solar system unit

THE SOLAR SYSTEM Worksheets

UNIT 1

Raül Martínez Verdún

October-December 2009

THE SOLAR SYSTEM STUDENTS’ WORKSHEETS

Raül Martínez Verdún CEIP Miguel de Unamuno

Cut out these 9 circles and then order them from the smallest to the biggest.

NAME: DATE: Worksheet 1A



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 1B



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 2

Read the sentences and write the name of the planets and the Sun on each

corresponding circle:

The Sun is the biggest body in the Solar System,

much bigger than any other planet.

Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System.

Jupiter is the biggest planet in the Solar System.

Saturn is smaller than Jupiter but bigger than

every other planet.

In size, Mars is between Mercury and Venus.

Venus is bigger than Mars but smaller than the

Earth.

In size, the Earth is between Neptune and Venus.

Neptune is smaller than Uranus but bigger than the

Earth.

In size, Uranus is between Neptune and Saturn.




Read these sentences and complete A. Then put the planets and the Sun in their real order by guessing which planet is described. Use the words from the box below to help you.

A ________ is our nearest star, containing 750 times more matter than all the other bodies in the Solar system put together.

B Planet one (the nearest to the Sun) starts with letter “M” and ends with “Y”.

C Planet two has got five letters in its name.

D Planet three is called the ‘blue’ planet because over 70% of its surface is covered by water. Not enough? Ok, another hint: you live on it.

E Planet four owes its name to the Roman god of war, being also called the “red”

planet because of the colour of its surface.

F The first letter of planet five is the 10th letter of the alphabet. The last one is the

18th (Remember, your alphabet is different from the English one).

G Planet six has got six letters, but the last one is not an “S”.

H Planet seven has got as the first letter the sixth letter from the end of the alphabet.

I There is one left, do you need any help? Just in case: its name comes from the

Roman god of the sea because it looks blue (not so much as the Earth). This is

planet eight.

Uranus

The Sun

Jupiter

Neptune Earth Venus

Mercury Mars

Saturn




Cut out the slips of paper from the box below and put them in order

according to the story.

A THE PROCESS OF TAKING SHAPE WAS REALLY SLOW FOR ALL THE BODIES IN THE

UNIVERSE.

B OF THE EIGHT PLANETS, THE FOUR NEAREST TO THE SUN ARE SMALL AND

ROCKY, AND THE FOUR FARTHEST FROM THE SUN ARE BIG AND GASEOUS

C THE NAME OF OUR HOME GALAXY IS THE MILKY WAY

D THE BIG BANG HAPPENED 14 BILLION YEARS AGO

E THE GALAXIES DO NOT FORM UNTIL ONE OR TWO BILLION YEARS AFTER THE

BIG BANG

F THE UNIVERSE WAS CREATED AND WITHIN THIS, GALAXIES, SOLAR SYSTEMS,

STARS AND PLANETS

G THERE ARE EIGHT PLANETS MOVING AROUND THE SUN

H THERE ARE SMALL BODIES SUCH AS MOONS, COMETS AND ASTEROIDS THAT

ORBIT THE SUN OR THE PLANETS

I THERE WAS A TIME, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO WHEN NOTHING EXISTED. NO

MATTER, NO SPACE, NO TIME

J STARS VARY IN BRIGHTNESS, TEMPERATURE, COLOUR AND SIZE

K PLANETS ARE DESCRIBED BY SCIENTISTS AS SPHERICAL BODIES MOVING

AROUND THE SUN OR ANOTHER STAR




Listen to the music and draw what it suggests to you. You can do it either

‘portrait’ or ´landscape´.




Look at the questions below and ask them to a partner. You can use the box

provided to help you.

STUDENT A

1. What is the name of the big explosion that occurred 14 billions

years ago?

2. What is the name of the star that gives its name to our Solar

System?

3. What is the smallest planet in the Solar System?

4. How many moons has the Earth got?

5. Which are bigger: galaxies or solar systems?

6. What is the difference between the inner planets (nearest to the

Sun) and the outer planets (farthest from the Sun)?

7. ______________________________?

Student A answers: 1-Big Bang; 2-the Sun; 3-Mercury; 4-one; 5-

galaxies;6-Inner planets: small, rocky/Outer: big, gaseous; 7-open

• Consider for your answers just the words not in bold.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT

BIG BANG MILKY WAY THE SUN JUPITER NO TIME

MERCURY BIG THE EARTH ONE NEPTUNE MARS

VENUS SATURN GASEOUS URANUS ROCKY NO SPACE

100 BILLION GALAXIES NOTHING SMALL NO MATTER




Look at the questions below and ask them to a partner. You can use the box

provided to help you.

STUDENT B

1. What is the name of our home galaxy?

2. What is the biggest planet in the Solar System?

3. Which planet is between Venus and Mars?

4. How many galaxies are there in the part of the Universe we can

see?

5. What was there before the Big Bang?

6. Why did the Universe expand?

7. _______________________________?

Student B answers: 1-the Milky Way; 2-Jupiter; 3-the Earth; 4-about

100 billion galaxies; 5-nothing/no matter/no time/no space; 6-the

Big Bang explosion; 7-open

• Consider for your answers just the words not in bold.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT ROCKY BIG BANG EXPLOSION

BIG BANG MILKY WAY THE SUN JUPITER NO MATTER

MERCURY BIG THE EARTH ONE NEPTUNE SATURN

VENUS URANUS MARS NO TIME NO SPACE

100 BILLION GALAXIES NOTHING SMALL GASEOUS


UNIT 2





Read and match the boxes from the right with the names from the left.


