Space

–The next time that a total solar eclipse will be visible in North America is August 21, 2017.  Will it be visible where you live in North America?  Create a persuasive presentation for your parents explaining what a solar eclipse is and why your family should go on a vacation in August of 2017 to a place in North America where the eclipse will be viewable in its total state.  Choose one of the states where it can be viewed in its totality and conduct some research about what other attractions might be fun to see in that state.  Include these other attractions in your presentation.  Include a budget in your presentation that will break down the cost of the travelling to the selected state and include items such as gasoline or airfare, food, lodging, cost of admission to any attractions that you want to see in the state, etc.

You are the owner of a solar travel agency!  Design a travel brochure that includes information about each of the 8 planets and include interesting facts about why tourists might want to visit that particular planet.

–Develop a board game about the planets.  Think of a catchy and fun name for your game.  Write questions about the planets that game players will need to answer in order to move or advance through the logistics of your game.

–Compose an acrostic poem about one of the planets.  Use each of the letters in the name of the planet to describe an aspect of the planet.

Imagine that you are a seasoned space traveler and create postcards from outer space.

Constellations are stars that form imaginative shapes.  Write your own story or myth about a character in a constellation.  For example, write a story about the figure of Orion in the constellation named after him.  Or write a story about the “big bear” in the constellation called Ursa Major.

Notice that OUR moon has no name! Think of a good name for the Earth’s moon. You can name it after someone in Greek or Roman mythology, after a famous person, after an interesting object, or create a new word altogether.  Tie the new name in to some of the characteristics of the physical attributes of the Moon.  Write an explanation of how your came up with the Moon’s new name and why it is a fitting name for the Earth’s only moon.

Concoct a pneumonic device to remember the order of the 8 planets in our solar system.  A pneumonic device is simply a way to remember something.  For example, a pneumonic device that is commonly used to remember the order of the colors in the rainbow is the phrase Roy G. Biv.  The first letter in this phrase corresponds to the correct colors: red, orange, yellow, green,  blue, indigo, violet.

Create a poem about the Earth, one of the planets, the Moon, the Sun, asteroids, or eclipses.

–The United States has a holiday called Earth Day where we celebrate and learn about ways to protect the Earth’s environment.  Create a new holiday for our nation that celebrates outer space!  Think of a great name for the holiday.  Describe how people might celebrate this holiday.  Outline some of the facts about our solar system that the new holiday should spotlight. Think up some possible traditions that people might do on this holiday (for example, people often pick up garbage on Earth Day or plant a tree on Arbor Day or fly the flag on the 4th of July).

–Create a movie, slide show, or booklet to teach younger students about the phases of the Moon.  Include factual information about the phases.  Also include an imaginative story about the Moon with illustrations to enhance the story.