The Sun's Family Portrait

In this lesson, learners examine images of the Sun, the Moon, Pluto, and all eight planets in the Solar System. Students determine the diameter of each object from a scale bar provided with each image and then rank the objects in order of size. Using a customized version of ImageJ running as an applet, students are introduced to setting scale and units of measurement. 

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Relevant standard(s) 

NSES Standard: Science as Inquiry, Grades 5-8, Content Standard A
• USE APPROPRIATE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO GATHER, ANALYZE, AND INTERPRET DATA: The use of tools and techniques, including mathematics, will be guided by the question asked and the investigations students design. The use of computers for the collection, summary, and display of evidence is part of this standard. Students should be able to access, gather, store, retrieve, and organize data, using hardware and software designed for these purposes.

NSES Standard: Earth and Space Science, Grades 5-8, Content Standard D
• The earth is the third planet from the sun in a system that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets. The sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system.

NSES Standard: Science and Technology in Society, Grades 5-8, Content Standard E
• Science and technology are reciprocal. Science helps drive technology, as it addresses questions that demand more sophisticated instruments and provides principles for better instrumentation and technique. Technology is essential to science, because it provides instruments and techniques that enable observations of objects and phenomena that are otherwise unobservable due to factors such as quantity, distance, location, size, and speed. Technology also provides tools for investigations, inquiry, and analysis.

NCTM Standard: Measurement, Grades 6-8
Instructional programs should enable students to understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement:
• understand, select, and use units of appropriate size and type to measure angles, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume.
• select and apply techniques and tools to accurately find length, area, volume, and angle measures to appropriate levels of precision.

NETS Standard: Grades 6-8
• Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research.