Grades 4-8
26 activities – 206 pages

The mysteries of space capture the imagination and create a natural curiosity among students who are regularly exposed to news about shuttle trips, satellites and space stations. Out of This World is an integrated study of our solar system.

Information is discovered through a series of exploration activities. Students will clearly understand the phases of the moon after constructing a viewing model that sits upon their shoulders and provides the viewpoint from the Earth as the moon travels through its phases. The size differences of the planets will become evident after they take part in a planet scavenger hunt, identifying one object (such as a marble) as the Earth, and then finding objects to represent the other planets that are proportionately accurate.

Students learn about the sun, planets, and moons through reading, math, and science. They learn about the hugeness of our solar system by building models. They learn about the planets’ densities (Did you know that if Saturn were placed in water, it would float?), gravity (How high could you jump on Jupiter?), temperature (Which planet is the hottest?), and the length of a day and year (Did you know that a day can be longer than a year?).  Also included in this book is the Earth, moon, and sun relationship—including rotation of the Earth and the phases of the moon.

Out of This World encourages students to use graphic organizers, such as graphs and Venn diagrams. Students also gain skills reading charts from which they glean and use relevant information.