Welcome young astronomers! Over the next eight weeks, you will explore the wonders of our universe! In these learning modules, you will learn about galaxies, our solar system, facts about planets, movement, navigation, seasons, and universal discoveries. At the end of the unit, you will apply what you learned in the modules by creating both a 3D model of a planet of your own creation and a presentation describing its characteristics.

By the end of the unit, you will be able to:

• Know various facts about galaxies and planets
• Understand how the Earth moves and determined time and seasons
• Be able to demonstrate your understanding by designing a planet based on the information you learn throughout the modules.

Each week you will go through a module and learn fun facts about the universe. Then, you will apply what you discovered by participating in three specific activities in each module. Each module will also include an enrichment opportunity to help take your knowledge further. (The enrichment is not a required submission for the module.)

1. Demonstrate What You Know: Within each module, you will click a link that will lead you to an activity to demonstrate what you learned from the module. 
2. Create an Update: In each module, you will create an update based on a prompt and make connections with your new understanding of the information.
3. My Planet Entry Log: In each module, you will have the opportunity to create a "planet." Each module will have a space for you to both describe the features of your "planet" (in presentation slides) and allow you to "draw" a sketch of what your "planet" will look like.

An additional "Enrichment" option will be included in each module. These are not required submissions. However, they are fun opportunities to help you deepen your creativity and learning.

In the last module, you will gather all the information you learned and create your final project.

Your final project will consist of:

1. Three-dimensional Planet Model: You will use your drawings from your Planet Entry Log and create a "planet" made from recycled materials. You will present your model in a Flipgrid video for your classmates.
2. Google Slides Presentation: Along with your three-dimensional "planet" model, you will create a video-recorded presentation (using the slides you build throughout the modules) explaining the unique characteristics of your "planet".

A rubric will be provided, and your work will be peer-reviewed by your classmates. You will be given time to revise your sketches and google slides before your final submission. There will then be a community link that will display all published Flipgrid videos of the 3D model of your "planet" and recorded presentations.

Before you begin, first click this link, and tell me some facts you know about the universe. We will use this information to measure how much you learn throughout the modules.

Isn't it amazing to look up at the sky on a clear night and see stars? Do you ever wonder what is up there beyond what we see in the sky?

Many people get confused understanding the difference between galaxies, constellations, our Solar System, and the Universe. In this module, we will learn about these differences.

What is the Universe?

The universe comprises all space, matter, planets, stars, and galaxies. It is continually expanding, and even our most advanced telescopes can only see a portion of it. Within our universe are galaxies. Galaxies are a cluster of materials such as stars, dust, asteroids, planets, gas, and dark matter. A central force holds it together, and billions of galaxies exist within our universe.

Let's learn more about galaxies in the video below:

[Let's Explore Space], (2021).

Did you know that the word "galaxy" is from the Greek word "galaxias," which means milk? Can you think of a reason why they call it that?

Now that you learned about galaxies, let's take some time to learn more about our galaxy, called the Milky Way.

The Milky Way is where you will find our sun and solar system. You will learn more about our solar system in the next module, but for now, take a moment to learn more fun facts about the Milky Way.

[Free School], (2015, December 11)

Now let us learn about constellations. Constellations are a group of stars that form a picture. They tell ancient stories of the past and are also used as a map. When you know a constellation, you can figure out where you are if you get lost.

Watch this video on constellations.

[SciShow Kids], (2015, April 30).

Now that you have learned some facts about galaxies, the Milky Way, and constellations, apply what you learned using today's assignment.

1. Demonstrate What You Know: Click here for Module 2 Assignment. Find examples of galaxies and label them.
2. Create and Update: Now that you learned facts about galaxies and the universe, create an update pretending you are an astronomer (a scientist who studies space). Explain one way how scientists think galaxies are formed. Then comment on at least two classmates' updates and write what you learned from them. Write a minimum of four sentences. Be sure to use complete sentences.
3. Planet Entry Log: Now that you learned about galaxies and our universe, click on the link to sketch a drawing of your galaxy and constellation. 

(If you would rather print the google page and design your planet on paper, upload your assignments, follow the instructions in the video, and submit your work this way.

Enrichment: (optional)

Shooting Stars: Did you know that shooting stars are not stars but meteors (rock or dust) that fall and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere? If the particles do not completely burn up and land on earth, it is called a meteorite. Click on this link to learn more.

