Description
What our Big Bang Theory lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Big Bang Theory teaches students about the most popular idea to explain how the universe formed. Students will discover some of the ideas the theory includes, like that the universe began to form from a single atom at the beginning of time. They will also learn how various concepts like cosmic microwave background radiation contribute to the validity of this theory. This lesson is for students in 4th grade and 5th grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. For this lesson, students need access to the internet for the activity portion.
Options for Lesson
There are a few suggestions in the “Options for Lesson” section of the classroom procedure page that you could incorporate if you wish. One idea is to allow students to work in small groups for the activity instead of in pairs. (You can adjust the activity instructions accordingly.) After students complete their plays, you could have them vote for the best or most creative play among the class. Another option is for students to write a paper from the perspective of a particle from a planet or star. One more idea is to turn some of the two-person plays into large productions with scenery, actions, and so on. If you choose to do this, consider having students extend the stories and assigning students to work on props, work on costumes, or other roles related to the play.
Teacher Notes
The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson. This paragraph explains some of the key content that you will teach students as you deliver the lesson. It suggests that you take advantage of other resources online or elsewhere that provide more information on the big bang theory. You can use the blank lines to write down ideas or thoughts you have about the topic as you prepare the lesson for the students.
BIG BANG THEORY LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Basics of the Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory lesson plan contains a total of three pages of content. How did the earth, moon, planets, stars, and galaxies form? This question has baffled many scientists for years, and many different experts continue to study it today. Have you ever wondered the same thing?
The Big Bang Theory is the answer many scientists agree on. It is the most widely accepted idea about how the universe began. This theory was first suggested by a priest named Georges Lemaître in the 1920s. He believed the universe started from a single, tiny point at the beginning of time. In simple terms, the theory says that about 14 billion years ago, the universe did not begin with a typical explosion. Instead, it began with a rapid expansion. This event created two important things necessary to make everything: matter and energy. It all happened in a fraction of a second. At that time, matter was extremely dense (packed tightly together) and incredibly hot.
From this small beginning, the universe quickly grew larger. Over time, the expansion slowed down a bit, but it never stopped. Matter and energy formed tiny particles, and over time, these particles came together. This leftover matter eventually became stars, planets, and other objects in space. According to the Big Bang Theory, the universe is still expanding today.
Before the Big Bang
Scientists are not sure what, if anything, happened before the Big Bang. But they do know that the universe has been growing ever since. They have gathered evidence to support this theory. They have observed that galaxies are moving away from us. The farther away a galaxy is, the faster it is moving away. This is similar to an explosion, where the fastest pieces travel the farthest away.
Another piece of evidence is something called cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). Put simply, CMBR is the leftover heat from the original expansion. Scientists also study light from distant stars and galaxies. By studying the changes in wavelengths of this far-off light, astronomers have noticed changes in the light’s wavelengths, which show that these objects are moving away from us. This tells scientists that everything in the universe is spreading out.
Formation of Stars and Planets
Stars and other space objects formed when gas and dust particles from the expansion pulled together due to gravity. As the material clumped together, it became very hot. This heat caused nuclear reactions, which released energy and formed stars. Planets form when smaller amounts of gas and dust come together. These planets then begin to orbit, or travel around, the star.
Our solar system formed this way about 4.5 billion years ago—about 9 billion years after the Big Bang. The sun, which is a star, is about halfway through its life. It will eventually change through different phases and die, but not for another 5 billion years or more. The sun is just one of about 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Believe it or not, stars and planets did not form right away after the Big Bang. This process took millions of years. In fact, there was likely no light in the universe for the first 400 million years.
The Mystery of Dark Matter
Astronomers study space to learn more about the early universe. They use tools like the Hubble Space Telescope. In the 1920s, Edwin Hubble (the scientist the telescope is named after) was the first to discover that the universe is not staying still but ever expanding. Scientists also believe in something called dark energy. This is a mysterious force that may be causing the cosmos to expand faster and faster over time. However, dark energy has not been directly detected, and scientists are still studying it. Some believe it makes up about 70% of the universe, but this idea is still up for debate.
The Big Bang Theory is the most widely accepted explanation for how the universe began and continues to grow. However, many questions remain unanswered. Astronomers and other scientists will continue to explore space to learn more about our universe and how it works.
BIG BANG THEORY LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Big Bang Theory lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. Each one helps solidify students’ grasp of the lesson material and helps them demonstrate their knowledge in different ways. Use the guide on the classroom procedure page to determine when to hand out each worksheet to the students.
SHORT STORY ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
Students will work with a partner to create a short story or play. One person will take the part of a planet particle while the other takes the part of a star particle. Eventually, the planet particle will become part of a planet and the star particle, part of a star. Students will create a dialogue between the two particles that discusses the big bang theory from their perspectives. The play will not include props or scenes. (See the “Options for Lesson” section for optional adjustments to this activity.) Students can use the content pages and other available resources to find information to include in their play. They can write out a rough draft and take notes on separate paper and use the worksheet to write the final copy. You can copy extra sheets of the second worksheet page if needed. Each person should have roughly the same amount of lines. After all students complete their plays, they can present them to the class.
BIG BANG THEORY PRACTICE WORKSHEET
For the practice worksheet, students will answer 18 questions based on information from the content pages. The types of questions vary and include true or false, naming, and fill in the blank. You may or may not choose to allow students to use the content pages for reference. This practice page could work as a quiz if you like.
EXPLAIN AND FILL IN THE BLANK HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
The homework assignment is split into two short sections. The first section requires students to explain the meaning of three numbers as they relate to the big bang theory. For the second section, students will fill in the blank for 11 sentences. There is no word bank with the correct terms. Similar to the practice worksheet, you could choose whether or not to allow students to reference the content pages to complete the assignment.
Worksheet Answer Keys
The final two pages of the lesson plan document are answer keys for the practice and homework worksheets. All the correct answers are in red to make it easier for you to compare them to students’ responses. For the most part, students’ work should match the answer keys. However, given the nature of some of the questions on these assignments, there may be some variation. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.
