Topic: Visual arts lesson featuring three group mobiles that is constructed by individual student pieces that emphasize creativity, organization, and color.

Rationale: The visual arts offer aesthetic perception, creative, and intellectual dimensions. Constructing a mobile individually and as a group encourages students abilities to create, analyze, and critique; which encourages interaction, intuitive, emotional, and verbal responses. The construction of a mobile solar system will create an understanding and appreciation of the universe we live in. The construction of an intergalactic mobile system will also create an appreciation and application for the use of color and shape that will last a life-time.

Goals / Objectives
Historical/Cultural context: Through small group discussion students will identify and share a rationale for shapes and patterns in the construction of a mobile that represents the solar system that makes them think of the creation of our solar system.

Strategies: A combination of direct instruction and guided discovery will be used.

Vocabulary:
Names of planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

Name of a star. The polar star (north star).

One Comet: Halley's

Three space station: Mir, Zvezda Service Module, The TransHab (the International Space Station (ISS).

Mobile: What exactly a mobile is. A 3-D structure which is suspended in space.

Day 1: Have students construct with pastels/acrylic paint what they think (interpret what) the sun looks like. Discuss that no one should ever under any situation or circumstances look at the sun. 15-20 minutes, plus 10 minute clean up time.

Begin lecture (discussion) on the solar system. Assign reading if applicable. Reinforce ‘never ever look at the sun for any reason at any time.’ Check for understanding.

Day 2: Set up telescope prior to class and have one parent to watch over. (Finish discussion if needed) Have students draw numbers from hat. Check for understanding on the sun. Have one parent in the classroom. Break class into groups of 10-12 for construction of mobile. Begin construction of solar system mobile.

While construction is taking place, call individual student out, one at a time, to look at the sun, Check for understanding about sun prior to looking through telescope. Allow student to take one picture of the sun. Take student back to class.

Day 3: Finish construction of solar system and hang as a 3-D mobile. Discuss various techniques on construction and alignment. If there is time, have students construct a new sun based upon their observations.

Closure: Once the mobile is finished, have the students look at their finished mobile and identify with what they see. Have groups discuss what they accomplished and state to the rest of the class what it was that they achieved and learned by the construction of the solar system mobile. The teacher will ask students to summarize what they learned and why it is important to understand our universe.

Evaluation: Evaluation will occur during the class critique of mobiles. Teacher will visually check completed solar systems for the use of color, organization, balance, and alignment. Teacher will listen to individual and group comments. Student comments should include alignment, planet, comet, station, constellation names.

Materials:
Telescope, camera, film, filter, two parents. (If you have access to a telescope)
Construction paper
Tissue paper and starch
Crayons and or pastels
Acrylic paint
Yarn
Tacks (for ceiling)
Scissors
Hole punch
Any variation of materials to enhance mobile
Added materials for more advanced: Glue, Dirt,Small Rocks, Vegetation,Styrofoam Balls