This lesson was developed to go along with the 4th Grade Indiana State Standards on Science.

The lesson introduces and teaches the students about the solar system.  Each student will individually research a planet, constellation, or other object that has to do with space.  At the end of their research they will write a one page paper that, in essence, teaches the rest of the class about their assigned topic.  Once their reports have been written, they will present their research to the rest of the class.  After I grade their reports, they will all be put together to form a class book on the solar system.  I have found that most students are interested in the solar system and so I decided to spend time on this while allowing the students to learn on their own.

Learners
 This lesson is set in fourth grade science and involves language arts skills.  The lesson could be extended to include math by having the students calculate the distances of the planets and stars from a set point.

The learners need to know that there are planets and stars in the solar system. 

The fourth grade students will learn about the planets, constellations, etc. that are in our solar system.  They will be able to list them, describe them, and teach others about them. 

     Standard 3

     The Physical Setting

Students continue to investigate changes of Earth and the sky and begin to understand the composition and size of the universe.  They explore, describe, and classify materials, motion, and energy.

4.3.1   Observe and report that the moon can be seen sometimes at night and sometimes during the day.

While learning about the solar system, the students will be doing independent research.  This research involves using critical thinking skills because the students will need to determine what should go in their report and what should not.  Many of the students will also use categorization to organize their information they are going to write about.  They will then have to clearly present, or  basically teach, what they have learned.  Also, to go with the report they will write and the presentation they will give, they must provide visual aids that help the reader/listener understand and/or learn about their assigned topic. This WebQuest is not just a lesson that teaches about the solar system, but rather one that will teach students many life-long skills.