Size-Distance Scale for the Sun, Earth, and Stars

The Space Science Institute offers fun kinesthetic Astronomy lesson plans targeted for 6th-8th graders.  The lessons are designed to support a constructivist, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning that is aligned with standards for science education. 

I couldn't think of a better way to put the size-distance scale for the Sun, Earth, and Stars into prospective, than with this engaging activity!

The Proper Size-Distance Scale for the Sun, Earth, and Stars

1. Gather students outside, or a space at least 50 feet long.  Use an object the size of a large grapefruit to represent the size of the Sun.  Ask students to use their hands to predict how big Earth would be compared to the grapefruit on this 1:10 billion scale.

2.  When students have established their predictions, tell them on this scale Earth would only be as bis as the tip of a ballpoint pen (the Sun has a diameter 100 times that of Earth).  Next, ask students to  predict where Earth would be located in the model by walking away from the grapefruit sun to the location.

3.  When students have arrived at their predicted locations, pace out the 15 meters (50 ft.) to where Earth belongs.  Gather the class around you and explain that in the scale model, Earth would be 15 meters away (the actual distance is 150 million km).  Also, tell them Pluto (the retired planet) would be 0.5 mile away.

4.  Ask: What is the next closest star to our Sun?(Alpha Centauri)  
Explain: A light year is a unit of distance.  It is the distance light can travel in a year.  Light moves at a velocity of about 30,000 kilometers (km) each second.  In one year, light can travel 10 trillion km.
Ask: Approximately how far would you predict Alpha Centauri is from our Sun? (4.3 light-years)  

5. Tell students to assume that the grapefruit Sun is located in California.  
Ask:  In the scale model, where would the next grapefruit star be located? (4 MILLION meters or 2500 miles away) That is like having the grapefruit sun in California and the nearest grapefruit star in New York!!!

6.  Tell students that the Sun and Alpha Centauri are only two of 100 billion stars in our galaxy called the Milky Way, and furthermore; the Milky Way is one of 100 billion galaxies in our very large Universe.

Bubble Gum Physics

I love Physics!!! The stigma attached to physics can make some individuals recoil.  Some people tend to think that they are "not smart enough" to understand such a heavy subject. This simply is not true. There isn't anything within physics that can't be understood if we just stick to the basics, and take one step at a time. 

The Science Spot: Science Classroom 

I came across this website when I was looking for a lab to teach middle schoolers about Newton's Laws of Motion. The website contains unique Physics labs for middle school science classrooms. My favorite is Bubble Gum Physics!

Bubble Gum Physics is an experiment encompassing bubble gum, speed, and acceleration. What kid wouldn't love the opportunity to chew gum in class and learn at the same time? What a great way to show students that Physics is PHUN!!

Part 1: Students use a timer to determine the number of "chomps" they can make in 10 seconds. The data collected is used to collect their chomping speed and used to make predictions for different amounts of time.

Part 2: Students collect data about their chomping power and use the information to investigate speed as well as acceleration.

The The Science Spot: Science Classroom website provides a student worksheet for the Bubble Gum experiment. It contains data tables for the investigation as well as questions to guide the experiments objectives. Enjoy!

  

The Marshmallow Challenge

The marshmallow challenge is a great icebreaker for the first day of school to get those creative juices flowing, or an exciting way to encourage your students to think about what it takes to be successful when working in a group!

The challenge: Teams of four have 18 minutes to build the tallest free standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. The marshmallow has to be on top!!!!

The extraordinary lesson that students will take away from this unique challenge is,  if you bring your best thinking, feeling, and doing to the task at hand you are demanding success!

If you want to conduct the marshmallow challenge in your classroom visit marshmallowchallenge.com for complete instructions.