3. Mercury
Mercury is the
closest planet to the
sun.
It is very hot during
the day and freezing
cold at night.
Its surface is
covered with craters.
4. Venus
It is the second
planet from the
sun.
It is the brightest
planet.
It is almost the
same size as
Earth.
5. Earth
It is the 3rd planet from
the sun.
It is the only planet
with life because it is
just the right
temperature.
It is made up of mostly
water.
It has oxygen which is a
gas that humans and
other animals need in
6. M ars
It is the fourth planet
from the sun.
It is known as the red
planet.
There was probably
water on Mars a long
time ago.
8. Jupiter
Jupiter is the 5th
planet from the sun
and the largest planet
in the Solar System.
It has a great red
spot.
It known as the “Gas
Giant”.
It has at least 16
moons.
9. Saturn
It is the 6th planet from
the sun and the 2nd
largest.
It is known for its
rings which are made
of icy chunks of rock.
It has at least 21
moons. More than
any other planet!
10. Uranus
It is the 7th planet
from the sun.
It is four times
larger than Earth.
It is mostly made
up of gas and
liquid.
It has rings.
11. Neptune
It is the 8th planet
from the sun.
It is Uranus’ twin
although it is a little
smaller.
Like Jupiter, it has
a storm spot.
It has rings.
12. Pluto
Was the 9th planet
and is the farthest
planet from the sun.
(Now a dwarf planet,
no longer considered
a planet in our solar
system
It is very small and
it is very cold there.
It has just one moon.
Editor's Notes
<number>Learning objective: students will learn the characteristics of the planets in the solar systemThings that went well: I got the projector to work and the power point presentation went smoothly enoughThings that didn’t go so well: The presentation took longer than anticipated and the information included in the presentation may have been overloadIf I could do things differently, I’d probably change some of the instructional input on the slides, they seem really wordy after having taught it to my class. I think I’d like to have names and pictures predominantly on the slide, and just talk to them as the presentation progresses. Also at the end, I think I’d flash pictures of different planets and see if my students would be able to identify them.Students were not actively using technology, but they were engaged by it. Technology use was essential, and the task focus was on the lesson, not the technology. Using a power point presentation was a huge added value because I was able to show students actual pictures of the planets as I taught. They loved that.My technology integration experience matched up with the 4 principles of effective technology integration pretty well. I didn’t center a lesson around technology use, and I was definitely able to enhance the content of my lesson by using a power point presentation and showing actual pictures of the planets. I wouldn’t have been able to show my students the planets otherwise, considering it wouldn’t have been possible to walk outside, stare into the sky, and just see all 8 planets. My pedagogy was great, I had an awesome introductory set lined up that fed right into the lesson, and my content knowledge was very intact because I had learned and studied what I was going to teach well in advance.
