Seeing the Solar System through Two Perspectives. Part 2 of a Series Focusing on Learning Progressions

Supporting elementary student understandings of ideas related to Earth's Place in the Universe (ESS1) can be challenging, especially given the large time and distance scales involved with many of the concepts. However, with effective use of crosscutting concepts and science and engineering practices, important concepts within this content domain are accessible to students. This article shares a sequence of instructional tasks for upper elementary students exploring and making sense of patterns of objects seen in space from Earth, relying heavily on the science practice of modeling from two different perspectives--Earth-based and space-based. These proposed teaching strategies are structured as a part of a progression of learning that builds on strategies shared in an article geared toward teaching primary grades (see the December 2015 edition of Science and Children). Occasionally the article will reference to that earlier article, including suggestions that in many cases upper elementary students can also benefit from some of the foundational tasks. [For Part 1, "Seeing the Solar System through Two Perspectives. Part 1 of a Series Focusing on Learning Progressions," see EJ1115169.]