Solar System Studies

Sixth grade students revisit the solar system in their Earth science studies. There are plethora books written about the solar system, but with all of the changes, finding up to date titles to share with students is imperative. Students begin learning about the solar system as young as second grade with Georgia standards, so it's all important to make sure the books are sophisticated enough to engage middle school students and provide information that supports their standards. 13 Planets: The Latest View of the Solar System and The Skies Above My Eyes are Picture Books that can do this.

13 Planets: The Latest View of the Solar System to teach

S6E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about current scientific views of the universe and how those views evolved.

a. Ask questions to determine changes in models of Earth’s position in the solar system, and origins of the universe as evidence that scientific theories change with the addition of new information.

e. Ask questions to compare and contrast the characteristics, composition, and location of comets, asteroids, and meteoroids.

What Makes This Book Special? This picture included in this blog of the back cover allows students to immediately begin thinking about the standard, by asking "well what size was the galatic neighborhood before?"

The Skies Above My Eyes to teach...

S6E4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how the sun, land, and water affect climate and weather.

a. Analyze and interpret data to compare and contrast the composition of Earth’s atmospheric layers (including the ozone layer) and greenhouse gases.

(Clarification statement: Earth’s atmospheric layers include the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.)

S6E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about current scientific views of the universe and how those views evolved.

a. Ask questions to determine changes in models of Earth’s position in the solar system, and origins of the universe as evidence that scientific theories change with the addition of new information.

(Clarification statement: Students should consider Earth’s position in geocentric and heliocentric models and the Big Bang as it describes the formation of the universe.)

b. Develop a model to represent the position of the solar system in the Milky Way galaxy and in the known universe.

What Makes This Book Special? This book is just like The Street Beneath My Feet. Also written by Charlotte and Guilain and illustrated by Yoval Zommer is special for having the same characteristics described in the blog post for The Street Beneath My Feet, except this book has upward layers instead of levels below.