ACTIVITY: Derivation of the Planets' Names in our Solar System

PROCEDURE:
1) Short explanation  about mythology and the explanation for the natural phenomena centered around the actions of the gods and goddesses. The masses of people knew their names. However, few were literate. Therefore, it was necessary to develop a symbol that all would recognize. The symbol of the god usually related to its power.
2) Divide into nine groups--one for each planet--to research the particular planet and its symbol. 
3) The nine planets are listed below. Since eight are named for Roman gods, information about them is listed concisely for whom each planet was named, the symbol it was given, and the use of that symbol today (if applicable).
Planets:

a) MERCURY was named after the messenger for the gods. Mercury wore a winged hat and sandals.

          b) VENUS was named for the goddess of love and beauty. Her symbol is the universal scientific symbol for a female.

c) MARS is named for the god of war. His symbol, a skull and crossbones, is used as a warning for poison, and is also found on pirate flags. Another symbol is the universal scientific symbol for a male.
d) JUPITER was named for the king of all gods and goddesses. His symbol is lightning, and is at times emitted from his hand.
e) PLUTO is named for the god of the underground, or the dead. He is shown wearing long black robes and a hood. His figure is the symbol of death.
f) NEPTUNE was named for the god of the sea. His symbol is a trident, the three pronged instrument often shown in drawings of evil.
g) URANUS was named for the earliest Greek supreme god. He was the personification of the sky and heavens. He was eventually replaced by Cronus, and then Zeus. He wore a mantle dotted with stars and his hands always pointed to the sun and the moon.
9) SATURN is named for the god of agriculture--sowing and harvests. He was represented as bearing a sickle.

From  http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/ufhatch/pages/05-SecondaryTeaching/NSF-PLANS/1-1_SOLARSYS.htm

You can visit:  http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

http://sixtysymbols.com/index.html

 http://sixtysymbols.com/videos/pluto.htm