Super Quiz

3rd Grade

The SUPER QUIZ is the most exciting event of the Academic Challenge because, for the first time, you will compete as a team with your friends to answer the questions. TEAM SIGN UP Each team can have 5 students. You decide who is on your team. You can also pick a Team Name. Use the sign-up sheets to register your team. Give the sign-up sheets to your teacher. WHAT IS THE SUPER QUIZ? On the day of the Super Quiz, you will sit with your team members around a table. Each student will have a Scan Tron sheet (just like our other tests). You will be asked 10 questions. Everyone will answer the questions on his or her own. At the end each question, the correct answer will be given and the number of correct answers will be added up. The team with the most correct answers will win a trophy. If an individual answers 8 out of 10 questions correct, the student will win a medal. WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS ABOUT? The 10 questions of the Super Quiz will be about ASTRONOMY. This packet contains all the information you need to study. The Geography questions will review the States and Capitals from our first event. The 3rd Grade Astronomy questions will focus on our PLANET EARTH and questions will be taken from this packet. Good luck, have fun and study hard.

The SUPER QUIZ will be held on Saturday, April 25 in the gymnasium at Orville Wright Middle School.

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Planet Earth Blue, beautiful Earth is the planet we call home. Even though there are

seven other planets that orbit the Sun, Earth is one-of-a-kind in the solar

system. It is the only planet that

can support life, as we know it.

To us, Earth is huge. It is 12,756

km in diameter and has a mass of

6 sextillion metric tons. But

compared to the Sun, it’s tiny. If

you think of the Sun as being the

size of a bowling ball, Earth would

be the size of a peppercorn.

Earth's Place in Space Our planet, along with the entire solar

system, is part of the Milky Way galaxy.

This is a vast collection of stars, planets,

dust, and gas. Earth is about two-thirds of

the way from the center on one of the

galaxy’s spiraling arms.

Of the billions of stars in the Milky Way,

the Sun is the star attraction in our solar

system. The Sun provides Earth the heat

energy it needs for living things to thrive. It

also produces light, which plants need to

carry out photosynthesis.

Sun gives life to the earth, supplying it with light. The Earth is 1 millionth the size of the Sun.

The sun sets behind the earth from the International Space Station. When the sun sets, that portion of the earth becomes dark and night falls.

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Gravity: Pulling Together

The Sun exerts a powerful force called

gravity on Earth and the other planets. The

Sun’s gravity holds the planets in their orbits.

Earth has its own gravity, too. It pulls things

down towards the ground instead of letting

them fly off into the air. (Think of your feet

every time you take a step.)

The Moon, Earth’s nearest neighbor and its

only natural satellite, uses its gravity to

make things happen on Earth. When the

Moon pulls on Earth, it causes the oceans to

bulge toward the Moon. The effect we see is

the rising and falling of the oceans’ tides.

Back At the Beginning Scientists believe that Earth, and the rest of the solar system, began to

form about 4.5 billion years ago in a giant cloud of dust and gas. Over time,

dust particles began to clump together. It probably took the clump that

became Earth tens of millions of years to reach its current size. The young

Earth had no water, no atmosphere, and no life forms.

After millions of years, chemical reactions began to take place. These

reactions resulted in the forming of oceans. Then according to the theory of

evolution, single-celled life forms similar to bacteria began to appear. That

was about 3.5 billion years ago. More complex life forms evolved. Fish

began appearing about 500 million years ago. Plants took root about 420

million years ago. Between 370 and 230 million years ago amphibians,

insects, and reptiles evolved.

The earth has seventeen times the gravitational pull of the moon.

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Here Come the Dinosaurs – and There They Go Among the reptiles that evolved were dinosaurs. These lizard-like creatures

varied greatly in size and weight. One of the smallest was the

compsognathus, which was about the size of a large house cat. One of the

largest dinosaurs was Argentinosaurus, which probably measured 35 m long

and weighed about as much as 90 elephants. The first mammals, birds,

and flowering plants also appeared during the Age of Dinosaurs.

About 65 million years ago, a large number of species, including dinosaurs,

died out. Scientists are not certain what caused this mass extinction. Many

believe an asteroid smashed into

Earth. Others believe the climate

changed. However, new plants and

animals continued to evolve after

the mass extinction. One new

animal species was Homo sapiens,

or human beings, about 100,000

years ago.

Feeling the Heat Extinction is just one example of

how Earth changes. Earth’s

climate changes, too. Soon after Earth formed, it was very hot. It gradually

cooled to temperatures that allowed life to exist. There have been times in

Earth’s history when the climate was much colder than it is today. These

periods are called ice ages. During an ice age, glaciers cover much of

Earth’s land.