1. THE SUN

2. EARTH

3. JUPITER

4. SATURN

5. VENUS

6. MARS

7. MERCURY

8. NEPTUNE

9. URANUS

A. THIS GAS GIANT IS THE THIRD-LARGEST PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AND THE SEVENTH FROM SUN.

B. 75% OF ITS SURFACE IS COVERED BY WATER. THE LENGTH OF ITS YEAR IS 365.26 DAYS.

C. IT MEASURES ABOUT 15,000 BILLION KM ACROSS AND IT CONTAINS 750 TIMES MORE MATTER THAN ALL THE OTHER BODIES IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM PUT TOGETHER.

D. IT IS A GAS GIANT FAMOUS FOR ITS BEAUTIFUL BRIGHT RINGS. ABOUT 60 LARGE MOONS MOVE AROUND IT.

E. IT IS THE BIGGEST PLANET. IT HAS A GREAT RED SPOT WHICH IN FACT IS A HUGE STORM.

F. IT IS THE SMALLEST PLANET OF THE GAS GIANTS AND IT IS THE MOST DISTANT PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

G. IT IS KNOWN AS THE RED PLANET. SCIENTISTS THINK LIFE EXISTED ON IT A LONG TIME AGO.

H. IT IS THE SMALLEST OF ALL THE PLANETS. BECAUSE OF ITS ROCKY SURFACE, IT LOOKS LIKE THE MOON.

I. IT IS THE CLOSEST PLANET TO EARTH AND THE THIRD SMALLEST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.




Read these sentences carefully and decide in groups if they are “true” or

“false”.

FACTS ABOUT THE PLANETS AND THE SOLAR

SYSTEM

S1 MARS LOOKS RED BECAUSE ITS ROCKS CONTAIN A

LOT OF IRON DUST.

S2 THE SUN IS AN ENORMOUS YELLOW PLANET, THE

BIGGEST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

S3 ALL THE PLANETS ORBIT THE SUN.

S4 THE FOUR INNER PLANETS ARE MADE UP MAINLY

OF GASES.

S5 A DAY IN THE EARTH TAKES 27.6 HOURS.

S6 A SPACECRAFT COULD LAND ON JUPITER’S SURFACE

WITHOUT PROBLEMS.

S7 VENUS IS THE HOTTEST PLANET, EVEN HOTTER

THAN MERCURY.

S8 NEPTUNE IS THE FARTHEST PLANET FROM THE SUN




MERCURY

Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun and it moves around it incredibly quickly –

__________________, which is the same as four complete journeys around the Sun every year.

______________________, they would be four times older than their Earth age! It moves so

quickly that it can only be seen from Earth six times a year.

Mercury is the smallest of all the planets. It has a very thin atmosphere and weather doesn’t

exist at all on this planet. Because of this, Mercury is not able to hold on to any heat from the

Sun, so __________________ very cold. Opposite to this, ________________ during the day,

when temperatures are four or five times greater than the hottest places on Earth.

With a lot of craters on its surface, Mercury’s rocky surface looks a lot like the Moon. The craters

were caused by asteroid impacts and most of these craters were made billions years ago, shortly

after the Solar System formed.

MERCURY

________________________to the Sun and it moves around it incredibly quickly –once every

88 days or, which is the same as four complete journeys around the Sun every year.

______________________, they would be four times older than their Earth age! It moves so

quickly that it can only be seen from Earth six times a year.

_____________________ of all the planets. It has a very thin atmosphere and weather doesn’t


Sun, so at night the planet is very cold. Opposite to this, _________________ during the day,








MERCURY

_______________________ to the Sun and it moves around it incredibly quickly –

___________________, which is the same as four complete journeys around the Sun every

year. If people moved to Mercury, they would be four times older than their Earth age! It moves

so quickly that it can only be seen from Earth six times a year.

____________________ of all the planets. It has a very thin atmosphere and weather doesn’t


Sun, so ___________________very cold. Opposite to this, Mercury is really hot during the day,





VENUS

Venus is the closest planet to Earth and the third smallest in the Solar System. It is almost the

same size and it is made up of the same type of metals and rocks as Earth; for these reasons,

Venus is often said to be __________________. Venus is the second planet from the Sun and

was given its name by the Romans in allusion to their goddess of love, because of its brightness

and beauty.

_____________________________, so we cannot see its desert-like surface with telescopes.

Apart from that, its atmosphere is burning hot and poisonous. The pressure of its atmosphere is

enormous –equal to __________________!

The yellow clouds in the sky are full of a harmful acid. That means that if we were on Venus and

it rained, it would burn our skin. What’s more, there are no rivers, seas, or oceans on the

surface of Venus. Venus also ________________________ to Earth and the other planets.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9C

VENUS

Venus is the closest planet to Earth and ____________________________. It is almost the


Venus is often said to be the Earth’s “twin sister”. Venus is the second planet from the Sun and


and beauty.

_____________________________, so we cannot see its desert-like surface with telescopes.

Apart from that, its atmosphere is burning hot and poisonous. _____________ its atmosphere is

enormous –equal to 1000m below sea level!



surface of Venus. Venus also ________________________ to Earth and the other planets.

VENUS

Venus is the closest planet to Earth and _____________________________. It is almost the


Venus is often said to be __________________. Venus is the second planet from the Sun and


and beauty.

Venus’ atmosphere is thick and heavy, so we cannot see its desert-like surface with telescopes.

