Claim: Using a scale of 1 AU = 1.5 inches helped me understand how far apart the planets are from the Sun.
Evidence: In my model, the distance from the Sun to Earth is 1 AU, which is 1.5 inches. When I placed Earth 1.5 inches away from the Sun, I could see how close they are. Then, when I moved to Mars, which is about 1.5 AU from the Sun, I had to measure 1.5 times 1.5 inches, making it 2.25 inches away from the Sun. This showed me Mars is farther away than Earth.
Reasoning: By using this scale, I could remember that the planets are not just next to each other but are actually very far apart in space. It made it easier to see that some planets take longer to get to because they are further away, like Jupiter, which is much more than 5 AU or 7.5 inches away. This way, I learned about the real distances in a fun and clear way!