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Space Mission 3: Dwarf Planets & Space Rocks-Ages 10-14 (Semester Course)

In this 4 or 8 week class, students are introduced to Dwarf Planets & Space Rocks, discovering how each is unique, where they come from, their mysteries, and importance to humans in this exciting, interactive & fun course. #academic
Kristina RI. (MAT BBA. AA. Spanish. TEFL)
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(177)
Class
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What's included

8 live meetings
6 in-class hours
Mastery Evaluation
1 hour per week. Teacher offers weekly materials to help students continue their learning outside of the video lessons. These include additional learning YouTube videos (topic specific), review games, fun worksheets students can print and fill-out, as well as tons of color pages which can be printed. Feedback is emailed after each class as well.
Grading
Letter grade and/or Certificate of Completion available upon request. The request should be made before the end of the 6th week class date. There is no formal assessment for this 8-week course, however, the teacher will utilize a variety of methods to determine that learning has occurred, including, online polls, game-type activities, and in-class review questions, as well as other fun, interactive methods.

Class Experience

US Grade 5 - 8
As Space is becoming increasingly important in most countries around the world, especially given the amount of Space travel that has recently increased, it is more and more important for our children to know, at least basic knowledge about the Space around us, including all the new information & incredible details we have learned about the Dwarf Planets & Space Rocks! Plus, most learners find these topics to be extremely interesting as their young minds get to explore the possibilities of Space with their classmates: making it perfect for the explorer in all of us!
Note: This class is a continuation of Space Mission: Astronomy, Astronauts & Exploration (or the Mega Mission to Space Course) & that class is a prerequisite class for this class as we learn many facts about space & key terminology which will be utilized during this course as well. 
Schedule Outline:
Class 1: We begin our class learning the definition of a Dwarf Planet and how these are different than the Main Planets in our Solar System. We will then learn about the closest Dwarf Planet to Earth, Ceres, and describe the basic features & how it is different & unique from the other planets.

Class 2: On this day, we will review the definition of a Dwarf Planet & then set out to explore the most famous of all Dwarf Planets, Pluto. We will discuss its structure, surface, atmosphere, and other interesting details of this famous dwarf planet. We will then investigate the Dwarf Planet which is the farthest from our Sun and almost equal to the size of Pluto, Eris.

Class 3: We will review the definition of a Dwarf Planet & then set out to discover the last two in our Solar System, Haumea & Makemake. We will examine their basic features & how they are different than other planets, as well as discuss their moons, rings, temperature & more.

Class 4: On this last day, we will participate in a class review game. Students will be invited to review the different Dwarf Planets & key terminology as we play a fun & interactive game, online as a class.

Class 5: We begin our class learning all about Asteroids, where they come from, what they look like, and what they are made of. We will briefly discuss the Asteroid Belt. 

Class 6: Today, we will explore Comets, where they originate from & we will identify the parts of a comet (nucleus, coma, ion tail, and dust tail). We will briefly discuss the Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud; however, focus will be on learning the parts of a comet & how it changes as it moves closer to the Sun.

Class 7: We will learn the basic differences between a Meteoroid, a Meteor, and a Meteorite. We will discuss what they look like & what they are mainly made of. We will also briefly discuss Near-Earth Objects during this lesson.

Class 8: On this last day, we will summarize why it is so important that we study space rocks, as well as what they could help us uncover about our Solar System & Earth’s creation. Afterwards, we will participate in a class game. Students will be invited to review the different types of space rocks as we play a fun & interactive game, online as a class.
For this particular course, Blast-Off to Space: The Dwarf Planets, we will focus on learning the location and interesting details of each Dwarf Planet, such as structure, surface, atmosphere, moons, and more. We will then focus on learning the parts of these space rocks (Asteroids, Comets, Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites), key terminology, as well as how they are all very different from each other in important ways.
The teacher will use a variety of presentation & teaching tools, including videos, discussions, pictures, and interactive games, as we have fun learning all about the wonders of Space together. There will also be additional materials, notes, color pages, and activities the students can complete in the Outschool classroom, for those looking for supplemental materials.

*Recommended (but not required) Prerequisite Course: Space Mission 1: Astronomy, Astronauts & Exploration
Learning Goals
Students will define & identify the Dwarf Planets; describe their basic features & how they are unique.
Students will identify & describe Asteroids, Comets, Meteoroids, Meteors, & Meteorites; and explain their importance & how they are unique.
learning goal

Syllabus

Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum
Standards
Aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
2 Units
8 Lessons
over 8 Weeks
Unit 1: The Dwarf Planets
Lesson 1:
Defining Dwarf Planets & Ceres
 This lesson is an introduction to what dwarf planets are and how they are different from the main planets. We take an in-depth look into the closest dwarf planet to Earth, which is Ceres. We locate it, discuss how its petite size, structure, orbit, spin, and some interesting facts we have discovered. It may be the smallest, but Ceres is definitely got a lot going on! 
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Exploring The Kuiper Belt & Pluto
 We begin our lesson discussing the Kuiper Belt and its role in our Solar System. Then we explore out to the famous planet-turned-dwarf planet, Pluto. We discuss its historic "fall from grace", as well as its orbit, structure, size, spin, moons, and so much more! Find out what you never knew before about the most well-known dwarf planet, Pluto, in this class! 
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Finding Haumea, MakeMake, & Eris
 Today's lesson is all about the last 3 categorized dwarf planets, Haumea, MakeMake, & Eris. We will examine their basic features & how they are different than other planets, as well as discuss their moons, rings, temperature & more. Together we will discuss what makes these dwarf planets so unique. 
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Other objects in the Kuiper Belt & Review
 During this class, we will focus on several more objects found deep inside the Kuiper Belt as we explore these celestial bodies that have yet to be categorized as dwarf planets. Afterwards, we will join in on a fantastic review game covering all we have learned about the Dwarf Planets! 
45 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Parental Guidance
Learners will need to be able to mute & unmute themselves as teacher will have students muted during instructional times so all learners can hear the material presented; however, they will be asked to unmute to ask & answer questions, reflect, and contribute to our conversation. Youtube video clips may be used to help learners understand the material at time. All links to these videos will be available in the Outschool Classroom after our lesson.
Supply List
Any learning materials needed will be available for download in the Outschool classroom.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
5.0
177reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Missouri Teaching Certificate in Secondary Education
I have always had a love of space, from the moment my grandpa, an amateur astronomer, let me look through the 10-foot telescope he built all by himself, to watching shuttles & satellites lift into the sky, and watching some fall back to the earth. I have spotted some of the largest dust storms to hit Mars, and have enjoyed looking at the various craters on our Moon and seeing the rings around Saturn, all from my own backyard in Missouri & while using other telescopes my grandpa and I built together! I have never ceased my exploration and search, looking to the skies to watch for eclipses, comets, and so much more! My love of all things Space has only increased with time, and I feel it is the next great wave of the future! As a teacher with a Master’s Degree in Teaching & over 30 years of experience working with children of various ages, and more than 5 years teaching students about Space, as well as other Science-related subject-matter, I love sharing my knowledge with the next generation. My hope is to instill the awe-inspiring beauty the Unknown Universe holds, as well as encourage students to dream and believe! I hope to see you in class as we take to the Cosmos during this Amazing Space Mission!

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Live Group Course
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$19

weekly or $150 for 8 classes
1x per week, 8 weeks
45 min

Live video meetings
Ages: 10-14
2-10 learners per class

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