Apart from that, its atmosphere is burning hot and poisonous. _____________ its atmosphere is

enormous –equal to __________________!



surface of Venus. Venus also spins in the opposite direction to Earth and the other planets.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9D

EARTH

Our home planet is the largest of the four inner planets. Along with its satellite, the Moon, it

moves around the Sun once a year. Its atmosphere contains __________________________.

The surface is made up of a rocky thin layer or crust, floating on melted rocks below. This liquid

beneath the ____________________. The Earth’s surface includes the continents and the ocean

floor.

What makes Earth unique is the fact that life exists on it, since no other planet in our Solar

System has life. As an example, the Sun may be an ordinary kind of star, but the third planet out

from the Sun (Earth) is unique. The Earth is neither so hot that water boils nor so cold that it

freezes.

As the __________________________, different parts of the Earth get more or less light and

warmth from the Sun, making the different seasons. But the Earth also spins on its own axis,

which in fact it is an imaginary line through _____________________.

EARTH

Our home planet is the largest of the four inner planets. Along with __________, ________, it

moves around the Sun once a year. Its atmosphere contains oxygen and carbon dioxide gases.


beneath the ____________________. The Earth’s surface includes the continents and the ocean

floor.


System has life. As an example, the Sun may be an ________________, but the third planet out


freezes.

As the Earth moves around the Sun, different parts of the Earth get more or less light and


which in fact it is an imaginary line through _____________________.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9E

EARTH

Our home planet is the largest of the four inner planets. Along with __________, _________, it

moves around the Sun once a year. Its atmosphere contains __________________________.


beneath the surface is called magma. The Earth’s surface includes the continents and the ocean

floor.


System has life. As an example, the Sun may be an _______________, but the third planet out


freezes.

As the _________________________, different parts of the Earth get more or less light and


which in fact it is an imaginary line through the planet from pole to pole.

MARS

Mars is smaller and colder than Earth. Being the fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is known as

the Red Planet because of its red-brown colour. Its surface is covered with dusty plains, hills, tall

mountains and deep canyons. ___________________ in which we would not be able to

breathe. However, of all the planets in the Solar System, __________________________.

Mars takes nearly two years to orbit the Sun (687 Earth days). What’s more, a day on Mars is

just a little longer than our own day, also having its own seasons. Mars has two tiny moons

called ___________________.

The highest mountain on Mars is called Olympus Mons and is three times higher than Mount

Everest. Since in August 1996 NASA claimed it had discovered traces of fossil bacteria in a

meteorite from Mars, it is believed that ________________________ on the planet a long time

ago.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9F

MARS

Mars is smaller and colder than Earth. Being __________________________, Mars is known as


mountains and deep canyons. It has just a thin atmosphere in which we would not be able to

breathe. However, of all the planets in the Solar System, __________________________.

Mars takes nearly two years to orbit the Sun (______________). What’s more, a day on Mars is


called Deimos and Phobos.



meteorite from Mars, it is believed that ______________________ on the planet a long time

ago.

MARS

Mars is smaller and colder than Earth. Being __________________________, Mars is known as


mountains and deep canyons. _______________________ in which we would not be able to

breathe. However, of all the planets in the Solar System, Mars is the most similar to Earth.

Mars takes nearly two years to orbit the Sun (______________). What’s more, a day on Mars is


called ___________________.



meteorite from Mars, it is believed that primitive life may have existed on the planet a long time

ago.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9G

JUPITER

Jupiter is the Solar System’s biggest planet. In fact, it is so big that more than 1,300 Earths

would fit inside it. Like the other gas giants, its __________________________, with a small

rocky core at the centre. It seems incredible, but Jupiter’s powerful gravity has dragged many

passing objects towards it, becoming some of them becoming the planet’s moons.

Jupiter spins on its axis _________________. It spins faster than any other planet, so fast that

the clouds in its atmosphere are huge swirling storms with strong winds of up 500 km/h. One of

Jupiter’s storms is larger than Earth! It is called the Great Red Spot and may have been around

Jupiter’s atmosphere for over _________.

Jupiter has more than 60 moons. The two largest, Ganymede and Callisto, are bigger than the

planet Mercury. Scientists believe that under its icy surface there maybe an ________________

in which primitive sea life has developed.

JUPITER

Jupiter is the ____________________________. In fact, it is so big that more than 1,300 Earths

would fit inside it. Like the other gas giants, its outer layers are made of gases, with a small


passing objects towards it, becoming some of them the planet’s moons.

Jupiter spins on its axis _________________. It spins faster than any other planet, so fast that


Jupiter’s storms is _______________! It is called the Great Red Spot and may have been around

Jupiter’s atmosphere for over 350 years.


planet Mercury. Scientists believe that under its icy surface there maybe an ________________

in which primitive sea life has developed.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9H

JUPITER

Jupiter is the ___________________________. In fact, it is so big that more than 1,300 Earths

would fit inside it. Like the other gas giants, its _________________________, with a small


passing objects towards it, becoming some of them the planet’s moons.

Jupiter spins on its axis once every ten hours. It spins faster than any other planet, so fast that


Jupiter’s storms is _____________! It is called the Great Red Spot and may have been around

Jupiter’s atmosphere for over ________.


planet Mercury. Scientists believe that under its icy surface there maybe an ocean of warm, salty

water in which primitive sea life has developed.

SATURN

The second-largest planet in the Solar System, Saturn, is famous for its beautiful bright rings.

Still known as the Ringed Planet, because its rings are the biggest, brightest and best, Saturn’s

rings look solid from a distance. But these are made of ________________________ whirling

around the planet. It must be said that Saturn is the least dense of all the planets, made up

basically of _____________________.

