My content objective for this lesson was to see how much the students already know about Earth as an astronomical body, as well as to give some basic knowledge to those who didn't already have it.

Besides assessing their pre-knowledge, I wanted to reinforce many things they have already learned: units, unit conversions, what comparisons are valid, and how to change worksheets to allow them to show me their knowledge without being restricted to the structure of the sheet.

Finally, students are introduced to the research form they'll be using so that when they are working on different planets on their own, they will be able to do so with fewer questions.