Student: Introduction to Astronomy

 Astronomy

This week in 3rd grade we started our unit on Astronomy. We will be learning all about moons, planets, stars, comets, galaxies, and our solar system. Don't Forget every night to be keeping track of your moon log! Your moon log should include a drawn image of the moon that night, the time you saw the moon, and which direction it was from your location (North, South, East, or West). We will be turning these in on March 21.For examples view this Moon Chart and Moon Phases to help you get started. Learning about astronomy should always be fun. You will begin to think bigger and deeper about our Universe.

What is the Name of our Galaxy?

Astronomy Preview Questions:
1. What do you think causes the phases of the moon?
2. How long does it take the Earth to revolve around the Sun?
3. What is a revolution?
4. What it a rotation?
5. Can you list the planets in our solar system in order from the Sun?
6. What is Astronomy?
7. What is Astrology?
8. What is the name of our Galaxy? 

Remember these questions are participation points only.  Please number your answers in the comments. There is no wrong answer and all comments should remain clean, respectful, and have an educational purpose.

This Week in Astrology:  A 10-ton meteor exploded over Russia on Friday to read more in Time For Kids.

During this unit we will be going outside to see our solar system to scale starting with our Sun as a yellow kick ball, and ending on the other side of the school with Pluto as a grain of salt. We will also be chowing down on our Oreo Moon Phases. Do you think that there is a possibility for life somewhere other than Earth? If you could choose which planet other than Earth would you like to live on? Why? After studying the different characteristics of each planet you will have the ability to make your own alien that has had to adapt to the unique environment of its home planet.

Our Solar System