Solar System Bead Distance Activity Spreadsheet (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

Solar System Bead Distance Activity Spreadsheet Page 2

Student Procedure:

1. Convert the various AU distances to centimeters and complete the chart on the

student handout sheet.

2. Measure and cut a piece of string 4.5 m long.

3. Using the calculated cm distances, tie the bead onto the string using a double knot.

4. When finished with the activity wrap the Solar System string (with beads) around the

cardboard holder.

Adaptations for Students with Special Needs:

FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED:

1. Vary the bead sizes and shapes to distinguish between the planets.

2. Talk your students through the tour of the solar system – have their fellow students

play “tour guide” and describe which planet they are touching, what it looks like and

where they will be heading next. This might also be a good time to discuss some of

the simple characteristics of each planet (solid surface vs. gaseous surface; close to

the sun = hotter, further away = colder)

3. Add a rotating ceramic heater near the Sun and a fan blowing over a pan of ice near

Pluto for the cooler outer solar system.

FOR THE ORTHOPAEDICALLY IMPAIRED:

1. Use large pom-poms instead of wooden beads.

Planet Orbits:

To simulate solar system rotation have the student holding the end of the string with the

Sun stand still while other students placed at Jupiter and Pluto along the string walk (orbit)

around the Sun. Talk about the fact that the planets DO NOT orbit the Sun at the same

rate.

Credits: Tom Gates - NASA Educator, NASA Ames Research Center.

Adapted by Steve Klug, Fees Middle School and Sheri Klug, ASU Mars K-12 Education Program,

Tempe, AZ.

Adapted for students with special needs by Cassandra Runyon, Southeast Regional Clearinghouse

(SERCH), Charleston, SC.

Solar System Bead Distance Activity Spreadsheet Page 2