt many things about other planets. They have learnt about the size of the planets, their distances from the Sun, how many moons they have, their atmospheres and the weather they experience.

Astronomers use Astronomical Units (AU) to show the distances. This is because using kilometers creates very long numbers. They based it on the distance Earth is from the Sun and then compared all other planets using this. Earth is 149,597,870.7 km from the Sun, or 1 AU.

Planet AU Mercury 0.4 Venus 0.7 Earth 1.0 Mars 1.5 Jupiter 5.0 Saturn 10.0 Uranus 19.0 Neptune 30.0

1. Trace the planets below on some paper. Color the planets and cut them out. Choose your group’s best colored planets to use.

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What do I need to do?

1. Break 7 spaghetti pieces into the following lengths: 2.5cm, 7.5cm, 8.75cm, 12.5cm, 15cm, 22.5cm and 25cm.

2. Put a small marshmallow on the end of each spaghetti piece. The chart shows which star each marshmallow shows.

3. Use the image to help you put the stars in the correct position on the Styrofoam board.

What happened?

Draw a picture of your Orion as seen from the side view.

What did I learn?

1. Why is this group of stars called Orion?

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2. Why do you think the spaghetti pieces were different lengths?

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3. Can you name some other constellations?

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Things I need:

Marshmallows Spaghetti Styrofoam board

Star Spaghetti Length

Saiph 2.5 Alnilam 7.5 Alnitak 8.75 Mintaka 12.5 Rigel 15.0 Bellatrix 22.5 Betelgeuse 25.0

What’s my target?

A star is a ball of extremely hot gas. Many nuclear reactions happen at the core of the star and this produces heat and light.

A long time ago, people noticed that some stars made a pattern in the sky. They gave names to these patterns. They were based on animals, people and mythical beasts. There are now 88 constellations. One of these is Orion. People thought that seven stars made the shape of this great huntsman from Greek mythology.

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