Saturn spins around so fast that we find very high winds, which can be even faster than the

strongest hurricanes on Earth! Despite the fact that Saturn’s atmosphere has a few violent

clouds, it is much calmer than stormy Jupiter. Saturn takes nearly ____________ to orbit the

Sun and the length of a day is over 10 Earth hours.

Around 60 large moons orbit Saturn. One of them, Titan, is a true giant. Bigger than the planet

Mercury, Titan is the only satellite in the Solar System that has its own atmosphere. With an icy

landscape ________________________, it may also have rivers and lakes made up of methane.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9I

SATURN

The __________________________________, Saturn, is famous for its beautiful bright rings.


rings look solid from a distance. But these are made of millions of bits of ice and rock whirling


basically of _____________________.

Saturn spins around so fast that we find ______________, which can be even faster than the


clouds, it is much calmer than stormy Jupiter. Saturn takes nearly 29 Earth years to orbit the




landscape ________________________, it may also have rivers and lakes made up of methane.

SATURN

The __________________________________, Saturn, is famous for its beautiful bright rings.


rings look solid from a distance. But these are made of _______________________ whirling


basically of hydrogen and helium gas.

Saturn spins around so fast that we find ______________, which can be even faster than the


clouds, it is much calmer than stormy Jupiter. Saturn takes nearly _____________ to orbit the




landscape plenty of hills and volcanoes, it may also have rivers and lakes made up of methane.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9J

URANUS

After Jupiter and Saturn, this gas giant is the third-largest planet in our Solar System. Uranus

was the first planet discovered through a telescope and, despite it not being as big as Jupiter

and Saturn, it is still ______________________. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and

it takes ________________________ and 17 hours to complete a day. It is a bright blue-green

planet and has a smooth-looking surface (like Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus has no solid surface).

Unlike the other planets, Uranus spins on its side, that’s to say, at right-angles to the Sun.

Scientists think this occur because of a space collision that could have almost destroyed it. They

think that a ___________________________ into Uranus and knocked it sideways.

Uranus’s atmosphere is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, with methane and traces of

water and ammonia. The planet has at least 21 moons (icy satellites), the biggest of which is

Titania. _______________, which are hardly perceptible.

URANUS

After Jupiter and Saturn, this gas giant is the _________________ in our Solar System. Uranus


and Saturn, it is still four times wider than Earth. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and

it takes ________________________ and 17 hours to complete a day. It is a bright blue-green


Unlike the other planets, ____________________, that’s to say, at right-angles to the Sun.


think that a giant asteroid may have crashed into Uranus and knocked it sideways.



Titania. ________________, which are hardly perceptible.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9K

URANUS

After Jupiter and Saturn, this gas giant is the _________________ in our Solar System. Uranus


and Saturn, it is still ______________________. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and

it takes 84 years to complete one orbit and 17 hours to complete a day. It is a bright blue-green


Unlike the other planets, _____________________, that’s to say, at right-angles to the Sun.


think that a ____________________________ into Uranus and knocked it sideways.



Titania. It also has 11 rings, which are hardly perceptible.

NEPTUNE

Neptune, the smallest of the gas giants, can only be seen from Earth using a telescope or

powerful binoculars. In fact, it is the _______________________________. Neptune orbits the

Sun once every 165 years. In other words: its orbit is 30 times further from the Sun than

Earth’s. An example of this: on 29 May 2011 Neptune will have made just _______________ the

Sun since its discovery in 1846.

Like Uranus, it is an extremely cold planet. But a lot of activity takes place there. Heat from

within Neptune’s core creates fast winds and colossal storms. The _________________ spots on

the planets’ surface and the winds are considered to be the strongest in the Solar System.

__________________ is caused by the methane in its atmosphere, a molecule that absorbs red

light. This gas giant is orbited by eight moons and five thin complete rings and one partial ring.

Neptune’s biggest moon, Triton, is a frozen icy world, with active icy volcanoes that expel

nitrogen gas.



NAME: DATE: Worksheet 9L

NEPTUNE

Neptune, _________________________, can only be seen from Earth using a telescope or

powerful binoculars. In fact, it is the most distant planet in our Solar System. Neptune orbits the


Earth’s. An example of this: on 29 May 2011 Neptune will have made just ______________ the


Like Uranus, it is an ____________________. But a lot of activity takes place there. Heat from

within Neptune’s core creates fast winds and colossal storms. The storms look like dark spots on


__________________ is caused by the methane in its atmosphere, a molecule that absorbs red



nitrogen gas.

NEPTUNE

Neptune, _____________________________, can only be seen from Earth using a telescope or

powerful binoculars. In fact, it is the _______________________________. Neptune orbits the


Earth’s. An example of this: on 29 May 2011 Neptune will have made just one circuit around the


Like Uranus, it is an _____________________. But a lot of activity takes place there. Heat from

within Neptune’s core creates fast winds and colossal storms. The ________________ spots on


Neptune’s blue colour is caused by the methane in its atmosphere, a molecule that absorbs red



nitrogen gas.




Read these questions carefully and ask a partner from each group to get the

information needed. Use the box below to remember the planets.

QUESTION ANSWER PLANET

1. Is your planet a gas giant or a small

rocky one?

2. Has your planet got any moons?

How many?

3. How long is a day on your planet?

4. Has your planet got any rings? How

many?

5. How far is your planet from the

Sun?

6. Is your planet cold or hot?

7. Do you think life can exist on your

planet? Why? Why not?

8. Say any interesting fact about your

planet.

