Toilet Paper Solar System

Name: Courtney Eisenmann Time Allotted: 90 minutes (2 days)

Grade Level: 5th Subject: Science
Materials Required:
Toilet Paper
5 sets of cutouts of the planets
Mnemonic Worksheet
Model Rubric
Mnemonic Communication Rubric

Michigan Content Expectations

E.ST.05.11 Design a model that of the solar system that shows the relative order and scale of the
planets, dwarf planets, comets and asteroids to the sun.

Objectives:
1. The learner will design a model of the solar system by using toilet paper squares that they make a
scalar model of the planets distance from the sun with 75% proficiency. (Synthesis)

2. The learner will sequence the 8 planets of the solar system by creating a mnemonic device so
that they can order the planets in order in their model with 75% proficiency. (Knowledge)

Student Objectives:
1. I will design a model of the solar system. (Synthesis)
2. I will sequence the 8 planets of the solar system. (Knowledge)

Assessment:
Formative Formal: The student will be completing a puzzle piece summary at the end of the
lesson. The puzzle piece should include a one sentence summary of the learning from the lesson
as well as a small design if time allows. At the end of the unit, the students will be putting
together the puzzle pieces of each lesson to represent their learning from the unit.

Objective 1 will be assessed as follows:
Summative Formal: Each student will create a model map
which will indicate the order of the planets as well as the
distances in toilet paper squares from the sun. Each
individual student will create this before constructing the
model in a group. See rubric for scoring details.
Summative Formal: The students will be creating a model of
the solar system by using toilet paper squares as their
scale(Non-Linguistic Representation Strategy #17). The scale
for this model can be found above. The students will be given
this scale, toilet paper and cutouts of the planets. The students
will be divided up into groups of 3. The group will work
together to correctly create an accurate model of the solar
system. Once the students have created the model they will
call the teacher over to their group and they will have their model checked for accuracy.
Summative Informal: After the group has completed their model, the student will provide group
feedback for the teacher to explain the cohesiveness of the work from them and their group
members. This is an opportunity for students to inform the teacher about the students who did
not pull their weight within the project. The students will complete this independently after the
model is complete. This can be completed on a separate sheet of paper.
Interim Formal: The student will take their model map and the planetary conversion sheet to the
teacher before they are grouped up with 2 other students. The teacher must initial and check to
make sure that their numbers within the scale are accurate in order to ensure similarity among
group members.

Objective 2 will be assessed as follows:
Formative Formal: The student will create a mnemonic device in order to help them memorize
the order of the planets. The student will create this by writing it down. They will receive credit
for creating their device.

Interim Informal: The following day, the students will be called up to the teacher one at a time to
recite the planets. The students will be assessed on their ability to recite the planets in their
correct order.
Summative Formal: The student will order the planets in their model map and in the actual solar
system model. See rubric.
Students that have met both learning objectives will be able to create and understand the processes of
making a scale model of the solar system as well as the order of the planets within it.

Students that have not met the learning objective will receive more days to study their mnemonic
devices to understand the planetary order.






Instructional Procedure:

1. Anticipatory Set: (2 minutes)
The teacher will play this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVMTDjKDbws) This is a musical
video that gives an introduction to the order within the solar system.
Yesterday the students learned about converting units of measure. (systematic)
Today the students will use the conversion of units of measure from yesterday to create a scalar model
of the solar system.
Students should be using a 6 inch voice and be staying in their group. If the student is unable to work
with a group to create a model they will create a scalar model on white paper using a ruler and a pencil.

2. State Purpose and Objective of Lesson: (3 minutes)
The students are going to learn the order of the solar system and how to create a scalar model of it.
(Direct)
Its important to know the makeup of our solar system and how small our earth is in comparison. It also
helps demonstrate the value of our perfect distance from the sun in order to sustain life. (Explicit)

3. Instructional Input/Direct Instruction: (15 minutes)
TTW go over the planets within the solar system providing the following general information about each
one:
Mercury- Second smallest planet, moonlike surface, closest to the sun
Venus- Brightest object in evening or morning sky (other than moon); surface is
covered with clouds of sulfuric acid
Earth- Only planet to have living things; has land, sea, and an oxygen rich atmosphere.
Mars-Redish-brown deserts and dark blue grey seas with no water.
Jupiter- Largest planet, made of gases, covered by colored bands of thick clouds; has a
stormy spot called the Great Red Spot; has one thin ring.
Saturn-Second largest planet; 6 giant rings, yellow surface and covered with liquid
hydrogen.
Uranus-Smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, has eleven narrow rings, appears blue-green.
Neptune- Has a dark spot and looks blue-green.
Pluto-too small to be a planet. We will look at this public issue later in our unit.
TSW be sitting and listening.

