Read a crater photograph before explaining its history

Start with outlines, overlaps and other visible features. An official caption can then add interpretation or context, helping children distinguish what the photograph itself shows from information that requires another source.

Overlapping circular features can prompt questions about sequence.

Description comes before the historical inference

Begin with a visible-feature description and then consult the caption. This preserves the distinction between observation and source-supported interpretation.

Observe outlines. Compare shapes. Read the source explanation.

A photograph alone may not establish an exact age. What information comes from the caption?

Use enlarged details.

Resources

• Solar System Planet Order — Use the sequence cards and add a note that spacing is not a distance scale.

Further reading

• NASA Science — Solar System exploration

Read next

• Planet groupings need source properties, not picture colours
• A fossil identification needs more than a convincing shape
• A dinosaur size drawing should show its scale and estimate

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