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Solar System

Driving Question: How is the development of our Solar System an increase in complexity?

When gravity pulled together clouds full of different chemicals from dying stars, new space objects formed. Planetary systems like ours are more common than we once thought, but one special planet in our Solar System made it possible for amazing things to happen!

Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe the formation of our Solar System.
  2. Explain why planets are more complex than stars.
  3. Use scale switching to understand the scale of our Solar System.

Vocab Terms:

  • accretion
  • chemistry
  • gravity
  • nuclear fusion
  • planet
  • solar system
  • supernova
STEP 1

Opener: Solar System

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 2 of the Lesson 2.5 Teaching Guide Locked .

Curious to see how other teachers have modified this activity? Check out this post External link and this post External link in the OER Project Teacher Community.

STEP 2

The Solar System

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 2.5 Teaching Guide Locked .

Looking to find all the BHP Threshold cards in one place—find them here External link !

The fourth Big History threshold made our corner of the Milky Way more complex. What were the ingredients and Goldilocks Conditions for this threshold?

Threshold 4: Solar System and Earth External link

Clouds full of different chemical elements spun around to create new complexity. The end result? Our Solar System and Earth!
STEP 3

Our Cosmic Neighborhood

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 4 of the Lesson 2.5 Teaching Guide Locked .

Check out our Reading Guide to learn about the Three-Step Reading approach.

It’s not all just empty space up there: our Solar System is made up of millions of cosmic objects. We’ll take a tour—but make sure to watch where you’re going!

STEP 4

Visualizing Our Solar System

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 2.5 Teaching Guide Locked .

Looking for other ideas about how to see the scale of the Solar System? Check out this conversation External link in the OER Project Teacher Community.

It can be difficult to visualize the scale of our Solar System. These filmmakers came up with a unique way to show this massive scale.

To Scale: The Solar System External link

If the Sun is a huge beach ball and the Earth is a little marble, how far apart should they be on a true scale model of the Solar System? Time to do some serious scale switching!

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 5

Closer: Solar System

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 6 of the Lesson 2.5 Teaching Guide Locked .

Check out the OER Project Informal Writing Routines Guide to generate other ideas about how to help students show their thinking through writing.

When people read the news, a lot of the time they just skim through and look at the headlines. Let’s try summarizing your new knowledge about our Solar System for someone in a hurry.

Extension Materials
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There’s a lot more you could learn about the formation of the Solar System! Check out the activity and graphic biographies to expand your knowledge.
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Active Accretion

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 6 of the Lesson 2.5 Teaching Guide Locked .

It’s the nature of things to clump together and build mass. This next activity will give you a unique perspective on the process of accretion.

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The Rocket Scientist

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 7 of the Lesson 2.5 Teaching Guide Locked .

Computers weren’t always mechanical. Meet Mary Golda Ross, a real-life human computer who helped build some of the first spacecrafts.

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Actually, It’s the Moon

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 8 of the Lesson 2.5 Teaching Guide Locked .

Despite being just 29 years old when she died, Wang Zhenyi, who published works about math, astronomy, and poetry, is remembered as one of China’s greatest scholars.