September 15, 2006
Dear Publishers of Science Instructional Materials for Kindergarten Through Grade Eight:
PUBLISHER BULLETIN NUMBER 10—2006 SCIENCE PRIMARY ADOPTION
NEW DEFINITION OF “PLANET”
Scientists at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Prague, Czech Republic, voted to approve a new planet definition that recognizes only eight planets. The IAU is responsible for naming solar system objects like planets and their moons, so its definition of a planet is the official one.
The IAU members gathered at the 2006 General Assembly on August 24, 2006, passed resolution 5A which states that a “planet” is defined as a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. This means that the Solar System consists of eight “planets”—Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The members also passed resolution 6A creating a new distinct class of objects called “dwarf planets”. It was agreed that “planets” and “dwarf planets” are two distinct classes of objects. The first members of the “dwarf planet” category are Ceres, Pluto, and Eris. Attachment A has the details of resolutions 5A and 6A passed by the IAU.
In order to provide the most current information in the instructional materials submitted for the 2006 Science Primary Adoption for kindergarten through grade eight, we will ask the State Board of Education (SBE), at its November 2006 meeting, to request that publishers modify their materials on the Solar System to address IAU Resolutions 5A and 6A. Publishers will be encouraged to use the minimum edits required to provide scientific accuracy.
If approved by the SBE, the revisions will be addressed in the Edits and Corrections Meeting scheduled for November 15-16, 2006. At the meeting, be prepared to address how you will make the revisions to reflect IAU Resolutions 5A and 6A, showing how the material looks currently, and how the material will look after the necessary revisions have been made, either providing page proofs or mark-up pages showing the revisions. For each revision, identify the name of the textbook, the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) number, and the page number. Please bring ten copies of your edits/corrections with you. The California Department of Education (CDE) cannot be responsible for accepting materials sent by FedEx or other means to the CDE for this meeting.
Publishers should not make any other revisions beyond those needed to reflect IAU Resolutions 5A and 6A.
Additional information regarding the November 15-16, 2006, Edits and Corrections meeting, including the potential list of edits and corrections and details regarding the time and place of the meeting, will be provided to you in early October.
If you have any questions regarding the procedure for addressing the new “planet” definition, please contact Patrice Roseboom, Lead Consultant, Instructional Resources Unit, at 916-319-0509 or by e-mail at proseboo@cde.ca.gov. You may also contact Suzanne Rios, Administrator, Instructional Resources Unit, at 916-319-0665 or by e-mail at srios@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Thomas Adams, Director
Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division
TA:pr
cc:
Roger Magyar, Executive Director, State Board of Education
Deborah Keys, Chair, Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission
Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission Members
Sue Stickel, Deputy Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction Branch
Dale Shimasaki, Association of American Publishers
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814