Fourth graders at Laburnum Elementary have been learning about the planets in the solar system (SOL4.7), so today students in Ms. Mayer’s class used CoSpaces to create 3-D models of the planets. A cool idea would be to use this tool to create a 3-D model of all the planets, comparing their sizes like this example, but we didn’t have time for that. The students each chose one planet to research, then they logged into CoSpaces with their Google accounts, and created a new space. First, we clicked the Environment tab at the bottom and selected Night, making the background dark like outer space. Next, we went to the Library tab and clicked Building Blocks. The students selected a sphere and I showed them how to resize it and raise it with the pop-up tools. Double clicking the sphere brings up more tools, and the students used the paint brush tool to change the color of the sphere to match the planet. They also added a speech bubble and typed some facts about the planet. When they finished, they went back to the library and selected additional objects like rings for Saturn or a space ship. Finally, they clicked the Share button at the top, copied the link, and posted it in Schoology for their classmates to see. You can visit all their planets here.
