ALEX | Alabama Learning Exchange

Satellites and Gravity

Classroom Resource Information

Title:

Satellites and Gravity

URL:

https://www.readworks.org/article/Satellites-and-Gravity/db9d5a7e-11d6-4e3b-a2b5-7a24b288803b#!vocabularySection:application/articleTab:content/

Content Source:

Other
ReadWorks.org

Type:

Learning Activity

Overview:

The teacher will present an informational text from the website, ReadWorks. Students will interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally. This learning activity can introduce students to the concept of gravity and celestial bodies or serve as reinforcement after students have already learned this concept.

Content Standard(s):

Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 6
Earth and Space Science

2 ) Construct models and use simulations (e.g., diagrams of the relationship between Earth and man-made satellites, rocket launch, International Space Station, elliptical orbits, black holes, life cycles of stars, orbital periods of objects within the solar system, astronomical units and light years) to explain the role of gravity in affecting the motions of celestial bodies bodies (e.g., planets, moons, comets, asteroids, meteors) within galaxies and the solar system.

NAEP Framework

NAEP Statement::
E12.2: Early in the history of the universe, matter (primarily the light atoms hydrogen and helium) clumped together by gravitational attraction to form countless trillions of stars and billions of galaxies.

NAEP Statement::
E8.1a: In contrast to an earlier theory that Earth is the center of the universe, it is now known that the Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system.

NAEP Statement::
E8.1b: Earth is the third planet from the Sun in a system that includes seven other planets and their moons, as well as smaller objects such as asteroids and comets.

NAEP Statement::
E8.2: Gravity is the force that keeps most objects in the solar system in regular and predictable motion. These motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the Moon, and eclipses.

Unpacked Content

Scientific And Engineering Practices:

Developing and Using Models

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models

Disciplinary Core Idea: Earth's Place in the Universe

Evidence Of Student Attainment:

Students:

Construct models to explain the role of gravity in affecting the motions of celestial bodies within galaxies and the solar system.
Use simulations to explain the role of gravity in affecting the motions of celestial bodies within galaxies and the solar system.

Teacher Vocabulary:

Model
Simulation
Gravity
Gravitational force
Solar system
Galaxy
Milky Way galaxy
Sun
Planets
Moons
Asteroids
Asteroid belt
Stars
Celestial bodies
Elliptical orbit

Knowledge:

Students know:

The solar system is a collection of bodies, including the sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and meteors.
A galaxy is any of the very large groups of stars and associated matter that are found throughout the universe.
The Earth's solar system is one of many systems orbiting the center of the larger system of the Milky Way galaxy.
Gravity is an attractive force between solar system and galaxy objects.
Gravity increases as the mass of the interacting objects increases.
Gravity decreases as the distances between objects increases.
Gravity affects the orbital motion of objects in our solar system (e.g., moons orbit around planets, all objects within the solar system orbit the sun).
Gravity is a predominantly inward-pulling force that can keep smaller/less massive objects in orbit around larger/more massive objects.
Gravity causes a pattern of smaller/less massive objects orbiting around larger/more massive objects at all system scales in the universe.
Gravitational forces from planets cause smaller objects (e.g., moons) to orbit around planets.
The gravitational force of the sun causes the planets and other bodies to orbit around it, holding the solar system together.
The gravitational forces from the center of the Milky Way cause stars and stellar systems to orbit around the center of the galaxy.
The hierarchy pattern of orbiting systems in the solar system was established early in its history as the disk of dust and gas was driven by gravitational forces to form moon-planet and planet-sun orbiting systems.
Objects too far away from the sun do not orbit it because the sun's gravitational force on those objects is too weak to pull them into orbit.
Without gravity smaller planets would move in straight paths through space, rather than orbiting a more massive body.

Skills:

Students are able to:

Develop a model and identify the relevant components including gravity and celestial bodies.
Describe the relationships and interactions between the components of the solar and galaxy systems.
Use the model to describe gravity and its effects.

Understanding:

Students understand that:

Gravity is an attractive force between solar system and galaxy objects.
Gravity causes a pattern of smaller/less massive objects orbiting around larger/more massive objects at all systems scales in the universe.

AMSTI Resources:

AMSTI Module:
Exploring Planetary Systems

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards

AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.6.2- Recognize that gravity is responsible for the moon's orbit around Earth, and Earth's orbit around the sun.

Tags:

gravity, motion, readworks, satellites

License Type:

Custom Permission Type
See Terms: https://about.readworks.org/terms-of-use.html
For full descriptions of license types and a guide to usage, visit :
https://creativecommons.org/licenses

Accessibility

Audio resources: includes a transcript or subtitles

Comments

ReadWorks is a website that provides K-12 teachers with free literacy resources (About ReadWorks). ReadWorks has literary and informational texts on a variety of subjects and reading skills. You may narrow your search using grade level or Lexile level, making this website a wonderful tool for differentiation. Students will complete their work digitally, and you will provide their score and feedback digitally. This makes it easy to go paperless for this activity.

Prior to implementing this activity, you will need to sign up for an Educator Account on ReadWorks. After setting up an account, create a class from the Class Admin tab, this will provide you with a Class Code to give to students. Next, use the Find Content tab to search for the informational article that will be used during this activity, "Satellites and Gravity". After navigating to the article, click on the blue Assign button to assign it to your class.

Each student will need access to a digital device, such as a tablet or laptop. The first time students enter the website they will need to enter the Class Code that is listed on your Class Admin page. Alternatively, you can print the article, if digital devices are not available.

This resource provided by:

Author:

Hannah Bradley

ALEX Classroom Resource

Satellites and Gravity