Students learn about planets and other objects in the solar system and how they affect Earth. Students learn about the properties of the sun and other stars and how they are arranged in patterns called constellations and groups called galaxies.
Students learn how scientists use a variety of telescopes to study objects in space.
By the end of eighth grade, students will develop an understanding of the earth in the solar system. Students interpret data in a table to determine the actual diameter of the planets and the diameter of each planet's model. Students use this information to measure and draw scale models of the planets. They sequence the models in their correct order from the sun. Students make a spectroscope and use the spectroscope to separate white light from an incandescent light bulb into the different colors of the spectrum.