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