Schenectady City
  School District

108 Education Drive
Schenectady, NY  12303
518.370.8100

 

    Challenger Learning Center
 
Planetary Patty
Grades 3 & 4

Students will explore and share information about the sun, planes, moon and asteroids.  Through the video-conference, they will take a virtual fieldtrip throughout the solar system.

Pre and Post conferencing activities and prop bags will be sent to teacher contact prior to the program

English Language Arts:  Standard 1
Students will red, write, listen and speak for information and understanding. 

Standard 4
Students will read, write, listen and speak for social interaction

Science Standard 2 - Information Systems
Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies

Main Index

Other Challenger Learning Center Plans

 Other Grade 3 Projects
Other Grade 4 Projects

Challenger Learning Center Website
VIEW Museum Directory

Provider Contact
 Lori Bryant
317-852-1008

This integration plan was used by a Grade 4 Teacher at Wood Road Intermediate School.

This experience is planned as a post-unit activity.  Prior to the video-conference, the class will have completed a unit on the solar system using a variety of materials including textbook, videos, National Geographic's Solar System CD, Internet sites, and non-fiction books.  Each student will complete a research project on a planet, the sun, the moon, or asteroids.  This research project is a requirement of the Ballston Spa Center School District's fourth grade curriculum.  At the end of the unit, students will be familiar with the following vocabulary:  atmosphere, asteroids, axis, planets, gravity, solar, lunar, planetary, orbit, satellite, solar system, galaxy, rotation, revolution, comet.  At the end of the unit, each student will have completed a research unit on one of the above aspects of the solar system, including a bibliography in correct form.  Upon completion of the unit, students will understand the following key points:
  • rotation of planets
  • revolution of planets
  • names of inner planets and outer planets
  • differences between inner and outer planets
  • similarities of inner planets
  • similarities of outer planets
  • planet distances from the sun
  • natural satellites of planets
  • Earth is the only habitable planet
  • asteroids
  • comets
  • the sun is a star
  • the sun's gravitational pull keeps planets and other bodies revolivng around it.

Time Required:
Planning time - 4- 6 hours, including conferences with other teachers, librarian, Project VIEW support team.

The solar system unit is planned to take place over a two-week period, five days per week.  This time includes a unit assessment, but not he individual research completed by each student.

Research will be completed over a four-day period, one hour each day.  producing th final research project is planed for another three to four days, one to two hours each day.

Two practice sessions of one-half hour each will be held before the actual video conference.  The video conference will have a duration of 45-minutes.

Post-video conference activities will be completed in a one to two hour period.

Logistical Planning:

The video conference will take place in our school's large multi-purpose room.  The students have been requested by the provider to be seated comfortably on the floor.  Practice sessions will be held prior to the actual video conference so that the students are familiar with the process and are comfortable speaking and participating in the activities presented.  Student will each wear a large name tags and will have the prop bags provided by the provider ready to be used during the conference.

Modifications:  Students in many classes have varied abilities and read at many different levels. They will use materials at their ability levels and ill receive assistance from one another, the classroom teacher, special education teacher, and teaching assistant, as needed.

Techniques and Tools

Assessment of hte unit will be accomplished through teacher observations of student work and participation, written responses, classroom discussion, and a end-of-unit test.

Assessment of the research project will be accomplished through teacher observations, evaluation of student's oral presentation of his project; use of a rubric to evaluate the final research paper and oral presentation, and application of NYS ELA standards to the final project.