4. Independent Practice: (10 minutes)
The students will create a mnemonic device to help them memorize the orders of the planets in
the solar system. They will complete the mnemonic device worksheet. The student will need
to communicate the order of the 8 planets the following day to the teacher.

5. Modeling (5 minutes)
The teacher will model how they students will be creating the scalar model of the solar system. The
student will use the conversion factors that were solved yesterday as their rules while creating the scalar
model today.
Using yesterdays math, we found out that our earth is 2.5 toilet paper squares away from the sun. The
teacher will demonstrate pulling out and tearing the toilet paper and placing the cutout of earth at the end
of the paper.



6. Independent Practice: (20 minutes)

Each student will be responsible to individually create a design plan on a blank piece of paper. The
student will use the toilet paper square numbers that they calculated previously to draw out a plan of
what the model will look like. This does not need to be to scale exactly but should include the following
o The planets in order
o Written number of how many toilet paper square away from the sun the planet is
o Representation by drawing
After the model map is complete, the student will show the teacher to get their model map and the
planetary conversion worksheet initialed.

The students will turn take these plans into their group work and will be turning them in to demonstrate
their ability to design a model which will be made to scale in a group setting.

7. Guided Practice: (45 minutes)
The students will be creating a scale model of the solar system (non-linguistic representation) using
toilet paper. The students will be divided into groups of 3. They will work together to create a model
using the calculations that they figured out in the previous lesson. The students can use assorted balls or
cut out circles and color them to represent the planets. When they are finished will call the teacher over.

The teacher must monitor this process. This will be performed outside on the blacktop in order to
monitor all the groups equally.

8. Differentiated Consideration (Adjust instruction, tools, resources or activities for
students who):
Groups who finish making their model early can create one continuous model that
uses one line of toilet paper and the addition of the scales for each planet in order to
determine the placement of the planet. For example, Earth would be 5.3 squares total
away from the sun.
Students who need more time can finish their model while the other students are
completing their mnemonic devices (unless outside) and can take that home as
homework.
Musical students may write a planetary song that would help them better memorize
the solar system components.
Students or groups who need more of a challenge can make the larger model of the
solar system. This requires them to double the distance of each planet.

9. Closure:
The teacher will restate the objectives.
The students will complete the puzzle piece for the lesson by providing a one word summary along with
a creative design if time allows.
Tomorrow the students will be looking at the size of the planets within a math lesson that allows the
students to expand their sizes using knowledge about the place value system.




Explanation of Identified Instructional Strategies: Non-Linguistic Represenation
Within this lesson students will be creating a model of the solar system. This strategy was chosen
because it best allows the students to demonstrate their learning and visualize a scalar model. It
gives students hands on opportunity as well. I didnt really consider other strategies because this
one fit directly with the identified objectives and the targeted standard.
This strategy would be most effective because it allows the student to actually design a model of
the solar system. Using another instructional strategy would take away from the students design
and would not allow the student to understand and visualize the vastness of the solar system.
While using this strategy there are possible conflicts that could occur. In order for the non-
linguistic representation to be effective, the purpose as well as the directions need to be clearly
communicate to the student. Without clear purposes, the utilization of this strategy serves the
teacher more than the students and becomes merely assessment, rather than a tool for the student
to visualize the solar system. In order to counter act this issue I would be clear with the purpose
being that this is to help students understand and visualize the solar system in a model that is to
scale which the student can then make observations from.


10. References:

Planet Rap 2011.m4v - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved March 31, 2013, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVMTDjKDbws

Tails of Third Grade. (n.d.). Tails of Third Grade. Retrieved March 31, 2013, from
http://tailsofthirdgrade.blogspot.com/

Toilet Paper Solar System. (n.d.). Astro Society. Retrieved March 31, 2013, from
http://astrosociety.org/edu/family/materials/toiletpaper.pdf

Toilet Paper Solar System Conversion

Answer Key