In the last module, you learned that the universe is space and everything in it. You also learned about the billions of galaxies within the universe that exist. You learned that one of the galaxies, our galaxy, is called the Milky Way. The Milky Way is also made up of many clumps of stars. A star surrounded by objects that orbit around it is called a solar system. The solar system in which we live is made up of eight planets that orbit the sun, our star.

Throughout the rest of the modules, you will learn more details about the sun, the planets, and the moon. These details are included to assist you in learning and provide information that will help you when you design your "planet." Each module will contain general information and introduce you to two orbiting objects (or planets). But before we do that, let's learn about our solar system.

[National Geographic], (2017, August 30).

The eight planets in our solar system are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Click here for a fun and easy way to remember the order of the planets. Click here for a fun and easy way to remember the order of the planets. Another easy way is to repeat this mnemonic: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos.

Now, let's separate our planets into two categories: inner and outer planets. The inner planets are the four planets that are closest to the sun. They also have solid surfaces or are made of rock. These planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer planets are the last four planets. They are farthest from the sun and are not made of rock but mostly of gases. These planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Each of these planets orbit around the sun within its gravitational pull. Learn fun facts about the first two planets closest to the sun.

Did you know Mercury is our solar system's smallest planet? Let's learn more about Mercury:

[Free School], (2015a, April 20).

Name two facts you learned about Mercury that you did not know before. Click here to respond. 

One interesting fact about Venus is that its rotation is opposite that of the other planets in our solar system. Here are more facts about Venus to learn.

[Free School], (2015b, May 4).

Name two facts you learned about Venus that you did not know before. Click here to respond. 

1. Demonstrate What You Know: Click here for Module 3 Assignment.  Answer the multiple choice form.
2. Create and Update: Now that you learned about the solar system and the planets Mercury and Venus, use one fact you did not know before and teach it to your online classmates. Be sure to define what it means and why it is significant. Then comment on at least two classmates' updates and write what you learned from them. Write a minimum of four sentences. Be sure to use complete sentences.
3. Planet Entry Log: Create a google slide introducing your planet. Provide the name and galaxy it belongs to and describe its solar system. Then add these details to your sketch.

(If you would rather continue to sketch on paper, upload your assignment by following the instructions in the video, and submit your work this way.

Enrichment: (optional)

Do you want to have a bit of nutritious fun? Consider creating a food scale of the solar system using foods that are scaled to the size of planets. For the sun, use a watermelon; Mercury – peppercorn; Venus – grape; Earth – grape; Mars – blueberry; Jupiter – honeydew melon; Saturn – cantaloupe; Uranus – lemon, Neptune – lime). It would be fun and delicious!

In the last module, you learned about our solar system and the inner and outer planets. In this module, you will learn facts about the most familiar planet: Earth.

Can you imagine a time without calendars? What would you do if you could not tell the time or month you were in? Would it be impossible? Not exactly. You would still have a sense of time by looking up at the sky.

Believe it or not, Earth is in constant motion even though you cannot feel it. It spins like a spinning top. This spinning motion is called rotation. Earth rotates on its axis, an imaginary line that goes through the North and South Poles. This axis is also not a vertical line but is slightly tilted. It takes 24 hours for the earth to rotate on its axis, creating one day. Simultaneously, the earth revolves around the sun within its orbit. One revolution around the sun takes 365 ¼ days (or one year). Because the earth needs an extra ¼ of a day every four years, scientists make up for the day by adding the fractions making a full day, creating a leap year, or 366 days.

Let's learn other fun facts about Earth.

[Free School], (2015c, June 16).

Name two facts you learned about Earth that you did not know before. Click here to respond. 

The distance of the earth's revolution around the sun also determines the seasons. The countries that are tilted towards the sun have a summer season. The countries facing away from the sun have a winter season. Those countries that between these seasons experience either Fall or Spring.

Watch this fun video for a deeper dive that explains rotation, revolution, and the seasons.

([Crash Course Kids], 2015).

Now, let us learn more about the planets in our solar system.

Did you know that Mars is called the "Red Planet" because its surface is rich with iron which gives it its rusty color? Let's learn more fun facts about Mars.

[Free School], (2015d, August 24).

Name two facts you learned about Mars that you did not know before. Click here to respond. 

