USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

Lesson Content
What Standards (national
or state) relate to this
lesson?
(You should include ALL
applicable standards. Rarely
do teachers use just one:
theyd never get through
them all.)

Essential Understanding
(What is the big idea or
essential question that you
want students to come away
with? In other words, what,
aside from the standard and
our objective, will students
understand when they finish
this lesson?)
MW: What one piece will
students walk away with
understanding after engaging
in this lesson?

Science Content Standard:

SC.5.E.5.3- Distinguish among the following objects of the Solar System- Sun, planets,
moon, asteroids, comets- and identify Earths position in it.
SC.5.E.5.2 Recognize the major common characteristics of all planets and
compare/contrast the properties of inner and outer planets.

Essential question: What are the objects of the Solar System, and where is Earth located in
comparison to these?

Science concept: Students will distinguish among objects in our solar system based on their
relative positions and/or their characteristics.

Process skills/science practices: Identify common characteristics of all planets,

compare/contrast the common characteristics of inner and outer planet groups, identify
characteristics of asteroids and comets, compare/contrast asteroids and comets, identify
the position of the sun, identify the position of the Earth, identify the moon, classify the
planets as rocky planets or gas giants, observe the scale of the solar system

Nature of Science: The world is understandable

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewStandard/Preview/1718
Objectives- What are you
teaching?
(Student-centered: What will
students know and be able to
do after this lesson? Include
the ABCDs of objectives:
action, behavior, condition,
and degree of mastery, i.e.,
"C: Given a sentence written
in the past or present tense,
A: the student B: will be able
to re-write the sentence in
future tense D: with no errors
in tense or tense contradiction
(i.e., I will see her
yesterday.)."
Note: Degree of mastery does
not need to be a percentage.)
Rationale
Address the following
questions:
Why are you teaching this
objective?
Where does this lesson fit
within a larger plan?
(Within grade level AND K5 education)
Why are you teaching it
this way?
Why is it important for
students to learn this

I am teaching this standard to teach students the objects that make up the solar
system and how they compare to each other.
It is important that Grade 5 students master these concepts because they are
annually assessed on Grade 5 standardized tests.
I am teaching it this way so that students are able to engage, explore, explain, and
evaluate their learning through questions and assessments.
It is important for students to learn where the Earth s position is in our solar system
and the common characteristics of all planets.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

concept?
Evaluation Plan- How will
you know students have
mastered your objectives?
Address the following:
What formative evidence
will you use to document
student learning during
EACH phase of the lesson?
What summative evidence
will you collect, either
during this lesson or in
upcoming lessons? Be sure
to include a scoring guide.

What Content Knowledge

is necessary for a teacher
to teach this material?
Be sure to cite all
resources you used to
learn the content

Engage: Notebook entry of what the solar system looks like

Teacher is looking for what students know as far as the solar system and the objects
included
Explore: Notebook entry of planet
Teacher is looking for an illustration of the specific planet they took part in creating
and what they learned about it.
Explain: Meet the Planets by John McGranaghan, illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein, and
What Do We Know About The Solar System?
Teacher instructs students to take notes on new information gained Teacher is looking
for new knowledge in the original entry of the solar system.
Extend: Vocabulary Playdoh Sort
Teacher looks for understanding of vocabulary word
Summative:
Evaluate: Solar System Illustration
Teacher is looking for a complete illustration of solar system with description of each
planet including details of colors and whether its inner/outer planet. Asteroids and
comets will be included, and details of what they are.
For a teacher to teach this material it is important for them to know:
The sun is the biggest star in our solar system.
It's a big ball of hot gases which are converted into energy that is released into the solar
system as heat and light .The sun is our supply of daylight, heat, and the planets rely on
the sun to orbit. The orbits are not round. They are elliptical. Elliptical means egg-shaped.
What is a planet?
A natural object in space orbiting a star.
There are 8 planets in our solar system which orbit around the sun.
Mercury:
It's the smallest planet in our solar system.
It's a rocky planet, also known as a terrestrial planet.
It has a solid, cratered surface.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