Uranus

Jupiter Neptune Earth

Venus

Mercury

Mars Saturn




Read the questions from the wall papers and write your answers in the grid

below:

QUESTION ANSWER QUESTION

ANSWER

A N

B O

C P

D Q

E R

F S

G T

H U

I V

J W

K X

L Y

M




Use the results from Worksheet 11 to complete these mathematical

operations.

MATHEMATICAL OPERATION RESULT

1 A MULTIPLIED BY F

2 S MINUS B

3 C PLUS H

4 U DIVIDED BY D

5 J PLUS G

6 I MULTIPLIED BY K

7 M MINUS L

8 Y MINUS X

9 O PLUS V

10 R DIVIDED BY T

11 Q MULTIPLIED BY P

12 V DIVIDED BY W

13 E MULTIPLIED BY N




1.

A STAR IS A HUGE BALL OF GAS

MADE UP MAINLY OF HYDROGEN. IT

HAS A TEMPERATURE OF TENS OF

MILLIONS OF DEGREES. THE ENERGY

PRODUCED BY FUSION IS EMITTED

AS LIGHT AND HEAT. WE CAN

DIFFERENTIATE STARS BY THEIR

PROPERTIES: TEMPERATURE OR

COLOUR, SIZE AND LUMINOSITY.

2.

COMETS ARE SMALL CELESTIAL

BODIES MADE OF ICE, DUST AND

GASES THAT ORBIT AROUND THE

SUN IN ELLIPSES. THEY USUALLY

HAVE GOT A BRIGHT TAIL WHICH IS

ONLY VISIBLE AS THEY ARE NEAR

THE SUN. THE TAIL CAN BE UP TO

250 MILLION KM LONG AND IS

MOST OF WHAT WE SEE.




3.

ASTEROIDS ARE ROCKY OR METALLIC

OBJECTS, MOST OF WHICH ORBIT

THE SUN IN THE ASTEROID BELT

BETWEEN JUPITER AND MARS.

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF

ASTEROIDS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

AND NONE OF THEM HAVE GOT

ATMOSPHERES.

4.

GALAXIES ARE ENORMOUS GROUPS

OF STARS, GASES AND DUST. THE

MATTER IN A GALAXY IS HELD

TOGETHER BY THE FORCE OF

GRAVITY. GALAXIES ARE DIVIDED

INTO THREE MAIN TYPES,

ACCORDING TO THEIR SHAPE:

SPIRAL, ELLIPTICAL OR IRREGULAR.




5.

CONSTELLATIONS ARE IMAGINARY

PATTERNS OF STARS GROUPED

TOGETHER. THEY ADOPT DIFFERENT

FORMS ACCORDING TO THEIR

SHAPE. MANY CONSTELLATIONS ARE

NAMED AFTER CHARACTERS IN

ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY. THEY LOOK

LIKE OBJECTS, PEOPLE OR ANIMALS

AND THEY CAN ONLY BE SEEN AT

NIGHT.

6.

NEBULAE ARE MASSIVE CLOUDS OF

GASES AND DUST FLOATING IN

SPACE. THESE CLOUDS ARE MADE UP

MAINLY OF HELIUM AND HYDROGEN

AND THEY REFLECT THE LIGHT

EMITTED BY THE STARS AROUND

THEM. IT IS INTENSIVELY COLD

INSIDE A BIG NEBULA, ONLY 10º

ABOVE ZERO.




A

B

C




D

E

F




Read the questions below and decide ’Yes’ or ‘No’. If you answer ‘Yes’, write

the corresponding name helping you from the box provided.

1

CAN WE DIFFERENCIATE THEM BY

TEMPERATURE, COLOUR, SIZE AND LUMINOSITY?

YES NO Go to question 2

2

ARE THEY ROCKY OR METALLIC OBJECTS?


3

ARE THEY CLOUDS MADE UP OF HELIUM AND HYDROGEN?


4

DO THEY LOOK LIKE OBJECTS, PEOPLE OR ANIMALS?


5

ARE SPIRAL, ELLIPTICAL AND IRREGULAR SOME

OF THEIR SHAPES?


6

ARE THEY SMALL CELESTIAL BODIES MADE OF

ICE, DUST AND GASES?

YES

CONSTELLATIONS GALAXIES NEBULAE ASTEROIDS STARS COMETS




Take a look at these pictures and tell a partner when you have used the materials shown:

CRAYONS

FELT-TIP PENS

GLUE

COTTON WOOL

COLOURED TISSUE

BLACK PAPER

WHITE PAPER

COMPASS

SCISSORS




Read the sentences from the squares below and make your choice.

1. THERE ARE 8 …

IN THE SOLAR

SYSTEM

2. THE NAME OF

THE EARTH’S

SATELLITE IS…

3. MARS IS ALSO

CALLED THE…

4. THE UNIVERSE

WAS CREATED

AFTER THE…

5. OUR HOME

GALAXY IS

CALLED THE…

6. THE BIGGEST

PLANET IN THE

SOLAR SYSTEM

IS…

7.…ARE

ENORMOUS

GROUPS OF STARS,

GASES AND DUST

8. THIS STAR

GIVES NAME TO

OUR SOLAR

SYSTEM

9. JUPITER,

SATURN, URANUS

AND NEPTUNE

ARE KNOWN AS

THE …GIANTS

10. THIS PLANET IS

FAMOUS FOR ITS

BEAUTIFUL AND

HUGE RINGS

11. THE BIG BANG

HAPPENED…

MILLION YEARS

AGO

12. MERCURY,

VENUS, EARTH AND

MARS ARE

THE…PLANETS

13. A DAY IN THE

EARTH IS

...HOURS

14. THE NEAREST

PLANET TO THE

SUN IS…

15. SPHERICAL

BODIES THAT

ORBIT THE SUN

16. THE ONLY

PLANET WHERE

LIFE EXISTS ON

17.…ARE SMALL

CELESTIAL

BODIES MADE OF

ICE, DUST AND

GASES

18. THE…IS

EXPANDING BUT

NOT GALAXIES

19. THE FARTHEST

PLANET TO THE

SUN IS…

20. THIS PLANET IS

ALSO CALLED THE

BLUE PLANET

21. … ARE ROCKY

OR METALLIC

OBJECTS

22. A …IS A HUGE

BALL OF GAS MADE

UP MAINLY OF

HYDROGEN

23. A YEAR IN THE

EARTH IS…DAYS

24. THE SMALLEST

PLANET IN THE

SOLAR SYSTEM

IS…




Write your answers in the blanks below:

1.

