Table of Contents

Module 4: The Planets

Lesson 2: Planet Interiors

Timeframe:

This lesson will require one 30-minute period.

Objectives:  Pan-Canadian Curriculum Objectives

300-23: describe the physical characteristics of components of the solar system - specifically, the sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and meteors

General Objectives:

By comparing and contrasting the Earth to two other planets' interiors, the students will be able to visualize the structure and composition of the planets.

Curricular Connections:

• Language Arts
  • writing and composition

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, the students will view cut-away images of the planets' interiors, comparing and contrasting them with the Earth's in written form.

Materials and Resources:

Nota : This page contains documents for which the access may require a particular software. If the software is not installed, you can download it and follow the instructions for installation.

• Planet Interiors applet (SWF format, 213 KB)

Vocabulary:  Astronomy Glossary

• terrestrial
• Jovian
• crust
• mantle
• core

Developing the Lesson:

Have students guess the composition of each of the planets' interiors before introducing them to the applet. Go through each planet, highlighting their interiors and classifying each as "terrestrial" or "Jovian."

Instruct students to write a comparison/contrast of two planets' interiors with the Earth's.

Closure:

Solicit student questions and review material orally.

Evaluation:

Collect students' writing for evaluation.