Unit 1: Discovering New Worlds

Anchor Phenomenon

Out of all of the planets in the solar system, only Earth has life! Earth didn’t have life for a long time, and now it does. What makes Earth so special?

Unit Driving Question

What has made Earth able to sustain life? If we can’t stop the negative changes to our planet, is there an exoplanet Earth-like enough to sustain life?

Unit Overview

Earth has been an ideal place for humans and other life to thrive for 12,000 years. But rising global temperatures are causing sea levels to rise, floods and droughts to increase, and species to disappear in what scientists call the “Sixth Mass Extinction.” In this unit, you investigate what makes Earth uniquely habitable — from our Sun’s energy output to our planet’s orbit — and then use that knowledge to evaluate real exoplanet data and argue which distant world might be able to support life.

Performance Expectations

Standard	Description
HS-ESS1-1	Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the Sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the Sun’s core to release energy
HS-ESS1-3	Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars, over their life cycle, produce elements
HS-ESS1-4	Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system

Lesson Sequences

Chapter	Topic	Days	Standards
Opening	Anchor phenomenon, initial models, driving question board	2	—
How the Sun Works 5E	Solar composition, spectroscopy, nuclear fusion, energy output	6	HS-ESS1-1
Star Life Cycles 5E	Supernova, H-R diagram, star mass and stability, nucleosynthesis	7	HS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-3
Planets & Orbits 5E	Kepler’s Laws, habitable zones, exoplanet orbit analysis	7–9	HS-ESS1-4
Closing	Performance task: argue which exoplanet is most likely habitable	1–5	HS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-3, HS-ESS1-4

What You’ll Figure Out

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

☀️ Model how the Sun produces energy through nuclear fusion and predict its future stages
🔭 Analyze light spectra to determine the composition of stars
⭐ Explain why some stars are stable for billions of years while others explode
🪐 Use Kepler’s Laws to calculate and predict planetary orbits
🌡️ Determine whether an exoplanet stays within its star’s habitable zone
📢 Construct an evidence-based argument about which exoplanet is most likely habitable

# Unit 1: Discovering New Worlds {.unnumbered} ## Anchor Phenomenon > **Out of all of the planets in the solar system, only Earth has life! Earth didn't have life for a long time, and now it does. What makes Earth so special?** ## Unit Driving Question > **What has made Earth able to sustain life? If we can't stop the negative changes to our planet, is there an exoplanet Earth-like enough to sustain life?** ## Unit Overview Earth has been an ideal place for humans and other life to thrive for 12,000 years. But rising global temperatures are causing sea levels to rise, floods and droughts to increase, and species to disappear in what scientists call the "Sixth Mass Extinction." In this unit, you investigate what makes Earth uniquely habitable — from our Sun's energy output to our planet's orbit — and then use that knowledge to evaluate real exoplanet data and argue which distant world might be able to support life. ## Performance Expectations | Standard | Description | |----------|-------------| | **HS-ESS1-1** | Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the Sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the Sun's core to release energy | | **HS-ESS1-3** | Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars, over their life cycle, produce elements | | **HS-ESS1-4** | Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system | ## Lesson Sequences | Chapter | Topic | Days | Standards | |---------|-------|------|-----------| | **Opening** | Anchor phenomenon, initial models, driving question board | 2 | — | | **How the Sun Works 5E** | Solar composition, spectroscopy, nuclear fusion, energy output | 6 | HS-ESS1-1 | | **Star Life Cycles 5E** | Supernova, H-R diagram, star mass and stability, nucleosynthesis | 7 | HS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-3 | | **Planets & Orbits 5E** | Kepler's Laws, habitable zones, exoplanet orbit analysis | 7–9 | HS-ESS1-4 | | **Closing** | Performance task: argue which exoplanet is most likely habitable | 1–5 | HS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-3, HS-ESS1-4 | ## What You'll Figure Out By the end of this unit, you will be able to: - ☀️ **Model** how the Sun produces energy through nuclear fusion and predict its future stages - 🔭 **Analyze** light spectra to determine the composition of stars - ⭐ **Explain** why some stars are stable for billions of years while others explode - 🪐 **Use** Kepler's Laws to calculate and predict planetary orbits - 🌡️ **Determine** whether an exoplanet stays within its star's habitable zone - 📢 **Construct** an evidence-based argument about which exoplanet is most likely habitable