2. 3. 4.

5.

6. 7. 8.

9.

10. 11. 12.

13.

14. 15. 16.

17.

18. 19. 20.

21.

22. 23. 24.




1. Classify the planets into two groups:

� Which criterion did you use? ___________________________________ 2. Complete the sentences. � There are 8 planets in the ______________ and the main star is the _________.

� _________ are enormous groups of stars, gases and dust.

� Our ________ is called the Milky Way.

� The Moon is the Earth’s ________.

� The name of the planets in order from the Sun are______________________________

____________________________________________________________.

TESTING WHAT YOU KNOW

JUPITER EARTH VE�US MARS

�EPTU�E SATUR� URA�US MERCURY




3. Complete the word map.

ADAPTED FROM NEW SCIENCE. TEACHER’S BOOK

THE SOLAR SYSTEM

belongs to

The Milky Way

is a

1.

is made up of

is a

2.

star

planets

are divided into

6. 7.

8.

Venus

9.

10.

11.

12.

Uranus

13.

can have

satellites

for example

14.

3. 5. 4.

Great Bear

Halley




4. Read A and B and complete the information asked: A

1. Draw a planet which is a gas giant.

2. Write down the names of the other gas giants. _______________________________________ _______________________________________

_______________________________________

3. What is the difference between a gas giant and

a small rocky planet? __________________________________

______________________________________________________ B

1. Draw a planet which is a small rocky one.

2. Write down the names of the other small rocky

planets. _______________________________________ _______________________________________

_______________________________________

3. What is the difference between Mars and Neptune?

_______________________________________




The time a planet spends in orbiting the Sun varies according to the distance

they are from the Sun. For this reason, a "year" on each planet is a different

amount of time. How old were you on each planet? To get your “age”, follow

the instructions below and then look at the chart provided:

Instructions to follow

� Multiply your age by 365 (which are the days of a year on Earth)

� Divide the result by the days of a year of each planet.

� Look at the example: a woman is 35 and she wants to know how old on Mercury is.

If a year on Mercury is 87 days, then:

1. 35 x 365 = 12775

2. 12775 : 87 = 146 years old

The planets and its years

Planet YEAR

Mercury 87 Earth days

Venus 224 Earth days

Earth 365Earth days

Mars 686 Earth days

Jupiter 11 Earth years

Saturn 29 Earth years

Uranus 84 Earth years

Neptune 164 Earth years




Use the substitution table below to complete the exercise. Look at the

example to help you.

ON

MERCURY

VENUS

EARTH

MARS

JUPITER

SATURN

URANUS

NEPTUNE

I

YOU

HE

SHE

IT

WE

YOU

THEY

AM

IS

ARE

…YEARS OLD.

� On MERCURY I am 50 years old.

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� Compare your results. � Where are you oldest? ___________________

� Where are you youngest? _________________

ADAPTED FROM SCIENCE




STUDENT’S SELF-ASSESSMENT FORM (UNITS 1 and 2)

Subject: ___________________ � What I liked doing most: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ � What I didn’t like or found difficult: ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ How I worked: � on my own � with the help of the teacher � with the help of the other students

� with commitment � without much commitment � with difficulty � without difficulty In the group: � I participated actively in the work of the group. � I let the other students take the initiative and decide. � I accepted all the suggestions of the other students without discussion. � I tried to contribute my own ideas and suggestions to the work. � ____________________________________________________

WHAT I CAN DO OR WHAT I KNOW ☺ � �


UNIT 3






Choose nine words from the board and write them in the squares provided.




Listen to the song and complete the exercises below:

1. Circle the words from the box that appear in the song?

2. Put these sentences from the song in order. Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows and I think my spaceship knows which way to go

Can you hear me, Major Tom? Ground control to Major Tom, your circuit’s dead, there's something wrong Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles

I'm feeling very still

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

MOON CONTROL TOMB HELMET EARTHQUAKE SOMETHING EARTH COMES IN T-SHIRT GROUND CAPSULE ROBOT CAR




Ground control to Major Tom Ground control to Major Tom Take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Ground control to Major Tom Commencing countdown, engines on Check ignition and may god’s love be with you. This is ground control to Major Tom. You've really made the grade, and the papers want to know whose shirts you wear Now it's time to leave the capsule, if you dare. This is Major Tom to ground control. I'm stepping through the door. And I'm floating in the most peculiar way. And the stars look very different today. For here, am I sitting in my tin can far above the world. Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do. Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles, I'm feeling very still and I think my spaceship knows which way to go. Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows. Ground control to Major Tom, your circuit’s dead, there's something wrong. Can you hear me, Major Tom? Can you hear me, Major Tom? Can you hear me, Major Tom? Can you… Here, am I floating ‘round my tin can far above the Moon. Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do.

David Bowie’s Space Oddity lyrics




Read the boxes below.