Dinosaurs became extinct for unknown reasons. Theories exist, such as an asteroid hitting the earth, but it is not known to be true.

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Like a Cake with Lots of Layers Earth is made of layers. The outermost layer is a blanket of gases called the

atmosphere. The atmosphere stretches upward from Earth’s surface to

about 300 km. The atmosphere

contains gases that plants and

animals need to survive, such as

oxygen. It also helps keep Earth

warm and protects it from harmful

radiation from space.

Earth’s surface consists of land and

water. The land is made of soil and

rock. Earth’s oceans, lakes,

waterways, groundwater, and

glaciers form a layer called the

hydrosphere. The hydrosphere makes up more than 70 percent of Earth’s

surface. The biosphere consists of the parts of the atmosphere, land, and

hydrosphere where living things make their homes.

A World of Natural Wonders Earth’s climate changes and evolving history have resulted in many amazing

natural wonders. In Asia, Mt. Everest rises above the other snowy peaks of

the Himalaya Mountains. It is known as the “roof of the world,” because it is

the highest mountain above sea level on Earth. It is 8,850 m tall, about the

altitude where jet airplanes fly.

The world’s largest desert is the Sahara Desert in Africa. Measuring about 9

million km2, it is roughly the size of the United States. It is one of the

driest and hottest places on Earth.

Aerial view of Farewell Spit, New Zealand. Tidal mudflats, sandy beaches, and the wetlands are all part of the ecosystem in New Zealand.

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Another breathtaking feature of

Earth’s landscape is the 1.6 km deep

Grand Canyon in the southwestern

United States. The Canyon took

millions of years to form as the

Colorado River gradually sliced its

way through rock. Just off the coast

of Australia is the Great Barrier Reef.

The reef is made of the skeletons of

tiny sea animals called corals. The

Reef covers 350,000 km2, or

roughly the same area as Germany. It

is one of the largest structures ever

“built” by nonhumans.

Exploring Earth on Land, Sea, or from Space Humans have always been curious about their home planet and eager to

learn more about it. Some of Earth’s great explorers include Christopher

Columbus, an Italian sailor who in 1492 sailed from Europe to the Americas.

In 1519, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the first voyage

around the world. Mountaineers Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing

Norgay of Tibet became the first people to climb to the top of Mt. Everest in

1953.

Spacecraft have helped scientists learn about Earth’s neighbors in the solar

system. The spacecraft Voyager 1, for instance, has been traveling the solar

system since its launch in 1977. Its powerful telescopes and cameras have

The Grand Canyon was formed with many layers of sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rocks form as a result of pressure and time; these are the horizontal bands of rocks you can see.

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sent tremendous amounts of data back to Earth. Voyager 1 will soon exit the

solar system. Scientists can only guess what exciting new discoveries it will

make.

Modern technology allows us to

explore Earth in ways early

explorers never could have dreamed

were possible. Scientists explore the

depths of the ocean using

submersibles and underwater

robots. These technologies help

them study ocean life, map the

ocean floor, and locate ancient

shipwrecks. Satellites launched into

orbit above us collect data that can

be used to forecast weather and

make maps of Earth.

Submersibles are used to explore the ocean. Lights and sophisticated camera equipment help the Deep Worker to record underwater scenery.

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Earth Facts • Earth is 12,756 km in diameter and has a mass of 6 sextillion tons.

• Earth is found in the Milky Way Galaxy.

• One moon orbits Earth.

• The sun provides light and heat that allows life to thrive on Earth.

• Earth is the only known planet to support life.

Earth Changes Over Time

• Scientists think that Earth began to form 4.5 billion years ago when a dust

cloud clumped together, growing larger for tens of millions of years.

• 3.5 billion years ago the first life forms, bacteria, began to evolve. Human

beings, Homo sapiens, appeared 100,000 years ago.

• Over time, Earth goes through changes, such as mass extinctions and

changes in climate. For example, the dinosaurs died out, along with many

other species, about 65 million years ago.

• Earth sometimes has ice ages, where much of the land is covered with

glaciers and the weather is much colder than it is now.

Layers of Earth

• Earth is made of layers, both on the surface and inside the planet.

• Atmosphere: Layer of gases that stretches upward from Earth’s surface to

about 300km.

• Surface: Layer of land and water. Water covers over 70% of the earth’s

surface.

Amazing Earth Features

• Mt. Everest, tallest mountain – 8,850m tall

• Grand Canyon – 1.6km deep

• Great Barrier Reef, largest reef – 350,000km2

• Sahara Desert – 9 million km2