Libguide to Planets: A Concise Look at the Solar System and Its Constituent Elements This libguide provides a comprehensive listing of peer-reviewed, scholarly and non-reference material including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, folklore, audio, video, and other teacher resources.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:

The intended audience for this libguide is educators, but parents and older students will find the content useful as well.

SCOPE:

The scope of this libguide is limited to the known solar system.

A GUIDE TO THE PLANETS:

Peer-Reviewed and Scholarly References

Bennett, J. (2011). Beyond UFOs: The search for extraterrestrial life and its astonishing implications for our future. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

This book contains a useful description of the inner and outer planets and how they are believed to have been formed. An entertaining discussion concerning life on Earth and the potential for life elsewhere in the solar system is followed by a discussion of potential learning opportunities concerning the search for life. Several outside resources for the study of the planets are also provided.

Burgasser, A. (2011, December). A brown dwarf as cool as Earth. The Science Teacher,

78(9), 18.

The author is an associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University who emphasizes the need to make learning about the solar system fun for young students and recommends using computer animation techniques to help illustrate the movement of the planets.

Coskie, T.L. & Davis, K.J. (2008, November). Encouraging visual literacy: When someone asks you about the solar system or the water cycle, what pops into your mind? Science and Children, 46(3), 56.

The authors are professor of elementary education at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington and a high school science teacher in the Bellingham School District in Washington State, respectively. They point out that the relative distances between the planets are enormous, and that young learners may have trouble conceptualizing these distances unless they are provided with the diagramming tools they need for this purpose. They also provide a relevant lesson plan for grades 4 through 6 with learning goals and measures.

Davies, M., Landis, L., & Landis, A. (2009, April-May). Solar system in the hallway.

Science Scope, 32(8), 56.

The authors are assistant professor and associate professor in the Departments of Physical Sciences, and director of the Science and Mathematics Education Center, all at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, respectively. Citing the immense distances involved between the planets, they recommend using a school hallway for a scale model of the solar system to help young learners better understand the relative distances between the planets. They report positive learning experiences in their own schools using this method.

Jenkins, D.B. & Heidorn, B. (2009, April-May). Space moves: Adding movement to solar system lessons. Science Scope, 32(8), 44.

The authors are professor of curriculum and instruction and assistant professor of health and physical education at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia, respectively. In an effort to make learning about the solar system more interesting and fun for students, they emphasize the need for incorporating movement in scale models of the solar system so that young learners can better visualize interplanetary physics.

Langmuir, C.H. & Broecker, W. (2012). How to build a habitable planet: The story of Earth

from the Big Bang to humankind. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

This scholarly text also includes several valuable classroom learning activities as well as outside resources that teachers can use to help interest students in the planets. A comprehensive discussion of the solar system's constituent elements is supplemented by descriptions of relevant terms used in astronomical observations and analyses, including mass, densities and planetary composition.

Pallant, A., Damelin, D., & Pryputniewicz, S. (2013, February). Searching for planets suitable for life. The Science Teacher, 80(2), 45-47.

Working under a grant from the National Science Foundation, the authors report several viewing opportunities for Venus and provide a concise description concerning how students can calculate various aspects of planetary movements.

Riddle, B. (2008, September). Between the planets. Science Scope, 80.

This journal article describes exciting viewing opportunities for young astronomers in the coming years and provides a useful description of the asteroid belt of the solar system that can serve as a dividing line between the two distinct groups of inner and outer planets. The author also describes the potential for near-Earth objects to impact the Earth in the future.

Ristvey, J. (2009, Summer). NASA's Dawn Mission: Helping define planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids. Science Scope, 54.

The author is a principal consultant in the Education and Public Outreach department at Mid-continent for Education and Learning in Denver,...

The author also presents a series of useful academic expectations and outcomes for classroom teachers concerning the solar system and its constituent elements.
Russell, S.S. (2007, May). The formation of the solar system. Journal of the Geological

Society, 164, 481-483.

The author is director of the Department of Mineralogy, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London. In this article, she describes the current thinking concerning the origins of the solar system and its constituent elements, including the Sun, the innermost planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), the asteroids that orbit just beyond Mars, and the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) and the minor planet Pluto. In addition, she discusses issues such as solar wind, Bode's law and interplanetary particulates.

Russo, P. (2009, June). Science at the Shine Dome. Teaching Science, 55(2), 58.

The author is an editor who reports the Australian Academy of Science, in collaboration with the Australian Science Teachers Association, offers a special teachers program in conjunction with Science at the Shine Dome each year. Annual presentations include new information on the planets and the solar system's constituent elements. This is an exciting opportunity for Australian and New Zealand educators to help get young people interested in astronomy as a hobby and potential career.

Scheider, S.E. & Davis, K.S. (2007, Summer). The dimensions of the solar system. Science Scope, 16.

The authors are professors of astronomy at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. They provide a readily understandable description of the sizes of the Sun and planets in their scaled-sized model, and show middle school teachers how learning about planets can be particularly fun when presented with opportunities for hands-on construction of a realistic scale model of the solar system. The authors describe how movement can help improve conceptualizations of gravitational forces and their effect on the composition of the solar system, the planets and their moons, and smaller objects such as asteroids and comets.

Schuster, D. (2008, September). Take a planet walk: Upper-elementary students are challenged to create and explore a more accurate model of our solar system. Science and Children, 46(1), 42.

The author is an assistant professor of science education at Indiana University School of Education, Indianapolis and presents an alternative approach to teaching upper middle school students the relative distances between the planets, which are vast. For this purpose, he suggests a walking tour of the solar system and its constituent elements for which he provides several prompts and vignettes.

Seidel, D. (2009, Summer). It's a big, busy solar system. Science Scope, 12.

The author is the manager of elementary and secondary education programs at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. In this article, the author provides an inventory of the solar system's constituent elements and the National Science Education Standards for grades 5-8 with respect to the solar system and the Earth's geology, geography, and climate.

Stargazing with NSTA's Online Book Club. (2005, September). Science and Children, 67.

The editors report the availability of an online astronomy book store for young learners that highlights the utility of trade books in the classroom. The report includes several representative examples of age-appropriate and fun learning activities ("Postcards from Pluto," for example). The online book club also has several useful Web links and additional resources for the solar system.

Wiebke, H., Rogers, M.P. & Nargund-Joshi, V. (2011, September). Sizing up the solar system: Students learn about the notion of scale. Science and Children, 49(1), 36.

The authors are elementary school classroom teachers who provide a useful series of instructions for helping young people come to grips with the enormous distances involved in the solar system, criteria for observing solar system models, and scaled differences between the planets.

Wilkinson, J. (2009, December). The new solar system. Teaching Science, 55(4), 32-39.

The author has been a science teacher and university lecturer for over 30 years and is the author of many science text books. He has research interests in astronomy and science education and his latest book is Probing the New Solar System (CSIRO Publishing). The point is made that educators need to remain up-to-date concerning changes with respect to the manner in which objects are classified within the solar system. Although Websites such as Wikipedia already have updates for plutoids and dwarf planets, these are changed frequently as new information becomes available from NASA, the JPL and elsewhere. In addition, teachers also need to remain cognizant that a number of Web sites contain out-of-date information and to ensure that they only use the most recent sites.

Section Two: Non-Reference Web and Other Resources

Build a Planet-- supplementary materials for teaching and self-learning, including color versions of…