Welcome to the home page. Here you will find the requirements for your paper and planet model.
General Information:
For the Astronomy unit, you will be picking a planet (no, you cannot pick Earth!) to research and become an expert on. You will be responsible for writing a report on the planet of your choice AND creating a realistic model of that same planet. You will have about a week and a half to complete this project. The research paper you will be writing will count as a test grade, while the model you will be making will count as a quiz grade. Below you will find more information in regards to the report and the model.
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Information on the Report
Once you have picked a planet, you will be doing research and writing a report on your planet. Your report must be a minimum of 2 typed pages, size 12, Arial font. Reports that are handwritten and/or do not follow the above requirements will result in a point reduction.
Your report will be graded on the accuracy of the information and grammar, which includes punctuation, capitalization, and everyone's personal favorite...spelling. Please keep in mind that this is a report and it will be graded as a test, so complete sentences are required. To gather infomration, you will have time in class to research your planet using the internet (NO WIKIPEDIA), books in our library, magazine articles, your textbook, etc. You are also allowed to do research out of school, but make sure you keep track of the websites you visit. Here is a list of the information you MUST include in your report about your planet:
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What is the name of the planet you have chosen?
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Why did you choose this planet? (Reasons such as, "Because it sounded interesting" will not be accepted.
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What does the name of your planet mean? Why does it suit your planet, or why was your planet named this?​
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Who discovered your planet? How?
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What does your planet look like? Be as specific and detailed as possible.
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How far away from the sun is your planet?
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What position in the solar system is your planet?
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Does your planet have any moons? If so, what are their names? If not, why are there no moons?
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How long would it take to travel from earth to your planet?
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What is the size of your planet? (diameter) Compare to other planets.
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Describe what your planet consists of (What it is made out of).
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What is the temperature on your planet during the day? Night?
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At least 4 interesting facts about your planet that you think people should know.
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Any other information you think is important or that you would like to include.
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Finding Information On Your Planet
Books- Go to the school library. or the public library and find some books on planets. Or, if you have any books on planets at your house, you may use those as well!
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Magazines- There are some magazines in our room that may contain useful information
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Internet- On this website, you may use any of the links to information on your planet. IF you are going to a website that is NOT linked to this site, you must show me the website so I can OK it. Before using the internet at home, always ask an adult first and get their approval for the search engine you choose.
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You will be receiving a resource sheet where you will keep track of the websites you visit and the books that you get information from. You must attach this sheet to your report as it will be part of your grade.
Information On The Model
The second part of your project is to create a model of your planet. This must be a realistic model, which means that it should look as close to the real thing as possible. If there are different colors on your planet, show them...if your planet has rings, include them...if there are craters, ice caps, or clouds on your planet, include them!
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Here are some ideas for materials you can use for the planet's "body":
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styrofoam balls (you can get these at any art supply store like Micheals, Dollar General, AC Moore, etc)
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Clay
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Paper Mache
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Ideas for decorating your planet:
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Paint
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glitter
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clay
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food coloring
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wires for the ring(s) or you can get styrofoam rings!
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toothpicks
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CDs (someone used a CD for the ring of her planet last year)
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