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Description

To identify the difference between a star and a planet, a true or false game. instead of poster

Resources

1) Questions below
2) Paper and Pencil per Cub/Scout

Instructions

Ask the following questions and get the cubs to write down if they think the answers are True or False (possibly in groups or pairs if required). All of the answers are True and the key learning points should be that planets are generally smaller and orbit a star, whereas a star is made up of hot gas expelling energy.

You could also turn this into a runaround game by having the pack stand in the middle and have an adult holding a card saying "TRUE" at one end of the room and one saying "FALSE" at the other.

True or False Questions:
1) A star contains much more mass (heavier) than a planet and it's all squashed together in the middle which is what makes energy spill out - TRUE
2) A planet orbits a star in a regular manner (i.e. they go round in circles) - TRUE
3) A star and it's orbiting planets is called a Solar System - TRUE
4) Stars are always much bigger than planets - TRUE
5) Stars are made of mostly hydrogen (but not always) and Planets are usually molten iron and rock (but not always) - TRUE
6) A star is a burning mass of (mainly) hydrogen and helium - TRUE
7) The earth is a planet - TRUE
8) A star is typically a big, burning, ball of gas around which planets tend to orbit - TRUE
9) The sun is a star - TRUE
10) The only place gold comes from is supernovas. All gold is made in supernovas - TRUE

Questions from: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_a_planet_and_a_star#ixzz1nmHBWMGR

Additional statements that're false, so we can make things more interesting! Throw them in at random during the above.
11) Planets orbit stars, stars don't orbit anything. (False because stars orbit galactic centre, and you can have binary stars etc)
12) Stars can have things orbiting around them. Planets can't. (the moon, for example)
13) Planets can have atmospheres. Stars can't. (False, the sun has an atmosphere)
14) Planets have a magnetic field, which is how a compass can work. Stars don't. (False)
15) Stars give off heat, planets don't. (False because many planets- including Earth, have a hot core which is slowly cooling and the heat ultimately radiates off into space)
16) Planets are moving. Stars aren't. (False)

Tags

• astronomy
• Planets
• stars

Badge Links

• Astronomer - Planet vs star