Virginia SOL 4.5.c

Science4th GradeEarth and Space Systems

The Standard

the sizes of the sun and planets can be compared to one another.

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use scaled models, pictures, or diameter data to rank objects in the solar system by size. They make comparisons using words such as larger, smaller, and about the same size.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can order the Sun and eight planets by diameter. They identify Mercury as the smallest planet, Jupiter as the largest planet, and the Sun as larger than every planet.
Common Misconceptions: Students may trust diagrams that are not drawn to scale and think the Sun is only slightly larger than the planets. They may confuse size with distance from the Sun. They may rank Saturn above Jupiter because its rings make it look wider.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Using a provided diameter table, order Mercury, Earth, Neptune, Jupiter, and the Sun from smallest to largest, then explain one comparison.

Lesson moves

Give groups diameter cards, rulers, and clay; students make scaled planet disks and compare them with a one-meter paper Sun.
Ask why a textbook picture can be unreliable for judging planet size; students cite scale evidence in two written sentences.
Play a card-sort race where teams order the Sun and planets from smallest to largest, then check with diameter data.
Use a 1-centimeter bead for Earth, an 11-centimeter ball for Jupiter, and a 109-centimeter paper circle for the Sun.

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