Components of the Solar System:
Scale, Motion, and Gravity

This page was developed as part of the NASA-funded Sustainable Trainer Engagement Program by LPI
  Return to Earth & Space Science Classroom Activities and Resources

Participating as Students:

Definitions/ word wall discussion: solar system, galaxy, universe

Scale activities

• Cosmic Survey
• Our Neighborhood in our Universe
• Paper Strip Model
• Human Scale Model
• Size of the Sun
• Venus Transit Info on Measuring Distances
• 2 inch universe 
• Worlds in Comparison
  This activity allows students to develop an understanding of the relative volume of the planets in our solar system, by dividing up a big ball of playdough.

Powerpoint Resources

• Powerpoint to Solar System Scale Activity by Doreen Jarvis

Orbiting information and activities

Definitions: rotation and revolution

• Use various balls as a scale pre-assessment
• Bead bracelets to model motions
• Modeling the Night Sky

Gravity Activities

Definition: Mass

• Heavyweight Planet Jupiter
• Online Interactives
• Pull of the Planets