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Middle school students have an innate
curiosity about our nearest neighbor—the Moon—and about
planets, their moons, the Sun, asteroids, comets, and
meteoroids within our solar system. Earth in Space
taps this curiosity by helping students clarify what they
already know about the solar system and Earth as a planet
and giving them the opportunity to perform a series of
engaging inquiry-centered activities through which they
extend and enrich this knowledge.
Each lesson in this module builds on skills and concepts
presented in previous lessons. As students progress through
the module, they take greater responsibility for their own
learning, eventually planning and conducting their own
procedures, devising their own data tables, and analyzing
the results they obtain.
Earth in Space is divided into three parts:
Sun-Earth-Moon System, Solar System, and Earth’s History as a Planet. A
conceptual sequence chart for the module appears under Downloads.
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Sun-Earth-Moon System: Students investigate the
relative sizes, motions, and positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
Shadows, phases, eclipses, and seasons are used as evidence of these
relationships. Students investigate the Sun as an energy source and
sunspots as evidence of changes in solar energy patterns.Solar System: Students begin by considering the scale of the
solar system, an exercise that helps prepare them for understanding
phenomena within the system. They investigate planetary processes, such
as impact cratering, wind and water erosion, landslides, volcanism, and
tectonics. Students conduct investigations of gravity, orbital motion,
and tides that result from gravitational forces. Throughout the unit,
students are challenged to model these phenomena and recognize that
their models need to be compared with empirical data. A reading series
on NASA missions to each planet ties the lessons together.
Earth’s History as a Planet: Students compare asteroids, meteoroids, and comets
and examine the effects of asteroid impact throughout Earth’s history.
Students explore fossils as evidence of life on Earth and its planetary
changes and simulate the excavation and formation of fossils. Students
compare the characteristics of Earth as a planet with the other planets
in the solar system and consider Earth’s state of equilibrium needed to
support life.
Anchor Activity: This is a research project in which students
work individually to gather information about a particular planet,
organize their findings into a brochure, and present them to the class
at the close of the module. This activity challenges students to think
about space science from both historical and technological perspectives.
Each part of the unit begins with an assessment of students’ current
understanding of the topic and ends with performance-based and written
assessments. |
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Goals for this kit include a complete understanding of the following ideas in
Earth Science:
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The relationships in the Sun-Earth-Moon System |
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Characteristics of planets |
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Planetary processes |
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Earth’s history |
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Try the Carolina Curriculum Pilot Program
What’s the best way to learn about STC Program®, Building Blocks of Science™, Math Out of the Box®, or GEMS Kits®? Pilot a unit in your school or district!
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Here's how it works:
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Complete
the
pilot information request form. |
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You choose a lead teacher(s) to pilot the units. |
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Carolina
ships the selected unit kit(s) to your
school/district. |
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At the end of the pilot, you can purchase one of the unit kits for 10% off the catalog price! |
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Contact our Sales Staff
Carolina’s Curriculum Sales and Services group provides districts and schools that are evaluating curriculum with samples, professional planning, and implementation assistance. Our staff includes in-office curriculum account managers and regional sales managers in the field.
Click here to contact the account manager and sales manager for your school district. |
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Customer Service
All Carolina customers have their own
customer service representative, determined by state, to
meet their specific needs.
Click here for customer service representative
contact information. |
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Technical Support
With Carolina's technical support staff, you have access to knowledgeable professionals with expertise in many areas of the sciences. Call
800-227-1150 (8 am to 5 pm ET) or email
curriculum@carolina.com and trained staff will answer your questions about a
Carolina Curriculum product or provide additional information. |
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Earth in Space Unit
Kit
The Unit Kit comes with a Teacher's
Guide, a Teacher's Tools CD, 16
Reusable Perfect Bound Student
Guides, 16 Reusable Student Guide
Ebook Access Codes and the
materials needed for a class of 32. |
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Earth in Space
Refurbishment Set
This set replenishes the consumable
materials in the Unit Kit. |
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Earth in Space
Replacement Parts
We offer individual replacement parts for your Unit Kits. |
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Earth in Space
5-Class Unit Kit
The Unit Kit comes with a Teacher's
Guide, a Teacher's Tools CD, 16
Reusable Perfect Bound Student
Guides, 16 Reusable Student Guide
Ebook Access Codes and the
materials needed for a class of 160. |
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Earth in Space
5-Class Refurbishment Set
This set replenishes the consumable
materials in the 5-Class Unit Kit. |
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Earth in Space
Student Guide and Source Book, Pack
of 4
This pack is handy for replacing
lost or damaged student books. |
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Teacher's Tools
CD-ROM: Earth in Space
This CD contains digital versions of
the teaching materials for this kit. |
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KIDS DISCOVER:
Earth
(Pack of 8)
This KIDS DISCOVER magazine
stimulates students' imaginations,
connects science in the classroom to
the real world, and makes learning
fun! |
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KIDS DISCOVER:
Space
Exploration (Pack of 8)
This KIDS DISCOVER magazine
stimulates students' imaginations,
connects science in the classroom to
the real world, and makes learning
fun! |
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This
free lesson from Earth in Space will allow students to
create a scale model of our solar system. By making both
qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the planets,
students prepare for later lessons in which they study other
planetary characteristics, including geological processes,
orbital motion, and tidal effects.
