Moons of
Jupiter
Marian Black & Mathew Jobson
| Description |
| Concept Map |
| Assessment Plan |
| Rubric |
| Calendar |
| Resources |
| Lesson Plan 1 |
| Lesson Plan 2 |
| Orientation Video |
| Clinical Interviews |
| Modifications |
| Elementary Science Methods Home |
Name: Marian Black
Title of Lesson: Grand Tour of the Jupiter System
Length of Lesson: 60 minutes
Description of Class: Science
Grade Level: 4-8
Source of Lesson: Moons of Jupiter Gems Guide
TEKS addressed: 112.6 (4.2) B, C, & D
The Lesson:
1. The Overview: Students will explore the four largest Moons of Jupiter by comparing each of the Moons characteristics and will be able to distinguish between the four moons and the Earth’s moons.
2. Performance of learner outcomes: Students will be able to
Identify the
characteristics of Jupiter’s Galilean moons.
Make Comparisons
of the moons.
Draw and list
observations of each moon.
Distinguish between evidence and inference.
3. Resources, materials, and supplies needed.
Per Class
Overhead projector
Transparencies of Voyager pictures of Jupiter’s moons.
Per Student
Group
Box of Colored
pencils, crayons or markers
Data Sheets
4. Supplementary materials: Fact sheets on each moon.
Five E Organizations
Engagement:
| What the teacher will do |
Probing Questions |
Student Responses Potential Misconceptions |
| Tell the class that they will be going on an imaginary journey or “Grand Tour” of the four largest Galilean moons of Jupiter? |
What are the names of the four Galilean moons? Why are they called Galilean moons? |
Ganymede, Europa, Callisto, Io Galileo discovered the moons using his telescope |
| We are going to look at pictures taken from the Voyager spacecrafts. |
Can you tell me what you think the Voyager spacecrafts were? |
Satellites, Spaceships |
Explorations:
| What the teacher will do |
Probing Questions |
Student Responses Potential Misconceptions |
| Hand out the data sheets and tell the class that the moons drawn on them are in the same scale as the Jupiter system scale from the previous class. |
Which moon is the biggest? Which is the smallest? |
Ganymede-largest Europa-smallest |
| Tell them that they will begin with the data sheet for Callisto and Ganymede. Organize the students into teams to share materials. Explain that students will look at the pictures of the moons and then draw and list observations of the moons. Demonstrate on worksheet how to record observations of each moon picture by drawing and writing a note on the data sheet. Display each picture for an equal amount of time, while students draw what they see. |
What are the main features you can see on each moon? What color are the moons? What colors are the main features? What do the different spots on each moon look like? What do you think make these colors and shapes we are seeing? |
Features are craters, spots, different colors, size, etc. |
Explanation:
| What the teacher will do |
Probing Questions |
Student Responses Potential Misconceptions |
| Tell the students that their observations provide evidence on which to base their conclusions. As they sketch the features of the moons, share some information from the teacher fact sheets. |
What do you think the difference between evidence and inference is? After they have completed each moon, have them compare that moon to the other moons covered, or in the case of the first one, ask the students to compare the Jupiter moon with the Earth’s moon. |
Evidence is the characteristic and inference is what they conclude from the evidence. Bigger, smaller, gas, ice, rock, more craters, color, closer to planet, etc. |
| Have students present their findings. They could do this as a group or individually. Summarize with students the characteristics of Jupiter and the Galilean moons. |
Ask students to replay the “grand tour” and explain the main or identifying features of each moon. |
Discuss moons characteristics, Jupiter’s characteristics, etc. |
Elaboration:
| What the teacher will do |
Probing Questions |
Student Responses Potential Misconceptions |
| Explain that the students have done just what scientists do in that the make observations and record them. Next, have students draw out some plans or for the next project. (The next project is to create space colony model.) During this class I want the students to begin thinking about the features of the moons in order to brainstorm about the “colonies” that they will construct. |
||
| Students will need to begin thinking about what they will need in their space colony that will exist on each moon. By starting the moon colonies, the students will apply what they have just learned in a creative activity. |
What do we need to think about to create a “moon settlement” on each Galilean moon? What conditions will explorers face? How would things be different? What items would you bring? |
Water, heat, travel, how many people, etc. |
Evaluation:
| What the teacher will do |
Probing Questions |
Student Responses Potential Misconceptions |
| Close by summarizing what we did in class. Have students discuss what we learned. |
Please list out the 4 moons. What are the main features of each moon that we will need to keep in mind for our moon colonies? How did we learn these about these characteristics? How do we know these to be characteristics? |
Ganymede, Calisto, Io, Europa Gas, craters, ice, heat, rock, ocean, water, etc. By making observations of the Voyager’s pictures. |
| Reiterate what the next class objective and project will be. |