Planet Features

ScienceSpace ExplorationAges 7–9

Describe a key feature of each planet: Mercury is smallest and closest, Venus is the hottest, Mars is red with rust, Jupiter is the largest with a Great Red Spot, Saturn has rings, Uranus tilts on its side, Neptune is the farthest and very cold

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“If you named a planet, could your child tell you one interesting fact about it — like Saturn's rings or Jupiter's Great Red Spot?”

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Activity. Describe a key feature of each planet: Mercury is smallest and closest, Venus is the hottest, Mars is red with rust, Jupiter is the largest with a Great Red Spot, Saturn has rings, Uranus tilts on its side, Neptune is the farthest and very cold

What to notice. State one distinctive feature for at least six of the eight planets • Compare at least two planets (e.g. Jupiter is much bigger than Earth, Venus is hotter than Mercury) • Explain why Mars appears red (iron oxide/rust in its rocks)

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If you named a planet, could your child tell you one interesting fact about it — like Saturn's rings or Jupiter's Great Red Spot?

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State one distinctive feature for at least six of the eight planets
Compare at least two planets (e.g. Jupiter is much bigger than Earth, Venus is hotter than Mercury)
Explain why Mars appears red (iron oxide/rust in its rocks)