The Solar System

Why is the Solar System important to us?

3rd Grade Level
Thematic Unit Planning Matrix

Content or
Subject
Area

Thematic
Questions

Centers
(Activities)

Technology Integration Assessment

Student
(References, Software and/or Rubric Products or
and/or Resources)
Scale
Portfolio

NM Standards:
Common Core State Standards for
English Language Arts (ELA) and
Mathematics
NM Content Standards with
Benchmarks (other than ELA and
Math)
The ISTE NETS and Performance
Indicators for Teachers and
Students

(Link to respective website is posted in

the Course Materials NM Standards
(Inc. NMCCSS & ISTE/NETS)

Science

Arts

How was the The student

solar system will be
formed?
arranged in
groups. The
will create
their own
Mini
Tornado.
This activity
is to provide
the students
an idea of
how the solar
system is
formed.

The teacher will first

The students
play a video on the
will be asked
formation of the Solar to answer a
System on the
sheet of a
promethean board to the few
students for content
questions on
knowledge.
their own on
Then the teacher will what they
provide the students a learned and
web page where each observed
group can look up the from their
procedures and
activity. The
materials that they will project is
need to make their Mini worth 10
Tornado project.
points and
the
individual
answer sheet
to the
questions is
worth
another 10
points a total
of 20 points.

The students
answer sheet
will be added
into their
portfolio and
their Science
project will
be saved for
the science
fair
presentation.

How many
planets does
the solar
system have
and what are
their names?

The students will have The students

to make a small
will be
research online using graded on
google images, videos, their final
or websites that will
product with
help them get ideas of the proper
how they want to design names of

The teacher Strand: Visual Arts

will take a
Standard 1: Learn and develop skills and
photograph to meet technical demands unique to dance,
the student
music, theatre/drama and visual arts.
and their solar K-5 Benchmark 1A: Participate in the
system
process of making and looking at works
mobile. The of art to understand the elements of art,

Each student
will have the
opportunity
to design
their own
mobile solar
system using

Strand 1: Scientific Thinking and

Practice
Standard 1: Understanding the process
of scientific investigations and use
inquiry and scientific ways of observing
experimenting, predicting and validating
to think critically.