Connect Reading and Writing

Vocabulary

  • atmosphere

  • energy

  • features

  • measurement

  • rotations

  • solar system

  • solid

  • surface

Critical Thinking

  • 1. SUM IT UP Use the headings and the main ideas of the selection to make an outline about our solar system.

    • I. Planets Closest to Our Sun:

      • A. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

      • B. They are made of rock and metal.

      • C. They have high density, slow rotation, and no rings.

  • 2. Synthesize Complete the KWL Chart you began before reading the selection. Tell what you learned about solid planets and gaseous planets.

  • 3. Compare How do the features of asteroids and meteoroids compare with planets?

  • 4. Interpret How do the selection and the myth express the idea of being at home in the world?

Reading Fluency

Phrasing Read the passage on page 643 to a partner. Assess your fluency.

  • 1. I read

    • a. great

    • b. OK

    • c. not very well

  • 2. What I did best in my reading was _____.

Reading Strategy

Make Connections

How did text-to-world connections help you understand the selection? Tell a partner.

Vocabulary Review

Oral Review Read the paragraph aloud. Add the vocabulary words.

Beyond the ______ that surrounds Earth, there are seven other planets. All planets in our ______ revolve, or make ______ around the sun. All the planets get ______ from the sun. The ______ of planets differ in some ways. For example, the ______ of Mars is ______ and rocky, but Saturn is gaseous. There are also differences in size, or ______.

Written Review Imagine that your mission is to describe one of the planets as you explore its surface from a spacecraft. Use five vocabulary words.

Illustration of the pen icon Write About The Guiding Question

Explore Being at Home in the World How do planets in the solar system compare to communities on Earth? Reread the selection to find features that support your ideas.