There are similarities between Mars and Earth.
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun in the solar system and known for its red surface. Doing activities to learn about Mars is an important part of learning about the solar system as a whole. There are multiple similarities between Mars and Earth. Activities related to teaching third-grade students about Mars can be made interesting and fun.
Compare Earth and Mars
Because the students are already familiar with features of the Earth, it will provide them with a base of knowledge, which can be used to see how Mars is different. Have the children draw a T-chart on a piece of paper. Label one column Earth and the second column Mars. Then call out general characteristics, such as "has water" and "has volcanoes." After you call out a characteristic, the students should write in each column whether the planets have those characteristics. When the students are finished filling out their T-chart, draw a large Venn diagram on the board. Call on students to tell you one characteristic the two planets have in common or a characteristic the two planets do not have in common. As the students provide information, fill in the Venn diagram, so they can see the similarities and differences.
Make an Edible Mars Model
This is a fun but somewhat messy project. Have the students each create edible models of Mars using red icing, red sprinkles and rice cereal treats. To do this, roll out the rice cereal treats, so they are in a rectangle shape. Squirt approximately two tablespoons of red icing in the center, and then mold the rice cereal treats into a ball with the red icing in the middle. The red icing will represent the molten core of the planet. Place the ball in a large zip-lock bag and pour the red sprinkles in the bag over the ball. Seal the bag and then roll the ball around in the bag, pushing the sprinkles into the ball, so they stick. Once the entire outside of the rice cereal treat ball is covered in red sprinkles, it can be removed from the bag.
Create a Martian Calendar
Teach the students about the differences between Earth and Mars in terms of the speed in which the planets rotate and the speed in which the planets orbit the sun. Then walk the students through creating a Martian calendar based on the differences. For example, it takes Mars 687 Earth days to orbit the sun, while it only takes the earth 365.25 days. So one year on Mars will cover several additional months. The students can make up names for these months and determine how many days will be in each month.
Quiz Show
Once you have spent some time studying Mars, test the students' knowledge by having each student create quiz questions based on what they have learned. Each student should make five to 10 questions, and provide the answers to their questions. You can then use the student-generated questions in a Jeopardy-like quiz show.
Tags: rice cereal, cereal treats, Earth Mars, Mars Earth, planets have, rice cereal treats, about Mars
