Using balloons, rubber balls or store-bought planet inflatable models, create the solar system planets on the classroom ceiling for constant, easy reference throughout the unit of study. With the class, come up with an original, student-created mnemonic for remembering the order of the planets. Instruct students to repeat it daily. Explain that other bodies exist in the solar system besides the planets you have previously hung on the ceiling. Assist students in creating planetary moons, meteors, the asteroid belt and comets to hang among the planet models you provided so that students have also contributed to the solar system model.
Discuss the many characteristic differences that exist among the planets with students. Watch video or read books aloud about these differences. Have students help to create a class chart that shows the differences between the planets. Include facts on the chart such as number of moons, length of day, temperature and surface features on the chart in simple terms or with pictures clues. Afterward, assign students the task of choosing a planet and creating an illustration of an alien life form that could survive on the chosen planet. Instruct students to think about the types of adaptations the alien would have to survive on, for example, an extremely hot or cold planet.
A movement activity helps students understand the rotation and orbit of Earth and other planets in the solar system. Explain that the rotation of the Earth provides its night and day cycle while its orbit around the sun provides Earth's seasons. First have each student pretend to be the Earth. Place a sticker on each student's shoulder to represent the place the student lives. The teacher holds a large ball, representing the sun while students stand with the sticker on their shoulder facing the sun. Explain to students that this represents the sun shining during the day where they live. Have students begin to rotate in place, modeling Earth's rotation. This causes the sticker to move away from its position pointing toward the sun model. Explain that this is what causes day and night on Earth every 24 hours. To represent the seasons, have students rotate while also walking in an oval around the sun model. Be sure students walk in an oval shape so that at times they are farther away from the sun. Explain that the oval students walk represents the orbit Earth takes around the sun each year moving closer and farther from it, creating the seasons.
Use NASA resources such as its website or photographs, picture books and video to explain the ways that humans have traveled to space so far. Have students describe what might happen in the future with space travel based on what they have learned about the planets and space travel. Read one or more biographical accounts of specific astronauts aloud to students. Afterward, have the students imagine that they flew into space with the astronaut. Instruct students to illustrate a detailed picture describing the space flight and write or dictate a few sentences about the adventure.