This is a Christian Home School Lesson Series for first graders on the Solar System that aims to fulfill the Science Content Standards from the California Department of Education.
Lesson 8: Uranus
Purpose: To explore and know more about God’s creation of Uranus.
Book(s) read:
Christine Taylor-Butler’s Uranus.
Other tools:
Paper
Pencil
Crayons
Learning Objectives:
- Learn general knowledge about Uranus.
- Learn the vocabulary concerning Uranus.
- Learn a spiritual lesson concerning Uranus.
Lessons
1. Learn general knowledge about Uranus.
Tool 1: Read Christine Taylor-Butler’s Uranus.
Tool 2: Questions
What is your favorite picture from what we read?
Point to pictures that shows Uranus.
Tool 3: Further period of interactive instructions
Uranus is the seventh planet away from the sun.
Uranus is mainly made up of gases and ice (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Uranus, 6).
The gases in Uranus include hydrogen, helium and methane gas (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 15).
Although methane gas is only a small percentage of the planet (2.3 percent) it is the gas that actually gives the planet its blue colors (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 17).
Uranus’ average temperature is – 357 Fahrenheit degrees (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 16).
The temperature is too cold for life.
When a surface of Uranus receive sunlight it will receive it for 42 years followed by 42 years of darkness (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 12).
Uranus actually has thirteen rings although they are hard to see (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 31).
The rings at Uranus are so hard to see it was not discovered 1977 (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 30).
The size of things in the rings of Uranus is as small as dust but it can even be as big as a truck (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 32).
Uranus has at least 27 known moons (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 29).
Uranus is unique than other planets because it is a sideways planet.
Scientists believes a giant asteroids once hit the planet and made it sideways.
Uranus does not spin on its “top and bottom” like other planets but spins like a ball.
Its ring is also is “sideways” unlike that of Jupiter and Saturn and circles the planet up and down.
In Uranus the magnetic pole being sideways means north and south are on its side unlike “up and down” for other planets.
Comparing it to other planets
Uranus is the fourth largest planet in our solar system (Adele Richardson, Mercury, 21).
Like Venus the planet Uranus spins clockwise unlike the rest of the planets (Christine Taylor-Butler’s Planet Uranus, 13).
It takes a longer time compared to the first six planets we learned about for Uranus to circle the Sun: It takes Uranus 84 Earth years to orbit the sun.
2. Illustrate what is learned in this lesson about Uranus.
Have four blocks to draw in.
First block label and draw a picture of Uranus.
Second block label and draw Uranus and moons (draw some moons not all 27).
Third block label and draw orbit. Have a picture of the sun circle by Mercury (color: grey), Venus (color: Orange/Crème), Earth (color: Blue), Mars (color: Red), Jupiter (color: Orange), Saturn (color: pale yellow) and Uranus (color: Blue-white or light blue).
Fourth block label and draw a picture of Voyager 2.
Switch paper and see the similarities and differences in one another’s drawings.
3. Learn a spiritual lesson about God’s creation of Uranus.
Tool 1: Bible
“‘Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
Heavens here refer not just only to where God and His angels are at, but also to the skies and space.
God created the space that Uranis is located in. God also recreated Uranus!
Yet this verse also say that God’s creation is the result of His great power.
Tool 2: Questions
Are you amazed at how God created Uranus?
Also the lesson with God’s creation of Uranus should lead us to realize nothing is too difficult with God; what areas in your life do you need to believe God is powerful?
Review: Share what you learn today.
Thanks for the interesting facts on the “sideways” planet. Coming after remarkable giants, Jupiter and Saturn, I always felt the last three planets got short shrift. I know all of the planets are named after pagan Greek gods but I was much more familiar with the other “gods” than Uranus. Funny how we still honor the pagan deities with names of the days of the week, months, and planets.
“I always felt the last three planets got short shrift.”
Response: I thought so too as a kid. I think it might be because we know less about those planets because they were further away…having said that I am also surprised at how much more new information and facts we have today than when I was a kid largely due to newer spacecrafts and Hubble Telescope which gather new images and data. I am glad to have the resources we have now in teaching my daughters these lessons!
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thanks for the reblog!
Yankee Whiskey Bravo
God bless you !
Thanks! Hope you are doing well Crissy
This is fantastic, I love these lessons! What a tremendous way to glorify God. Thank you, again, so much for all your hard work!
I know you teach your daughter a lot of science, have you guys gone over the planets yet?
Yes sir, in fact I wish I had all the resources you’ve listed when we did! We took an assignment down in Houston, and made the three months all about space. It was really neat to see NASA, it’s been a couple years…she use to want to be an astronaut.
First planet to be discovered by a telescope! 🙂
Wow! Coooll
It’s super cool you’re teaching about Uranus! Didn’t know it was a sideways planet! Cool!
[…] Solar System – Uranus […]
[…] Solar System First Grade Homeschool Lesson 8: Uranus […]