How was the Earth formed?

Scientists think that the Earth began as a cloud of gas and dust, moving around a new star –the Sun. Then gravity forced the gas and dust together into a red-hot ball. After millions of years, this round ball cooled and a rocky crust began to form. Then, poisonous gases from volcanoes formed an atmosphere. Water vapour fell as rain from the clouds over millions of years. The rain formed the oceans.

Imagine the history of the

Universe

Think for a moment the history of the Universe happened in 24 hours. If the Big Bang was 24 hours ago, the Sun and planets were born 7 hours ago. The first humans appeared only in the last 30 seconds.

What does the Earth look like from space?

It is a beautiful blue-and-white globe. People thought the Earth was flat but it is round, though not a perfect sphere.

Why do we have seasons?

As the Earth moves around the Sun, there are periods of the year in which some parts of the Earth are closer to the Sun and others which are farther away. So places receive more light and heat at some times of the year than at others. This produces a pattern of changes in the weather every 3 months called seasons.

The Earth is unique

No other planet in the Solar System has been proved to

The Moon

have life on it. It is neither so hot that water boils nor so cold that it freezes. There is oxygen in the atmosphere which, together with water, makes life possible to exist.

The Earth has got one satellite, known as Moon. Our Moon is a bit younger than the Earth and it is a very quiet place. It has the same surface area as the continent of Africa. The Moon’s light comes from reflected light from the Sun.




Write your answers in the boxes provided. 1. Question:

Answer

2. Question:

Answer

3. Question:

Answer

4. Question:

Answer

5. Question:

Answer

6. Question:

Answer




Listen to the sentences. Translate and write the ones which are true into

your mother tongue. If they are false, correct and write them in English.

Now, translate the sentences you wrote in the mother tongue back into

English and write them down. You must have the 6 sentences written in

English.

S11

S2

S3

S4

S5

S6

S11

S2

S3

S4

S5

S6




After listening to the text, cut out the boxes below, read these short texts

and draw what they suggest you.

There are four seasons on Earth: autumn, winter, spring and summer. The first two are cold and the last two are hot.

Earth’s atmosphere is divided into different layers: troposphere (where all living things and the weather are), stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.




After listening to the text, cut out the boxes below, read these short texts

and draw what they suggest you.

Gravity is an invisible force that attracts objects towards another with much more mass. This is the reason why humans cannot jump and stay in the air floating.

Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours. It means half of the Earth faces the Sun and gets light from it, which is called “day”. The other half which is dark, it is called “night”.




BEYOND EARTH

This is a about Earth and you will hear some interesting things in relation with our home

planet. First of all, a bit of history. We must travel back in time so many years, more than

we can imagine, to find the formation of Earth. After the Big Bang, the Earth did not exist

as it exists now. Astronomers believe we have to differentiate some stages in the Earth’s

formation: in the very beginning, there were just hot clouds of dust and gas circles to

form the Sun; later, groups of dust formed together near the centre of the Solar System;

the forming Earth was then bombarded with excess gas and dust blown off by the Sun.

Much later it is when Earth starts to cool down and volcanoes throw up gases forming

clouds; finally, rain fell to make the oceans.

We must distinguish some important characteristics about the Earth now, as for example

the atmosphere. Earth’s atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen (75%), from the

eruption of volcanoes over billions of years, and the oxygen (23%) produced by plants.

There are different layers in the atmosphere. All living things and the weather are in the

lowest, called the troposphere. Then we have the stratosphere, like a lid of the

troposphere. Far above, we find the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.

Another important characteristic about Earth are the seasons. As the Earth moves around

the Sun, there are periods of the year in which some parts of the Earth are closer to the

Sun and others which are farther away. So places receive more light and heat at some

times of the year than at others, producing a pattern of changes in the weather called

seasons. Places between the equator and the poles have four seasons: spring, summer,

autumn and winter. As an example, summer happens in the southern hemisphere when

the South Pole inclines toward the Sun. On the contrary, winter happens in the southern

hemisphere when the South Pole inclines away from the Sun.




In relation with the spinning Earth, we find the day and night. Although the Sun seems

to rise in the sky during the day and sink at night, it is really the Earth that is moving, not

the Sun. When a part of the Earth turns towards the Sun, we can see as if the Sun is up in

the sky and we have daytime. But, when a part of the Earth turns away from the Sun, it

seems to disappear below the horizon. We find there is no light and it is very dark, this is

when we say we have night.

Another important characteristic about Earth is gravity. Gravity is an invisible force that

attracts objects towards another with much more mass. This is the reason why humans

cannot jump and stay in the air floating, for example. When we try to do it, automatically

the Earth’s gravity attracts us to the ground. This force of gravity comes from the centre

of the Earth, a place we cannot see, and other examples of gravity forces can be found in

the Earth and the Moon; the Moon is attracted by the Earth because it has less mass than

our home planet. The same happens with the Sun and the eight planets. The Sun has got

much more mass than all the planets so the Sun attracts them making them orbit around

it.




Gravity keeps the Solar System’s planets in orbit around the Sun. In fact,

every object in the Universe has its own attracting force. The greater an

object’s mass (the more matter it contains), the greater its gravity.

Gravitation factor on Earth is different from other celestial bodies in the

Solar System. How much would you weigh on other planets? And on the

Moon? To get your “weight”, follow the instructions below and then look at

the chart provided:

Instructions to follow

� Multiply your weight by the corresponding gravitation factor provided in the chart below

� Look at the example: a girl weighs 40 kilos and she wants to know how much she

weighs on Jupiter. If the gravitation factor year on Jupiter is 2.5, then:

1. 40 x 2.5 = 100 kilos

The planets and its years

Celestial body Gravitation factor

Mercury 0.4

Venus 0.9

Moon 0.2

Mars 0.4

Jupiter 2.5

Saturn 0.9

Uranus 0.8

Sun 27.9




Use the substitution table below to complete the exercise. Look at the

example to help you.

