Birth of a star
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe what a star is and how it forms.
Key learning points
- The Sun is a medium sized star that emits radiation as a result of nuclear fusion reactions in its core.
- A star is formed from a cloud (nebula) of dust and gas pulled together by gravitational attraction.
- Dust in a nebula is any sort of fine particle, such as specks of rock, and most of the gas in space is hydrogen.
- As a star forms, dust and gas accelerate towards its centre over a very long time, creating very high temperatures.
- A star forms when hydrogen nuclei in a protostar fuse together converting mass into gamma radiation that causes heating.
Keywords
Star - a ball of very hot gas and plasma that emits radiation and is powered by nuclear fusion in its core
Nuclear fusion - the process of merging small nuclei into larger nuclei with the release of energy
Nebula - a region of space containing traces of gas (mostly hydrogen) and dust
Protostar - a dense, hot, ball of gas formed by a collapsed nebula
Main sequence star - the stable period of a star when it is fusing hydrogen in its core
Common misconception
The Sun is not a star.
Compare the properties of the Sun with those of stars to show they are similar.
Teacher tip
An internet search for ‘the formation of stars’ will help you find videos with animations or simulations of how stars are formed and their life cycles, which you can show to your pupils to stimulate and focus discussion.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these statements about the Sun are correct?
Q2.What shape are stars?
Q3.What would the Sun look like if it were two times further away?
Q4.Why do stars appear to move across the night sky, with their movement repeated once each day?
Q5.Why can you only see stars at night?
Q6.Match each object in space to the correct description.
a large spherical object that orbits a star
a very hot ball of gas and plasma that emits light radiation
a group of billions of stars clustered together in space
the whole of space and everything in it
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How does the size of the Sun compare to the size of other stars?
Q2.The Sun is one of about 300 billion stars in the galaxy.
Q3.What sort of reaction inside the core of a star causes it to become very, very hot?
Q4.What is a nebula typically made of?
Q5.A huge spinning ball of very hot, dense gas that forms from a collapsing nebula is called a .
Q6.Put each stage in the early life of a star in the correct order, starting with the first.
To help you plan your 11 physics lesson on: Birth of a star, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 physics lesson on: Birth of a star, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 physics lessons from the Gravity in space unit, dive into the full secondary physics curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.