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Comets Galore

Comets Galore

Students will learn about comets and create a captivating diagram of its components.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

Steps

  • Step 1

    Ask students if they've ever seen a "shooting star," which is not a star but rather a meteor - a piece of a comet that breaks off and burns up in the Earth's atmosphere. Comets are balls of ice and frozen gas hurtling through space. Display images of a comet and talk about some of its components, such as the nucleus, coma, plasma tail, etc.

  • Step 2

    Have students research comets - where do they come from, when are they visible, what brings them into view, etc. Ask them to define the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud.

  • Step 3

    Have students create a detailed picture of a comet and label the components. Ask them to present their work and talk about what they learned.

Standards

SCI: Ask questions about the features or phenomena observed and conclusions drawn from investigations or models.

SCI: Convey designs through sketches, detailed drawings, or physical models to communicate ideas and solutions.

SCI: Design pictorial or graphic representations/models that are useful in communicating ideas.

Adaptations

Have students investigate the Perseids and other meteor showers that are visible at various times annually, the aurora borealis (northern lights) which can be seen in the arctic region, and the aurora australis (southern lights) which can be seen in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and other southern areas.

Have students research Halley's Comet, the only known short-period comet that is consistently visible to the naked eye from Earth. When did it last appear? When will it reappear?