On

MERCURY

VENUS

MOON

MARS

JUPITER

SATURN

URANUS

SUN

I

YOU

HE

SHE

IT

WE

YOU

THEY

WEIGH

WEIGHS … KILOS.

� On Jupiter I weigh 100 kilos.

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� ____________________________________

� Compare your results. � Where do you weigh most? ___________________

� Where do you weigh least? ___________________

ADAPTED FROMSCIENCE.




Read the questions and answer just one at a time. Then, pass the sheet to

the partner on your right.

1. How much do you weigh on the Sun?

2. How much do you weigh on Mercury?

3. How much do you weigh on the Moon?

4. How much do you weigh on Saturn?

5. How much do you weigh on Jupiter?

6. How much do you weigh on Venus?

7. How much do you weigh on Mars?

8. How much do you weigh on Uranus?




Follow the sequence by drawing the phases of the moons left:

MARCH

MO TU WE TH FR SA SU

9 1

10 2 3 5 6 7 8

11 9 10 12 13 14 15

12 16 17 19 20 21 22

13 23 24 25 27 28 29

30 31

APRIL

MO TU WE TH FR SA SU

14 1 3 4 5

15 6 7 8 10 11 12

16 13 14 15 16 18 19

17 20 21 22 23 24 26

18 27 28 29 30




Cut out the pictures of planets and put them in the correct place on this

page:

Is this planet a gas giant? YES

NO

YES

YES

YES

NO

YES

YES

NO

YES

NO

NO

NO

NO

Does it have any rings?

Is it the biggest in the Solar System?

Is it the farthest planet from the Sun?

Is it the smallest planet in the Solar System?

Is it known as the Red Planet?

Is the planet you live on?




1. Write the names of the correct orbiting objects under each picture:

____________ ___________ ___________

____________ ___________ ___________

____________ ___________ ___________

ADAPTED FROM STARS & PLANETS

2. Complete these splits puzzles: 3. Now, circle the correct option.

PLANETS MOON EARTH SPACE STATION SATELLITE

OXY SONS

ATMOS LLITE

SEA ON

SATE TOR

EQUA PSE

MO PHERE

ECLI GEN

JUPI ROID

ASTE LAE

CO LLAXIES

NEBU MET

GA TER

a) Earth is a cube/sphere/square.

b) Saturn is a rocky/gas/small

planet.

c) The Moon’s gravity/air/light.

comes from reflected light from the Sun.

d) The Earth takes 24/23/24,5 hours

to rotate on its own axis.

e) We can see Full Moon when the

Earth is in front/behind/between the Sun

and the Moon.

f) There are 365/332/356 days in a

year.

g) There are 7/9/8 planets in the

Solar System.




4. The Earth takes 365 days to orbit the Sun. As the Earth moves around the Sun

the seasons change.

Read, write the name of the seasons, and draw pictures.

Adapted from

Adapted from Cross-Curricular Resources for Young Learners

IT’S THE COLDEST SEASON OF THE YEAR.

GREEN LEAVES FROM SOME TREES TURN RED, ORANGE, AND BROWN.

THE WEATHER GETS WARMER, FLOWERS OPEN, AND GARDENS BECOME COLOURFUL.

IT’S HOTTEST SEASON OF THE YEAR.

SUMMER WINTER AUTUMN SPRING




5. Choose the correct option:

ADAPTED FROM STARS & PLANETS

1. A natural object that orbits a planet is called its: a. ring b. asteroid c. moon d. meteorite

2. Tick all the different types of planets: a. small b. rocky c. gas d. metal

3. Which is the smallest planet in the Solar System? a. Jupiter b. Saturn c. Venus d. Mercury

4. Which of these space bodies is not smaller than Earth? a. Jupiter b. Moon c. Mars d. Venus

5. The Moon’s light comes from: a. nuclear reactions b. reflected light from the Sun c. its burning hot surface d. its radioactive surface

6. Which of these is not one of the Moon’s phases: a. Full Moon b. New Moon c. Blue Moon d. Last Quarter

7. The Moon is kept in Earth’s orbit by: a. energy from the Sun b. magnetism c. gravity d. nuclear power

10. Which one is not a rocky planet? a. Mercury b. Venus c. Earth d. Uranus

8. Which is the nearest planet to the Sun? a. Saturn b. Earth c. Venus d. Mercury

9. Which is the biggest planet in the Solar System? a. Uranus b. Mars c. Jupiter d. Saturn

11. Which one is not a gas giant planet? a. Saturn b. Neptune c. Uranus d. Mars

12. Which two basic things on Earth do humans need to live? a. oxygen b. water c. metal d. iron




STUDENT’S SELF-ASSESSMENT FORM (UNIT 3)

Subject: ___________________ � What I liked doing most: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ � What I didn’t like or found difficult: ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ How I worked: � on my own � with the help of the teacher � with the help of the other students

� with commitment � without much commitment � with difficulty � without difficulty In the group: � I participated actively in the work of the group. � I let the other students take the initiative and decide. � I accepted all the suggestions of the other students without discussion. � I tried to contribute my own ideas and suggestions to the work. � ____________________________________________________

WHAT I CAN DO OR WHAT I KNOW ☺ � �

solar system unit

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