Venus:
It's dim with intense heat, deformed mountains and volcanic activity.
It's similar in size to Earth.
This is the planet that we live on, Earth.
It's terrestrial.
Composed of mountains, bodies of water, plains, and much more.
The only planet that their atmosphere is breathable.
One moon.
The only known planet to have life.
It's the fifth largest planet.
Our moon:
It has a rocky, cratered, solid surface.
We receive light from the moon at night because it reflects the light given from the sun.
Mars:
It's a cold dessert made up volcanoes, impacts, crustal movement, and atmospheric
effects.
It's terrestrial.
It has 2 moons.
Mars is also known as the Red Planet.
Jupiter:
It is the biggest planet in our solar system.
It is a gas giant planet, therefore it doesn't have a solid surface.
Jupiter has a total of 50 moons.
The big red spot on the planet is a gigantic storm that has been raging for years.
Saturn:
It's adorned of thousands of ringlets, 7 rings.
The rings are made up of rocky debree.
Gas Giant.
It has 53 moons.
Uranus:
It's an ice giant.
It has 27 moons.
It has faint rings, and unlike the other planets, it rotates on the side.
Neptune:

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

This planet is dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds.

It has 13 moons and 6 rings.
Asteroid:
They are rocky, airless objects that orbit our sun.
Comets:
are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust.
Scientists believe that they may have brought water and organic compounds through
collisions with Earth and other bodies in our solar system.
They have two tails; a dust tail and an ion (gas) tail.
https://prezi.com/fqisxvvwjwxp/sc5e53-distinguish-among-the-following-objects-of-the-so/
What background
knowledge is necessary for
a student to successfully
meet these objectives?
How will you ensure
students have this
previous knowledge?
Who are your learners?
What do you know about
them?
What do you know about
their readiness for this
content?
What misconceptions
might students have about
this content?

Some misconceptions students may have are:

-The distance between objects in the solar system
- Saturn is the only planet with rings
- Giant planets have solid surfaces.
- Planets are in arranged in straight line.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Teaching Methods
(What teaching method(s) will
you use during this lesson?
Examples include guided
release, 5 Es, direct
instruction, lecture,
demonstration, partner word,
etc.)

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

Lesson Implementation
You will utilize the 5E teaching model for this lesson. Below, write out the purpose for each
phase of the 5E model.
Engage: The purpose of this stage is to create interest and generate curiosity in the topic.,
raise questions and elicit responses from students that will give an idea of what they
already know. During this stage students should be asking questions.
Explore: The purpose of this stage is to give opportunities to work together without direct
instruction from the teacher. The teacher acts as a facilitator in helping students frame
questions by asking questions and observing. In this stage students are testing predictions
and hypotheses and/or forming new ones.
Explain: In this stage students are encouraged to explain concepts in their own words, ask
for evidence and clarification of their explanation, listen critically to one anothers
explanation and those of the teacher. When explaining, students should use observations
and recordings, During this stage teacher will provide definitions and explanations using
students previous experiences as a basis for discussion.
Extend: In this stage students should apply concepts and skills in new situations and use
formal labels and definitions.
Evaluate: The teacher should observe students knowledge and/or skills, applications of
new concepts and a change in thinking. Ask open-ended questions and look for answers
that use obervations, evidence, and previously accepted explanations.
The Learning Cycle as a Tool for Planning Science Instruction by Anthony W. Lorsbach

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science
Step-by-Step Plan
(What exactly do you plan to
do in teaching this lesson? Be
thorough. Act as if you needed
a substitute to carry out the
lesson for you.)
Where applicable, be sure to
address the following:
What Higher Order
Thinking (H.O.T.) questions
will you ask?
How will materials be
distributed?
Who will work together in
groups and how will you
determine the grouping?
How will students
transition between
activities?
What will you as the
teacher do?
What will the students do?
What student data will be
collected during each
phase?
What are other adults in
the room doing? How are
they supporting students
learning?
What model of co-teaching
are you using?

Time

Who is
responsibl
e (Teacher
or
Students)?

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

Each content area may require a different step-by-step format. Use

whichever plan is appropriate for the content taught in this lesson. For
example, in science, you would detail the 5 Es here
(Engage/Encountering the Idea; Exploring the Idea;
Explanation/Organizing the Idea; Extend/Applying the Idea;
Evaluation).
Engage: Ask Prior Knowledge Questions
1. Name all the planets you can think of.
2. What object is at the center of the solar system?
3. What force keeps the planets from flying out of the solar system?
Formative assessment:
Instruct students on making a notebook entry of what they think the
solar system looks like. Encourage students to use labels and add any
details/words they know.
Explore: Planet Walk
Divide students into eight groups assign each student a number from
1-8. Students will work together to create the model of their planet.
Each group will get a description of the planet and materials to create
their model. The materials will be set out at each station ready to
begin.
Once every group is finished, find a large open space outdoors to
complete model demonstration.
Ask students holding their planet objects to walk the following
distances from the Sun:
Mercur Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
y 1
1.5
2
3
10
19
38
60 steps
step
steps
steps steps steps
steps
steps
from Sun
This is where the Nature of Science The world is understandable
comes in.
Explain to the students that Scientists build models to
understand the world, just like we created this model to
understand the solar system

