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What are the wandering stars?
Spaceship Earth Unit | Lesson 6 of 5
Back > Share

What are the wandering stars?

Spaceship Earth Unit | Lesson 6 of 5
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
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Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

Were you surprised? Why or why not?

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DISCUSS:

Which planets move the most quickly in their orbits around the Sun? Which planets move the most slowly?

Reveal answer

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DISCUSS:

People used to think that planets were a type of star. Now we know that planets are worlds. Why did we change our minds about them?

Reveal answer

In the old view of planets, would the Earth be considered a planet? Why or why not?

Reveal answer

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DISCUSS:

Okay so now you've seen real, close-up photographs from Mars, Venus, and Mercury. What planets are we missing?

Reveal answer

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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.

ELA Activity: My Very Educated Mother

This sentence will help you remember the planets in order, starting closest to the sun: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos. Just think of a planet that starts with the first letter of each word: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and so on. Have students create and illustrate with their own sentences to help them remember.

Extra Activity: Age & Weight on Other Worlds

Have your students use online calculators to figure out their age on other planets and their weight on other planets.

Project: Travel Poster

Let each student choose a favorite planet and create a travel poster extolling its virtues as a vacation spot, using fun facts about planets. Two other useful sources of information include PlanetsFor Kids.org and NinePlanets.org.

Project: To Live on Another Planet

Have students write about the challenges of living on another planet. Prompt them to describe what the landscape on this planet looks like. What would the weather be like there? How long is a day? How long is the year? What would they need to survive on this planet?

Make a Model of the Solar System

Make a map of the solar system -- using chalk on the sidewalk. You’ll need 90 feet of sidewalk to get all the way to Neptune!

  • Draw a line to mark your starting point. That’s the surface of the Sun. Label it SUN. You’ll make a circle and label each planet, starting with the inner planets, the ones closest to the Sun.
  • Take one step to Mercury and mark your place.
  • Take one more step to Venus.
  • One more step and you’re at Earth. Home sweet home!
  • Take one more step and a baby step, and you’re at Mars. Now it’s time to go to the outer planets.
  • Take ten steps to Jupiter.
  • Take 15 steps to Saturn.
  • Take 30 steps to Uranus.
  • Finally, take 30 steps to Neptune. You are a long way from home now!

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Other
Saturn by NASA / cropped, tilted
Credits

Featured Reviews

“The best part, as with all mystery lessons, is the approach. Doug makes it a mystery and draws the students in.”
· Pamela · Teacher
“I like it all, I love the experiments and the videos- easy to implement ”
· Carol · Teacher
“So informative about the planets! The kids loved the "Race to Neptune" game.”
· Megan · Teacher
“The kids loved creating a model of the solar system and running to the different planets (that was probably their favorite part:-) ”
· Kurt · Teacher
“The follow up questions created a good foundation for discussion in my classroom!”
· Andrea · Teacher
“The interactive part of going outside and running to each planet was very engaging!”
· Jamie · Teacher
“The kids were so surprised to learn that "wandering stars" were planets. It really got them excited about the solar system.”
· Cathy · Teacher
“The videos are AMAZING!!! My kids were captivated the whole time! Good job MS! ”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“Again, great historical tie-in. Students need to know that our knowledge about science has changed over time.”
· Dustin · Teacher
“Students were really engaged and amazed at the videos. The information was very easy for them to understand.”
· Adrian · Teacher
“The model was great fun and interactive. The videos complemented the lesson well. It was a well balanced exploration.”
· Bill · Teacher
“The chalk activity was a really awesome way for my students to visualize the space between planets and the sun. The incorporation of the PE game was awesome too! ”
· Melinda · Teacher
“The students loved the images revealed, starting with the old fashioned images. And the facts shared were meaningful and interesting. ”
· Erin · Teacher
“Students were very excited to learn more and they even decided to check out all of our space library books and they actually came back the next day and talked about the planets they saw in the sky! Such a wonderful learning opportunity. ”
· Alejandra · Teacher
“The video was really great. The project was fun and eye opening. Thank you!”
· Katherine · Homeschooler
“We enjoyed the chalk activity on the blacktop. It gave the kids a sense of scale for the solar system, and we got outdoors and colored!”
· Cameron · Teacher
“It was so interesting to see the pictures of the planets and learn some cool facts. The kids were very impressed! ”
· Sarah · Homeschooler
“amazing”
· Haley · Homeschooler
“This was a really cool activity. Measuring the distance between planets and drawing them in sidewalk chalk was really cool. However, there weren't enough jobs for all students. The students that were occupied (measuring and drawing) were engaged. The students that weren't, were hard to manage and keep engaged. Being outside adds a different dimension to classroom management. I was getting frustrated trying to get the solar system completed and keeping my students, without jobs, interested and in-line. Suggestion: Get something for the whole class to do that is just as cool! :) ”
· Alma · Teacher
“The students really enjoyed the activity portion and learning about space. The only thing I added to give my students and even more hands on experience is creating their own planetarium as well as showing them one I had. Excellent lesson and will definitely teach this one again. Thank you!”
· Lorenzo · Teacher
“The activity is a great one for giving students some perspective on the distance between planets, but is difficult to do with a large class. I would recommend smaller groups, or have a couple of groups performing the task in a larger area. ”
· Nicole · Admin
“We used the hall - it was very good”
· Roberta · Teacher
“This was one of the kids' favorite lessons and activities! We only had 15 feet of rope, but that worked fine.”
· Jordan · Homeschooler
“They loved the drawing and running activity! And all the "stars lined up right" for me . . . as I was conducting the activity, my principal and my school board chairman walked by! I looked like a super-star teacher! Thanks!”
· Angela · Teacher
“It was very informative as well as interesting. We just went on a school field trip to a planetarium and everyone said they liked this lesson better than the movie at the planetarium!!!”
· Renee · Homeschooler
“Students loved "running" to the different planets. Best science lesson I've had all year!”
· Nick · Teacher
“My students enjoyed going outside to measure the planet distances. It really helped them picture how the solar system is set up”
· Kelly · Teacher
“The explanation of the wandering stars was great, seeing how scientists put probes and rovers on other planets was fascinating, and thinking about how soon we may have people on Mars gave us all goosebumps!! Unfortunately, one of the videos wouldn't play for us (I blame my rural internet connection), but we still learned a lot. And the activity was a blast! We are now searching for a nearby scaled planet walk!”
· Erica · Homeschooler
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade 5

Earth & Space Patterns

Planets & Solar System

5-ESS1-2

Activity Prep

Print Prep
This lesson introduces the “wandering stars.” Students will learn what it means to see them with their own eyes, and will learn some interesting discoveries about each one. In the activity, Running to Neptune, students draw out the planets in our Solar System with chalk on the playground. Then, they play a racing game, running to each planet, reinforcing the names, order, and relative distances between the planets.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Distance Between Planets worksheet 1 copy
Permanent Marker
1 marker
Rulers
1 ruler
Scissors
1 pair
Toilet Paper Tube
Recycled is fine. Can reuse from year to year once assembled.
Details
1 tube
Colored Chalk
10 sticks
String
Can reuse from year to year once assembled.
Details
60 feet
Prep Instructions

You need an outdoor area that’s at least 60 feet long where you can mark on the ground with chalk.

Watch the Prep Video

We include an instructional video for this activity that is meant for the teacher, not for students. The video walks you through how to mark the string at particular increments with permanent marker, which needs to be prepared in advance of the activity.

Exploration

20 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

Grade 5

Earth & Space Patterns

Planets & Solar System

5-ESS1-2

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Astronomy Lesson 6: What are the wandering stars?

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