Huwerl Thornton, Jr.
This unit will look at three moons in our solar system and do a comparison as to how the composition of each moon is similar as well as how they are different. The three moons to be compared are our very own Moon, Jupiter's moon Europa, and Saturn's moon Titan. The unit begins with an overall look at the make-up of our solar system. It introduces the eight planets and three dwarf planets. The unit touches upon the Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt, as well as the Sun. The unit also briefly examines the life of Galileo Galilei, as he was one of the first astronomers to use a telescope to view the stars and the Moon.
After the overall look at the solar system and Galileo, the unit takes a much more in-depth look at our Moon, Europa, and Titan. It takes a closer look at the composition of each moon, i.e. the size, surface, and atmosphere. The overall purpose of the unit is to examine each moon closely and build moon rovers out of K'NEX™ based on the surface structure of each moon. The lessons described in the unit are based on the introduction of the solar system.
(Developed for Elementary Earth Science, grade 4; recommended for Elementary Science and Earth Science, grades 3-6)