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

Process skills:
identify the position of the sun, identify the position of the Earth
Formative Assessment:
Notebook entry of students planet and what they learned.
Explain: Meet the Planets
Read Meet the Planets by John McGranaghan, illustrated by
Laurie Allen Klein

https://www.myon.com/reader/index.html?
a=m3_syldel_meetplan
While teacher is reading, students will be writing in their journals. They
will create two columns, one is inner planets and the other is outer
planets. While reading they will fill out the two columns with

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

information learned. Identifying characteristics

Read: What Do We Know About The Solar System? To cover
material on asteroids and comets

https://www.myon.com/reader/index.html?a=earspb_whasols_f11
Students will do the same on asteroids and comets. Identifying
characteristics
After reading:
Class will come together and create:
A list of the common characteristics of the planets

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

A list of characteristics of asteroids

A list of characteristics of comets
Venn Diagram of how the inner/outer planets compare and
contrast.
Venn Diagram of compare/contrast of asteroids and comets.
Two column chart classifying planets as rocky or gas giants.

Explain to the students, The process skills you used while creating the
charts were identifying characteristics. compare and contrasting
process skill when using the venn diagrams, and classifying when
listing the planets as rocky or gas giants.
Background Information:
Our Solar System is made up of eight planets, their moons, and our
sun. The planets and their moons revolve around, or orbit the sun.
The orbits are not round. They are elliptical. Elliptical means eggshaped.
The first four planets are called the inner planets. They are closest to
the sun. Their names are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These
planets are made mostly of rock.
The next four planets are called the outer planets. Saturn, Jupiter,
Uranus and Neptune are called gas giants because they are made
mostly of gases.
Our solar system is made up of a star -- the sun -- eight planets, 146
moons, a bunch of comets, asteroids and space rocks, ice and several
dwarf planets, such as Pluto.
The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus and Neptune.
Mercury is closest to the sun. Neptune is the farthest. Remember the
order of the planets like this: My Very Educated Mother Just Showed
Us Neptune.
Formative Assessment:
Students will now go back to their original journal entry of the solar
system and revise it based on what they learned. They will use a

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

different color to show their growth in learning.

Explain: Connection to vocabulary
Vocabulary words: atmosphere, ellipse, gas giant, inner planet, orbit,
outer planet, planet, rock planet, solar system.
Formative Assessment: Vocabulary Playdoh Sort
Each student will get one vocabulary word and use playdoh to make a
model of their word. Then everyone will receive an index card with a
different word and they will put it next to the model that best
illustrates that word.
Evaluate/Extend: Summative Assessment
Student will create an illustration of the solar system and label all
parts, note inner/outer planet. Model should include evident
characteristics of planet and color. A short description of each planet
will be included. This can be stapled in the students Interactive
Science Notebook or posted as authentic student work.
What will you do if

a student struggles with the content?

What will you do if

a student masters the content quickly?

Meeting your students

needs as people and as
learners

If applicable, how does this lesson connect to the interests and cultural
backgrounds of your students?
Some students may not believe in exploration or the other planets in the
solar system. I can have the conversation that this is what is believed and
explored but its okay to not believe it.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

If applicable, how does this lesson connect to/reflect the local community?
Being able to talk about NASA and their exploration, this can spark interest
in my students and further their interest with exploration.
How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional challenge
during this lesson (enrichment)?

How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional language
support?

Accommodations (If
needed)
(What students need specific
accommodation? List
individual students (initials),
and then explain the
accommodation(s) you will
implement for these unique
learners.)
Materials
(What materials will you use?
Why did you choose these
materials? Include any
resources you used. This can
also include people!)

Materials for "Solar System" Model:

At each station students should have:
2 index cards
1 Ruler
1 set of objects that represent the planet

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

____________________________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Earth
5th
and Space Science

Name:
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

Lab guides and science journal for recording data

Markers
Clay
Masking tape
Foil
Wax Paper
Wooden kabob skewer
Measuring tape
Blank Paper
Science Little Reader Book