1. Demonstrate What You Know: Click here for Module 4 Assignment. (Provide a detailed explanation of how we can have seasons.
2. Create and Update: Based on what you learned, create an update that explains how we have day and night. Be sure to use details and explain their significance. Then comment on at least two classmates' updates and write what you learned from them. Write a minimum of four sentences. Be sure to use complete sentences.
3. Planet Entry Log: Add a new google slide to your presentation describing the rotation and revolution of your planet. Do you have seasons? Then add these details to your sketch.

(If you would rather continue to sketch on paper, upload your assignment by following the instructions in the video and submit your work this way.

Enrichment: (optional)

Do you want to use your hands to explore Earth's orbit further? Discover firsthand how the earth determines day and night and the seasons. All you need is a flashlight, a globe, a small sticker, and a piece of cardboard with a small hole in the center. Place the sticker to mark the spot where you live. Make the flashlight stationary and shine it through the hole. Darken the room for this activity. Rotate the globe in the positions you learned in this module for summer and winter. Notice how the light disperses when it is winter. Therefore, it is colder than the hotter summer temperature, where the light is more focused.

Seasonal Tides of Solar Heating | METEO 3: Introductory Meteorology. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://www.e-education.psu.edu/meteo3/l3_p2.html

In the last module, you learned how the calendar was created by understanding how the Earth moves and gives us time, days, and seasons. In this module, you will learn about how we navigate on planet Earth.

Can you imagine being lost and not knowing where to go to get to your destination? It would feel lonely and quite scary. But technology has come a long way. Today, satellites all around the earth will help you pinpoint where you are on Earth by using a GPS, or a Global Positioning System.

Let's take a moment to learn about how the GPS system works:

[NASA Space Place], (2014, March 12).

But how did people navigate a long time ago? There was no modern technology, so how did they do it? One way people used to navigate is by using a sextant.

Take a look at how sextants work.

[Daniel Izzo], (2008, July 26).

Anupoju, S. (2019, June 1). Sextant – Principle, Types, and Uses. The Constructor. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://theconstructor.org/surveying/sextant-types-uses/33990/

If you want to learn more about how a sextant is used, click here. 

One familiar tool that helped with navigation that people before modern technology used was a compass. A compass is a tool that always points North. Therefore, knowing where North is is easier to navigate and get to where you need to go.

Brain, M. (2022, August 24). How Compasses Work. HowStuffWorks. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/hiking/compass.htm

Click this link to learn more about how a compass works. 

Now let us learn about two more planets in our solar system.

Jupiter is the first of the outer planets in our solar system. It is the largest and is covered in pink, white, and orange clouds. If you look closer, you will see the "Great Red Spot," a large storm bigger than two Earths. Let's learn more about this enormous planet.

[Free School], (2015e, October 23).

Check your learning. Name two facts you learned about Jupiter that you did not know before. Click here to respond. 

Let's learn about Saturn. Saturn is easy to identify because it has very recognizable rings around it. Saturn is also the least dense (or lightest planet). Watch the video to learn more facts about it.

[Free School], (2015f, November 24).

Name two facts you learned about Saturn that you did not know before. Click here to respond.

1. Demonstrate What You Know: Click here for Module 5 Assignment. Complete the multiple choice form.
2. Create and Update: Based on what you learned, create an update explaining how you would use a sextant or a compass if lost at sea or in a forest. Be sure to use details and explain how it works. Then comment on at least two classmates' updates and write what you learned from them. Write a minimum of four sentences. Be sure to use complete sentences.
3. Planet Entry Log: Add a new google slide to your presentation describing the weather on your planet. Does your planet have rings? Then add these details to your sketch.

(If you would rather continue to sketch on paper, be sure to upload your assignment by following the instructions in the video and submit your work this way.

Enrichment: (optional)

Do you want to use your hands to further explore additional ways people used to navigate years ago? Explore the use of an astrolabe. Click here for a short video and a link to learn more about it. Then write how you would use it if you were lost. 

In the last module, you learned about some interesting navigational tools that can be used to help you when you are lost. Isn't it amazing that space and the stars help us find our way on Earth? In this module, you will learn a little about how we got here in our journey to learn about the universe.

Years ago, scientists used to believe that the sun revolved around the earth. It wasn't until roughly 1610 that Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) looked through his spyglass at Jupiter and noticed four moons that orbited around it. These were the beginning steps of scientists learning that planets do not revolve around Earth but around the sun. Let's learn more about the "Father of Modern Science" by watching a quick biography about his work.

