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GOALS

Our goals for this lesson plan are for students to design a probe in which they believe will be the most efficient in determining if a planet can sustain life. They will be able to choose three sensors that help declare if life can be sustained, so we want students to be able to justify why they picked certain sensors over others. So in order to do this, students need to understand the characteristics of Earth that make it sustainable for life.

TEKS

MATHEMATICS

  • (3)  Relations and geometric reasoning. The student uses the process standards in mathematics to model and make connections between algebraic and geometric relations. The student is expected to:

(C)  use parametric equations to model and solve mathematical and real-world problems;

(H)  use the characteristics of an ellipse to write the equation of an ellipse with center (h, k)

  • (4)  Number and measure. The student uses process standards in mathematics to apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to calculate measures in mathematical and real-world problems. The student is expected to:

    •  represent angles in radians or degrees based on the concept of rotation and find the measure of reference angles and angles in standard position;

  • (10)  Two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures. The student uses the process skills to recognize characteristics and dimensional changes of two- and three-dimensional figures. The student is expected to:

    • (B)  determine and describe how changes in the linear dimensions of a shape affect its perimeter, area, surface area, or volume, including proportional and non-proportional dimensional change.

  • (11)  Two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures. The student uses the process skills in the application of formulas to determine measures of two- and three-dimensional figures. The student is expected to:

    • (A)  apply the formula for the area of regular polygons to solve problems using appropriate units of measure;

 

SCIENCE

  • (6)  Science concepts. The student knows our place in space. The student is expected to:

(A)  compare and contrast the scale, size, and distance of the Sun, Earth, and Moon system through the use of data and modeling;

  • (10)  Science concepts. The student knows the role of the Sun as the star in our solar system.

  • (4)  Science concepts. The student recognizes the importance and uses of astronomy in civilization. The student is expected to:

(B)  research and describe the contributions of scientists to our changing understanding of astronomy, including Kepler

  • (8)  Science concepts. The student knows the reasons for the seasons. The student is expected to:

(A)  recognize that seasons are caused by the tilt of Earth's axis;

(B)  explain how latitudinal position affects the length of day and night throughout the year;

(C)  recognize that the angle of incidence of sunlight determines the concentration of solar energy received on Earth at a particular location;

  • (9)  Science concepts. The student knows that planets of different size, composition, and surface features orbit around the Sun. The student is expected to:

(A)  compare and contrast the factors essential to life on Earth such as temperature, water, mass, and gases to conditions on other planets;

(B)  compare the planets in terms of orbit, size, composition, rotation, atmosphere, natural satellites, and geological activity;

(C)  relate the role of Newton's law of universal gravitation to the motion of the planets around the Sun and to the motion of natural and artificial satellites around the planets;

 (9)  Solid Earth. The student knows Earth's interior is differentiated chemically, physically, and thermally. The student is expected to:

(D)  describe the formation and structure of Earth's magnetic field, including its interaction with charged solar particles to form the Van Allen belts and auroras.

 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

  • (20)  Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students are expected to:

    • (A)  brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic; and

    • (B)  formulate a plan for engaging in research on a complex, multi-faceted topic.

  • (23)  Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students are expected to synthesize the research into a written or an oral presentation that:

    • (B)  provides an analysis for the audience that reflects a logical progression of ideas and a clearly stated point of view;

    • (C)  uses graphics and illustrations to help explain concepts where appropriate;

    • (D)  uses a variety of evaluative tools (e.g., self-made rubrics, peer reviews, teacher and expert evaluations) to examine the quality of the research

       

OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to: 

1. Name the characteristics of Earth that allow it to sustain life

2. Explain why each characteristic allows Earth to sustain life.

3. Give the reasons for why we have different seasons

4. Describe the role of the sun in our solar system

5. Understand how the sun’s ray’s angle affects the Earth

6. Explain why our atmosphere allows life on Earth

7. Summarize the characteristics of ellipses

8. Define what a habitable zone is

9. Explain how a habitable zone is related to ellipses

10. Explain how the mass of a planet affects the ability to sustain life

11. Explain how the magnetic field of Earth works

12. Perform important collaborative tasks, including distribution of workload, peer review, revision of drafts, and presentation.

13.·Link various concepts together to answer an essential question

14.·Develop a plan and defend it logically to your peers.

15. Understand the purpose of a space probe

16.State Keplar’s first law

MISCONECEPTIONS

  • Students who believe that the seasons are caused by earth’s distance to the sun think that earth orbits the sun in an elliptical path and that this is what causes earth’s distance from the sun to vary enough to cause the seasons. 

  • Students might think that the sun is not in the center of earth’s orbit, thus causing earth to be closer or farther away from the sun at different times. While it’s true that the sun is at one focus of earth’s elliptical orbit, the fact that the orbit is nearly a perfect circle means that the distance from earth to the sun remains nearly constant all year.

  • Studnets who know that the Earth's tilt has something to do with the seasons might think that there is something about the tilt that causes earth to be much closer to the sun at certain times of the year. In fact, the tilt does not make any significant difference in the distance of earth to the sun.

  • Students think that magnets attract everything that's metal

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