This document is a webquest assignment on the solar system for a 6th grade class. It contains links to multiple websites for students to explore and answer questions about the planets, asteroids, comets, meteors, and satellites. Key points covered include the order and characteristics of the planets, temperatures on different planets, sizes of planets compared to Earth, what asteroids, comets and meteors are made of, and the definition and examples of artificial satellites. The assignment aims to help students learn about different objects in our solar system through interactive online exploration.

1. Katie Vance
October 22, 2012
Webquest Assignment
Professor David Stokes
Grade: 6th
Topic: The Solar System
1. http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm
1A. When you go to this website, list the names of each planet in order beginning from closest to
the Sun.
1B. Click on one of the planets and list:
1) How long one rotation takes
2) Distance from the sun
3) The temperature of the planet
4) Planet‟s color
1C. On the left side of the page, select another planet and follow the same steps for 1B.
1) How long one rotation takes
2) Distance from the sun
3) Temperature of the planet
4) Planet‟s color
Go to http://www.kidsastronomy.com/fun/index.htm and complete the Astronomy Quiz.

2. Have you noticed a difference in each of the Planets? Why are they all different colors and
different temperatures? Go through the website to answer the following questions.
2. http://www.universetoday.com/35664/temperature-of-the-planets/
2A.
T or F Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, therefore it has a burning surface.
T or F There are currently 8 planets in our Solar System
T or F Venus has the highest average temperatures of any planet because of its proximity to
the Sun and its thick atmosphere
2B. (Fill in the blanks)
Uranus is the planet with a recorded temperature of . Although Uranus is far from the Sun,
that is not the only reason why it is so cold. All of the other gas giants in our Solar System give
off heat from their cores than they receive from the Sun.
3. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Ob0xR0Ut8 to learn about the sizes of the
planets. The Solar System is a lot bigger than you think!
3A. Write to interesting facts that you learned from the video:
1.
2.

3. 4. http://kids.nineplanets.org/
4A. though this website is called “nine planets”, what change has been made at the top of the
page and why? Be sure to scroll down to answer the question correctly.
4B. Click on „click on the portal to explore the planets!‟ link and list the planets of the inner and
outer solar system.
Inner:
Outer:
4C. the Asteroid belt is what separates the inner and outer planets. Click on „Asteroid Belt‟ to
learn more.
What are asteroids?
Now we are going to look further into other parts of Space: asteroids, comets, and meteors.
5. http://science.discovery.com/video-topics/space-videos/asteroids.htm
Click on the link to watch a video about asteroids!
5A. Write three characteristics of an asteroid
1.
2.
3.

4. Click on the next link to learn about comets
6. http://scienceforkids.kidipede.com/physics/space/comet.htm
6A. (Fill in the blanks)
Comets are balls of leftover and that were originally part of a formed when a exploded into a .
6B. T or F These balls formed into planets when most of the material in our nebula merged
together, about 4.5 billion years ago.
If false, explain what happens instead.
7. Go to http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/meteors_kids.cfm to learn more about asteroids
and meteors and to answer 7A.
7A.
Match the words on the right with the correct fact on the left
Impact craters
-The biggest space rocks. Asteroids
Meteoroids
-Smaller pieces of rock and iron that orbit our Sun. Meteor
meteorite
-A space rock that enters into Earth‟s atmosphere.
-A meteor that makes it all the way to the ground without burning up.
- Earth's Moon, Mercury and even Mars are covered withthese
from collisions of meteors and asteroids.
Impact CraterMeteor
Satellites in our Solar System

5. The last part of the Solar System that we will explore is about satellites that orbit our
planet.
8. Go to http://www.factmonster.com/dk/science/encyclopedia/satellites.html
8A.What is a satellite?
A. An object that circles another in space
B. The moon
C. An object that can relay phone calls, TV broadcasts, and can monitor weather
D. All of the above
8B.What is the name of the first artificial satellite?
A. USSR
B. Sputnik 1
C. ORBIT
D. October
E. 1957
8C. Satellites are built of the lightest materials possible to make them easier to launch. What
types of instruments can satellites carry?
1.
3.
2. 4.
Just for fun!
A manmade satellite that is currently orbiting Earth is the Hubble Space telescope which
was launched into orbit in 1990. The 43.5 foot long telescope takes beautiful color pictures of
objects like dying stars and other galaxies. Orbiting the Earth for over two decades, Hubble has
helped to answer some of the most compelling astronomical questions of our time- and
uncovered mysteries we never knew existed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=fgg2tpUVbXQ
ANSWER KEY

6. 1A. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
1B. answer varies
1C. answer varies
2A. False, True, True
2B. coldest, lowest, -224 C, more
3A. answer varies
4A. Astronomers have demoted Pluto to a “dwarf planet”. There are only eight planets.
4B. Inner: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Outer: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
4C. Asteroids are chunks of rock and metal that orbit around the Sun. Scientists think that
they are loose material that never formed into planets.
5A. answer varies
6A. rock, ice, nebula, star, supernova
6B. False
7A. Asteroids, meteoroids, meteor, meteorite, impact craters
8A. D
8B. B
8C. cameras, telescopes, radiation sensors, radio equipment