United States
Meet the Planets Mini-Lesson
Objective: Students will learn there are eight planets in Earth's solar system.
Suggested Time: 15 minutes
Reading Level: Upper Elementary
Teacher Background
The solar system is the group of planets, moons, and space debris orbiting around our Sun. It is held together by the gravitational pull of the Sun, which is nearly MORE
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Print or Project
- A Visual Overview: Show the slideshow of photos to your class. Each has a descriptive caption and kid-friendly copy for your students to read. (Please note that there is also more extensive teacher note copy just for you.)
- Creative Caption Review: Once you’ve been through the slideshow for an overview, go back through it again. This time ask students to explain why the captions do (or do not!) work. (Example: Do you think the caption "Earth—Home Sweet Home" is a good one? Why or why not?)
Click the thumbnail slides below to see the captions and kid-friendly copy up close.
- Continue the Conversation: Invite students to share their ideas about whether they think life exists on any other planets. Remind them that scientists continue to discover an average of about 25 "new" planets each year outside of our own solar system.
- Write about it: Ask students to write a paragraph about Earth that would describe the planet to someone who had never been here.
Extension Activities
Reinforcements: These worksheets will be useful as you further develop your teaching unit. The Word Power worksheet will give your students vocabulary practice with key terms from this mini-lesson and the related activity will help reinforce key concepts on astronomy.
 | Meet the Planets Word Power |  | How to Tell a Star from a Planet |
Excerpted from:
Eyewitness: Astronomy
This book provides an in-depth, comprehensive look at astronomy with a unique integration of words and pictures.
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