The Planets in the Solar System
1st Grade
Objective:
Students will learn about the solar system and know the names of the eight planets and their
sequence.
Arkansas State Standards Addressed:
English Language Arts
RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
Science
ESS.10.1.1 Illustrate the sequence of planets in the solar system.
Learning Goals:
Students will…
Understand that the Earth is part of a solar system made up of eight planets and the Sun
Know Do
The names of the eight planets and their Create two models of the solar system
sequence
Materials Needed:
Planet Name Game by Tish Rabe; illustrated by Tom Brannon. [ENF 523.4 RAB]
o Any other book that lists and discusses the planets in order could be substituted.
Copy of the Solar System picture cards (Sun, Moon, and Planet cards only). PDF included;
originally found: [Link]
Our Solar System cut-and-paste worksheet. PDF included; originally found:
[Link]
Scissors and glue sticks (one for each child)
Procedures:
Before reading, show students a picture of our solar system. Ask them: What is this a picture of?
Do you know what the objects in the picture are? (The Sun, planets, etc.) Point out Earth and
tell students that this is the planet we live on. Explain that Earth is one of eight planets in our
solar system. These plants orbit (or move in a circle around) the Sun.
Read Planet Name Game to students. Starting at page 24, prompt students to see if they can
remember which planet comes next in the order.
After reading, use the solar system picture cards to review with students the order of the
planets. Show the students each picture and share a fact or two about each planet.
Next, select 10 students as volunteers to create a “life-size” model of the solar system. Give
eight students a planet card, and two students the Sun and Moon card, respectively. Have
the rest of the class help put the students in order. If time, select a different 10 students to
create the model to allow more students to participate. Balls of varying sizes could also be
added to this model to help students visualize the scale of the planets (i.e., a beach ball for
Jupiter, a marble for Mercury, etc.)
Once finished, place each picture card in order on a white board or bulletin board, where
students can see and refer back to them.
Students will then color, cut, and paste the Our Solar System worksheet, placing the planet
words in order.
This could be extended to a multi-day lesson with a focus on one planet each day. This
extension could allow focus on informational writing skills as well as on measurement and data
representation frameworks.
Explore Space Exhibit Information:
Explore Space: A Cosmic Journey, a traveling exhibition for libraries, is part of the STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) led by the
National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute. Exhibit partners include the American Library Association, the Lunar
and Planetary Institute, and Afterschool Alliance. Explore Space is supported through a grant from the National Science Foundation.
405 S. Main St. Bentonville, AR| [Link] | 479.271.3192 | spekel@[Link]
Solar System Cards
[Link]
Solar System Cards
[Link]
Solar System Cards
[Link]
Solar System Cards
[Link]
Solar System Cards
[Link]
Solar System Cards
[Link]
Solar System Cards
Solar_System_Cards.pdf by [Link] is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This document can be obtained at [Link]
cards and includes material from the following sources:
Our Solar System by NASA -
[Link]
A Handle on the Sun by Science@NASA -
[Link]
Mercury Globe by NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie
Institution of Washington -
[Link]
Computer-Simulated Global View of Venus by NASA/JPL -
[Link]
Earth by NASA -
[Link]
Lunar Nearside by NASA -
[Link]
Hubble Snaps Mars by STScl –
[Link]
Ceres by NASA/ESA/SWRI/Cornell University/University of Maryland/STSci -
[Link]
Jupiter Globe by NASA/JPL/University of Arizona -
[Link]
True Saturn by NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute -
[Link]
Uranus Composite Ring Image by W. M. Keck Observatory (Marcos van Dam)-
[Link]
Neptune by NASA -
[Link]
Pluto: Natural Color by NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI -
[Link]
Haumea by NASA -
[Link]
[Link]
Solar System Cards
Makemake by Princeton University –
[Link]
Eris and Dysnomia by Caltech -
[Link]
"Terrestrial planet sizes" by NASAMercury image: JHUAPLVenus image: JPLMars image: HST -
Mercury Globe-MESSENGER mosaic centered at [Link] [Link] Earth
seen from Apollo [Link] 23 aug 2003 [Link]. Licensed under Public Domain via
Wikimedia Commons -
[Link]
t_sizes.jpg
"Gas giants and the Sun (1 px = 1000 km)" by Urhixidur, successive modification by Jrockley -
Image prepared by myself from NSSDC (National Space Science Data Center) images. Licensed
under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
[Link]
edia/File:Gas_giants_and_the_Sun_(1_px_%3D_1000_km).jpg
Infographic: Dwarf Planet Size Comparison by NASA -
[Link]
Eros’ Northern Hemisphere by NASA/JPL/JHUAPL -
[Link]
Quadrantid Fireball by Jimmy Westlake -
[Link]
Comet Halley by ESA/Max-Planck-Institute for Solar System Research -
[Link]
"InnerSolarSystem-en" by Mdf at English Wikipedia - Transferred from [Link] to Commons..
Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
[Link]
[Link]
"Kuiper belt plot objects of outer solar system" by WilyD at English Wikipedia. Licensed under CC
BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -
[Link]
media/File:Kuiper_belt_plot_objects_of_outer_solar_system.png
[Link]
