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Activity

An Inflated Impression of Mars

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This An Inflated Impression of Mars activity also includes:

Help your class understand the magnitude of the distance between Earth and Mars with an activity that asks small groups to use balloons to create scale models of the Earth, Moon, and Mars. Class members figure out the distances between these three bodies and determine whether they would fit within the classroom. 

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CCSS: Designed NGSS: Designed
Concepts
mars, space, the solar system, scale models, scale, scale factors, proportions, technology resources
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Additional Tags
mars, solar system, space
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Instructional Ideas
  • Have groups determine the scale distance to the sun
  • Determine the size the earth would need to be to fit the Earth-Mars model in the classroom
Classroom Considerations
  • Requires several large calipers to aid in the measuring of the balloons
  • The second part of a 13-part series
Pros
  • The resource comes with an answer key for the worksheet
  • The assessment section has questions for before, during, and after the activity
Cons
  • The materials list uses different measurement system tools; use only metric measurement tools
NGSS
MS-ESS1-3