BOOK 3 OF 9 · GRADE 3
Memoon's Model Solar System
A Space Fair challenge reveals why one small model cannot show the whole Solar System.
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- 63 PDF pages
- 9 story chapters
- Grade 3
- Illustrated
- Quiz and answers
About this book
The Rooftop Sky Club has a table at the Space Fair, and Noodles wants the winning ribbon. But equal-sized planets sitting side by side make a very misleading model. Memoon and her friends investigate how planets move, what they are made of, and just how big and far apart they really are.
Nine illustrated story chapters introduce the eight planets in order, rotation and revolution, rocky planets and giants, rings and moons, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets. Size comparisons, a measured paper strip and a lamp-and-ball model help children explain what each model shows well and what it gets wrong. Four clues finally reveal the identity of the bright steady dot from the earlier adventures.
Includes a glossary, eight-question quiz with a bonus challenge and explained answers, the My Model Solar System project, Sky Heroes, a Mistake Museum, observing ideas and a Model Builder badge. The matching 66-slide classroom PDF covers all nine chapters with questions, diagrams and activities.
How each chapter works
Each chapter combines an illustrated story, a Science Corner, Space Detective questions and a supervised Try it activity. Tables, diagrams, predictions and explanations build scientific reasoning, with indoor or low-resource alternatives and explicit notes on every model's limits.
What they’ll learn
- Name the eight planets in order and compare rocky planets with gas and ice giants.
- Distinguish rotation from revolution and connect them to a day and a year.
- Explore moons, rings, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets.
- Compare planet sizes using beads, fruit or paper circles.
- Build a measured distance strip and explain why size and distance need different scales.
- Investigate reflected sunlight and use evidence to distinguish a planet from a star.
- Read tables, date changing facts, test predictions and explain the limits of models.
Contents
- 1Space Fair Challenge
- 2Spinning and Circling
- 3Rocky Neighbours
- 4The Giants
- 5Leftovers and Wanderers
- 6How Big?
- 7How Far?
- 8Planet or Star?
- 9Fair Day
The project: My Model Solar System
Spend about fifteen minutes a day for one week building a model that answers a question about planet sizes, distances or movement. Use beads and fruit, a measured paper strip, or a lamp and ball. Make a SHOWS WELL and GETS WRONG card, invite someone to identify another limitation, and save a new question in your own Question Jar. Share the model to earn a Model Builder badge.
Who it’s for
Grade 3 children, for shared reading or independent reading with adult help for activities. Builds on the observations and models in Books 1 and 2. Questions encourage spoken or drawn explanations, ordering and simple subtraction.
What you need: An adult, paper or card, pencils, a ruler or tape measure, a paper strip about 3.1 metres long, beads or fruit or paper circles, chalk, sticky notes, a lamp or torch and a ball. An adult helps with cutting and measuring and supervises dusk observations. Keep torch light away from eyes and never look at or near the Sun, including through binoculars or a telescope.
Included with your purchase
- The bookThe 63-page illustrated PDF ebook
- Classroom teaching slidesMatching 66-slide PDF classroom deck covering all nine chapters and the Model Builder project
Read a free sample: the first 10 pages
Can’t see the sample? Open it in a new tab.
Next in the series
Book 4: Memoon and the Mystery of the Changing Moon. The Question Jar opens, and a missing Moon leads to discoveries about phases, seasons and eclipses.
See Book 4Ratings & reviews
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