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Solar System Webquest:
The Sun, the Earth & the Moon
A WebQuest
Essential Question: How does the position of the Earth in the Solar System affect the conditions of life on our planet?Introduction:
Picture this: you and a team of your classmates have been chosen by NASA to welcome a friendly group of Space Travelers who are traveling to the earth from another universe. The visitors are particularly interested in how the position of the earth affects life on earth.In the following WebQuest, you will use the power of teamwork and the abundant resources on the Internet to learn how the position of the Earth in the solar system affects the conditions of life on our planet. Each person on your team will learn one piece of the puzzle and then you will come together to get a better understanding of the topic.Task:
You and your team will explore astronomical phenomena to answer our visitors' questions: 1) Why is there day and night on earth?2) How can the solar system be described in terms of the orbits of the planets?What are lunar eclipses?
3) Why does the moon look different as it orbits around the earth? Describe the different phases.
4) “Who helped you to understand about your planet and the solar system?”
5) What are the reasons for our seasons?
Background Resources:
The Solar System The Solar System FormationThe Moon - from Information Please The Moon : The Earth's Satellite Earth, Sun & Moon Activity & Quiz1. The Sun, the Earth & the Moon
Use the following resources to answer the following:
Why is there day and night on earth? Or “How come it just got so dark?”
· Describe the earth’s rotation around the Sun
· Explain the rotation of the earth on its axis and its connection to our day and night
· How does the position of the earth in our Solar System affect the conditions of life on our planet?
Letter from Stephanie-Day and Night Cycleshttp://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/antarctica/s_cycles.htmlWhat is Day and Night? - From Star Child. http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question31.html About Day and Night - from the Lunar & Planetary Institute
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skytellers/day_night/about.shtml The Space Place - Why is the Earth Rotating? - from NASA
http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/en/kids/phonedrmarc/2003_march.shtmlDay and Night - from University of Richmond
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/cycles/day.html
Try the Experiment.
Take a look at many views of day & night on earth: Day and Night Viewer
The Night Side - a Satellite Map
2. The Sun, the Earth & the Moon
Unit Questions:
· How can the solar system be described in terms of the orbits of our planets? What are lunar eclipses? Or, “Where did your moon go?”
· Describe an orbit.
· Describe the solar system in terms of the orbits of the planet.
· What are lunar eclipses?
· How does the position of the earth in our Solar System affect the conditions of life on our planet?
Background - Explore the Solar System:
Kidcyber - The Planetshttp://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/planets.htm Our Solar System - from NASA
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=
SolarSys&Display=Kids The Solar System -from StarChild - includes movie about the solar system.
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level2/solar_system.html
Orbits of the Planets:
What is an Orbit? - Article by NASAhttp://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/orbit_feature_5-8.htmlMotion of the Planets - Orbit Shapes Animation
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/physical_science/physics/mechanics/orbit/orbit_shape_interactive.html&text=t
Motions of the Planets - Windows on the Universe website
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/planets.html&edu=elem Elliptical Orbits
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/physical_science/physics/mechanics/orbit/ellipse.html&edu=elem
About Lunar Eclipses:
Lunar Eclipseshttp://library.thinkquest.org/3645/eclipses.html All about Lunar Eclipses
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/moon/eclipse.html&edu=mid Animation of a Total Lunar Eclipse
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/lunar_anim.html Moon's Orbit and Revolution
3. The Sun, the Earth & the Moon
Why does the moon look different as it orbits around the earth?
Or, “How come your moon seems to be disappearing?”
Unit Questions:
· Describe the different phases of the moon
· Why does the moon appear to change over time in our night sky?
· How does the moon affect how tides are formed?
· How does the position of the earth in our Solar System affect the conditions of life on our planet?
Resources:Moon Phaseshttp://library.thinkquest.org/J0112188/moon_phases.htm Phases of the Moon: Zoom Astronomy
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/moon/Phases.shtml Virtual Reality Moon Phase Pictures
http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html The Moon: The Exploratorium
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/MOON.HTML Phases of the Moon Model : from Harcourt Publlishers
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/moon_phases/ Take the Moon Puzzle Quiz
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/activities/radiobuttonquiz/Moonpz.shtmlHow does the moon affect how tides are formed?Explore the following web resources.Tides - and the MoonLunar TidesOcean TidesTidesWhy Tides?
4. The Sun, the Earth & the Moon
Unit Questions:
What are the reasons for our seasons? Or, “Why is it so cold out here?”
- *Describe the earth’s rotation around the Sun
- *Describe how the tilt of the earth and its orbit cause the seasons
View this animation and click on question mark for directions.World Book Online
Use World Book Online to search for "Seasons". The Seasons and Axis Tilt
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/ Earth's Tilt is the Reason for the Season
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/climate/cli_seasons.html Reason for the Seasons
http://www.uwm.edu/~kahl/CoVis/Seasons/Understanding the Seasons through Pictures
http://www.astronomy.org/programs/seasons/index.html
Cosmic Map
Test your knowledge of the seasons using this animated quiz.