The Teacher Guide is the driving and unifying component of this unit, Earth in Space In this unit, students investigate the phenomenon of the sky, the stars, and Earth as a planet in our solar system. The subtitle of this unit is How we connect to the patterns we see in the sky and space? Phenomena such as the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky, the rise and fall of the Moon with its changing phases, and planets that move in the sky are all patterns that students have some experience with. How have other cultures responded to the patterns in the past? Can we predict the movement of the Sun, or the phases of the Moon, and if so how can we understand the bases for these patterns? This unit allows students to spend time working with classmates to analyze the shared experience, formulate new questions, and developing new strategies for answering them.

CKSci Middle School is an enhanced republication of the OpenSciEd Middle School project–with a unique, integrated Core Knowledge science literacy component.

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