SOLAR SYSTEM TEACHING RESOURCES
THE SOLAR SYSTEM IN DETAIL
This is a huge powerpoint which I use with younger year groups. It takes you through the whole solar system planet-by-planet, plus the Sun and other objects with the best images I could find of each. I was determined not to include a single computer simulation or artist's impression, as a result of being disappointed in my younger years to find out that many images I'd been fascinated by in books were actually fabricated.
I've added notes to go with many of the slides so that you can toss in all those extra details which will convince your pupils you're a walking fount of all knowledge.
â
It's too big to be put here as a clickable icon, but click here to download a copy.
SEASONS, LUNAR PHASES AND ECLIPSES
A more modest powerpoint to explain these ideas. The Phases of the Moon slide builds up the diagram in a way which should make logical sense to pupils and the eclipse pages are designed to build up the diagram in the exact order they should when trying to reproduce them in exams.
SCALE MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
There are some of that have been made in some areas (there's a nice one along a cycle path just south of York), but making your own has a certain charm. This example takes as its scale reducing the Sun to 20cm in diameter. This scale works nicely for several reasons:
-
The Sun just fits onto a piece of A4 (see Word file below)
-
Alternatively, you could use an old netball painted yellow for your Sun
-
The smallest planets are (just) visible to the naked eye
Pupils are often surprised that you can only just fit the Sun and Mercury into a classroom at this scale. To go further, you'll need an outdoor space such as a playground or field.
â
The Word file has one sheet per object which you can print out (and probably should laminate too, if you're going outdoors with them). The circles for each planet/object should print out at exactly the right size and each sheet also tells you how far away that object should be placed from the Sun to maintain the correct scale.
â
If you need to check (or want to change) the scale calculations, the Excel file has them all done for you, including regions like the Oort Cloud for extra detail.
â