Planets and Solar System Unit

Engage your students with this fun and comprehensive, 96 page Planets and Solar System Unit. It contains a wide variety of resources needed to teach a rigorous unit on the Solar System.

It includes CLOSE Reading nonfiction passages to help teach your students about the Solar System (not familiar with CLOSE reading? It’s okay, we have instructions and anchor charts to help you incorporate it into your teaching).

There are text dependent questions aligned with each passage, a set of vocabulary cards with definitions to accompany the passages, and much, much more. A variety of other graphic organizers and activities are included as well.

We do encourage you to supplement with any other books, videos, and websites that you already use; they will blend nicely with our CLOSE reading passages. You can use this unit in its entirety, or “pick and choose” the components to meet the needs of your students.

Check planet identification with this solar system labeling activity.

This unit contains the following elements:

• CLOSE reading nonfiction passages:

1. The Solar System

2. The Planets

• Two sets of vocabulary cards with definitions, one for each CLOSE reading passage

topic-(provided for vocabulary support to scaffold for students who need more

support).

• CLOSE Reading Instructions (PowerPoint or handout) explaining the steps of

CLOSE Reading.

• Anchor Chart for student annotation and Discussion Topics for CLOSE Reading.

• Student Bookmarks with annotation rules so they have a smaller version of the

anchor chart at their desk while they read

• Two sets of “Text Dependent Questions”, one set for each CLOSE reading passage

topic.

• Common Core Essential questions (to be used after the passages are read, can be

used as a summative assessment or a performance task.

• RAFT ideas (explanation included if you’re not familiar with RAFTS).

• Cognitive Content Dictionary (to be made into a “book” for student vocabulary

words, definitions, and pictures).

• KWL Chart (you can use this at the beginning of the unit to ascertain what they may

already know about the solar system).

• Venn Diagram to compare and contrast similarities and differences.

• A Tree Map Graphic Organizer ( a grammar component for students to analyze the

words in the passages and their parts of speech).

• Two CLOZE worksheets (a fill-in the blank) worksheet and answer sheet to assess

vocabulary attainment and your students’ ability to utilize context clues.