Intended for grades 7-8, the Planetary Science Course emphasizes the use of knowledge and evidence to construct explanations for the structures and motions of objects in the solar system. This course supports National Science Education Standards by developing students’ abilities to do and understand scientific inquiry, developing students’ understanding of Earth and the solar system as a set of closely coupled systems, developing students’ understandings of science and technology, and developing an understanding of science as a human endeavor that has taken place over time.