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 Printable Version
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Title - The Solar System
By - Helen Whitechurch - Argot Library of Educational Resources
Subject - science, art, language
Grade Level - Years 5 and 6
Solar System Unit Overview:
KLAs: English, Science and Technology and Creative Arts
Timeframe: 10 weeks
Literary Text Types: Review
Factual Text Types: Information Report and Procedure
This unit focuses on the Earth and its surroundings. The Earth is part of a changing
system. In order to preserve life on Earth, there is a need to develop understanding of
the Earth's characteristics and how people interact with their environment. The content
of this unit involves the solar system, planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, meteorites,
comets, day and night, lunar cycles and the seasons.
| KLAs: English,
Science and Technology and Creative Arts |
Timeframe: 10
weeks |
| Literary Text Types: (This unit focuses on the hyper linked text types.) Narrative; Literary Recount; Observation;
Literary Description; Personal Response; Review
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| Factual Text Types: Factual Description; Information
Report; Procedure;
Procedural Recount; Factual Recount; Explanation; Exposition;
Discussion |
| This unit focuses on the Earth and its surroundings. The Earth is
part of a changing system. In order to preserve life on Earth, there is a
need to develop understanding of the Earth's characteristics and how
people interact with their environment. The content of this unit involves
the solar system, planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, meteorites, comets,
day and night, lunar cycles and the seasons.
Students have three major tasks to complete:
- an independently constructed written information report about one
planet in the Solar System
- an independently constructed oral
information report about the influence of the Sun or the Moon on
life on Earth
- a jointly construct a model, diorama or chart of the Solar System to
use when presenting the oral information report
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English
| Talking and Listening activities focus on building the
skills of group negotiation and place clear emphasis on the presentation
of oral information report. As well they support and develop topic
vocabulary and field knowledge through communication activities such as
barrier games. |
| Outcomes and Indicators |
- 3.1 Communicates effectively for a range of purposes and with a
variety of audiences to express well-developed, well organized ideas
dealing with more challenging topics.
- students listen to and note key ideas and information from
readings, documentary videos and multimedia presentations;
- students explain to a group complex phenomenon using technical
vocabulary.
- 3.2 Interacts productively and with autonomy in pairs and groups of
various sizes and composition, uses effective oral presentation skills
and strategies and listens attentively.
- Students listen to oral presentations and summarize main points;
- students use a range of strategies to participate cooperatively in
small group discussions, eg. taking turns, asking questions to gain
more information, adding to the group's ideas.
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English
| Reading activities revise and build on information skills,
using both written and screen-based texts and graphics. |
| Outcomes and Indicators |
- 3.6 Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies
when reading and interpreting written texts
- students gather, interpret and record relevant information
resources from a wide variety of print and screen-based sources using
several strategies:
- skimming, scanning, using indexes, glossaries, table of
contents, headings, captions, key words, search tools
- students identify reference links and adverbial and adjectival
phrases
- 3.8 Identifies the text structure of more complex information
reports and discusses how the characteristic grammatical features work
to influence readers' and viewers' understanding of texts
- students identify and explain the role of features such as
chapters, sub-headings, paragraphs, captions, word chains and noun
groups
- students recognize mixed text types with more than one purpose
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| English |
| Writing
activities consolidate Information
Reports and Procedures,
focusing on purpose, structure, technical language and grammatical
features. |
| Outcomes
and Indicators |
- 3.10 Uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar and punctuation
to edit own writing
- students use a variety of conjunctions and connectives to connect
groups of words and clauses
- students use abstract nouns related to the topic
- 3.11 Spells most common words accurately and uses a range of
strategies to spell unfamiliar words
- students use a knowledge of word meanings as a spelling strategy
- students use a knowledge of base words to interpret technical
language
- 3.12 Produces texts in a fluent and legible style and uses computer
technology to present these in a variety of ways
- students write fluently with appropriate size, slope and spacing
- students create screen-based text that incorporates graphics and
tables when appropriate
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| Science and Technology |
Knowledge
and Understandings: The Earth and Its Surroundings
There are
various parts to the physical environment: solar system, planets, Earth,
moon, stars, asteroids, meteors, comets |
- students modify and apply their understanding in the light of their
investigation
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| Learning
Processes |
- students develop their knowledge and understanding of the process of
investigation that people use to develop reliable insights into the
natural and made environments
- describe the process of investigation which can involve exploring
and discovering phenomena and events, proposing explanations,
initiating investigations, predicting outcomes, testing, modifying and
applying understandings
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| Skills
|
- students select and use a range of technologies
- select appropriate tools, hardware, materials, equipment or
software on the basis of their specific function and in order to
gather information
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| Values and
Attitudes towards science and technology |
- Students gain satisfaction in their efforts to investigate, design,
construct and in using technology
- students construct an information report on one of the planets
using some form of computer-based technology in their investigation,
planning or presentation
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| Visual Arts |
| Making
|
- Investigates subject matter in an attempt to represent likeness of
things
- makes artworks for other people assembling materials in a variety of
ways
- make a model, diorama or chart representing the solar system
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| Appreciating |
- Acknowledges that audiences respond in different ways to artworks
and that there are different opinions about the value of artworks
- Communicates about the ways in which subject matter is represented
in artworks
- investigate traditional and computer graphics showing graphical
representations of the solar system
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| Resources |
Print material
- A Book About Planets Betty Polisar Reigot (Scholastic)
- Encyclopedia of Space and the Universe (DK)
- The Gas Giants (Nelson)
- Night Lights David Hill (The School Magazine May 1999)
- Small Worlds (Nelson)
- Sydney Observatory 1999 sky guide for
the Sydney region and
Eastern NSW (Sydney Observatory) |
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You will also find this unit here.
E-Mail Helen!
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Math
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