6th Grade Science Guide

6.1.2/3: Solar System 3 Dimensions & Progressions

Unit 2

Activity: Gizmos - Gravity Pitch

Objective

Overview

Materials

● Observe that gravity causes objects to fall toward the center of Earth. ● Observe that when a ball is thrown, its path is bent by gravity toward Earth. ● Find the orbital velocity and escape velocity of objects on Earth and other planets.

● Imagine a gigantic pitcher standing on Earth, ready to hurl a huge baseball. What will happen as the ball is thrown harder and harder? Find out with the Gravity Pitch Gizmo. Observe the path of the ball when it is thrown at different velocities. Throw the ball on different

● Gizmo - Gravity Pitch

planets to see how each planet's gravity affects the ball.

Activity: How the Solar System Formed

Objective

Overview

Materials

● Newsela Article: How Our Solar System Formed: A Close Look at the Planets Orbiting Our Sun ● Marking the Text Reading Strategy ● Use pages 16-22 in the Interactive Notebook .

● I can explain how the solar system formed.

● Students read a Newsela article describing the current understanding of the universe formation, and use pages 16-22 in the interactive notebook to create a model of the formation of the universe.

Multiple Choice Assessment: 6.1.2 Formative Assessment

Activity: Gizmo - Solar System

Objective

Overview

Materials

● Gizmo - Solar System

● List the planets in order from closest to the Sun to farthest away. ● Classify the planets as rocky planets or gas giants. ● Observe the scale of the solar system. ● Describe the shape of planetary orbits. ● Measure each planet's period of revolution.

● Explore our solar system and learn the characteristics of each planet. Compare the sizes of planets and their

distances from the Sun. Observe the speeds of

planetary orbits and measure how long each planet takes to go around the Sun.