[Biography], (2013, July 8).

Now let's fast forward to the twentieth century. In 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, more popularly known as NASA, began to explore space flight. Many scientists, engineers, and mathematicians worked together, and on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard was the first American, second person, in space. Then on February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first person to orbit Earth. NASA's following vision was to put someone on the moon, and on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon piloted by Michael Collins in Apollo 11 spacecraft.

Let's learn some fun facts about Apollo 11.

[SciShow Space], (2016, July 20).

One of the Apollo 11 missions was to bring back samples of rock and soil from the moon. Some of these rocks were found to have minerals similar to Earth's. Fun fact: scientists named one of the rocks after the three astronauts. It is called armalcolite.

Armalcolite Apollo 11 Astronaut Named Mineral. (n.d.). Sciencemall-usa.com. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://sciencemall-usa.com/armalcolite-apollo-11-astronaut-named-mineral/

Now let's learn about the last two planets in our solar system.

Uranus is a unique planet and does not follow the rules that appear to exist with the other planets. Did you know that Uranus rotates "tilted" on its axis? Unlike Earth's axis that points North and South, one end of Uranus's axis always points toward the sun, and the other end points away from the sun. This is what gives Uranus its sideways rotation appearance.

Let's learn more about the 7th planet in our solar system.

[Free School], (2016, January 27).

Name two facts you learned about Uranus that you did not know before. Click here to respond. 

Let's learn some fun facts about the last planet in our solar system. Commonly known as the "Blue planet," Neptune is the farthest planet in our solar system. It gets its blue color from one of the gases it produces in its atmosphere. It also takes about 165 years to orbit the sun at just one time.

Watch the video for more facts about Neptune.

[Free School], (2016b, March 8).

Name two facts you learned about Neptune that you did not know before. Click here to respond. 

1. Demonstrate What You Know: Click here for Module 6 Assignment. Create a Venn diagram comparing Uranus and Neptune based on the information you learned in the videos.
2. Create and Update: Based on what you learned, create an update explaining where you would want to visit in space and why. Be sure to use details and explain your thoughts and rationale. Then comment on at least two classmates' updates and write what you learned from them. Write a minimum of four sentences. Be sure to use complete sentences.
3. Planet Entry Log: Add a new google slide to your presentation describing your planet's last features and characteristics. Then add these details to your sketch.

(If you would rather continue to sketch on paper, upload your assignment by following the instructions in the video, and submit your work this way.

Enrichment: (optional)

Have you ever wondered why it is easy to see the stars at night but not during daylight? Earth has an atmosphere; thus, during daylight hours, the atmosphere distributes and scatters light from the sun. This is what makes the sky appear to be blue. Because the sun is so bright, you cannot see the stars. However, if you were on the moon, where light does not scatter, you could see the stars at any time of the day. Try this demonstration. All you need are a piece of white and black construction paper, a pin, and a window. Puncture holes within both pieces of paper with the pin. Hold each paper up to the window. Now see which paper makes the light that shines through the holes more visual. Can you explain what is happening?

You have learned lots of facts about the exploration of the universe. You have learned about galaxies, our solar system, the planets, time and seasons, navigation, and important history.

Throughout this unit, you also had the chance to design your planet using the characteristics of other known planets.

1. This module is a time for your to collaborate with other online peer-reviewers. Your job is to view their work and provide encouragement and ways they can make their presentations better. Use and complete this rubric when giving feedback to your peers.

You will also create a three-dimensional model of your planet. Use recycled materials or any materials that are safe and easy to use. Then, use the Flipgrid link to video record yourself presenting your designer planet to your classmates. View at least two other students' videos and provide one encouragement and feedback that would add value to their work. Click here for the link. 

After you receive your peers' reviews and upload and respond to the Flipgrid videos, take the rest of the time you have to edit your google slides presentation and your designer model. You will make your final submissions in the last module.

Congratulations! You made it to the end of the modules. You now have the foundational knowledge of an astronomer.

Help make these learning modules better by completing this post-survey. Click here to share your experience by completing the 3-2-1 sheet.

• Talk about 3 things you learned about space
• 2 things you still want to learn about space
• 1 thing you still have a question about.

Submit your final google slides presentation to be posted to the community.

Submit your final video of your designer planet to be posted to the community.

Let's celebrate!

[KLT], (2015, March 9).

You are out of this world!