Our solar system and beyond
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Threads
Why this why now
This unit builds on pupils’ prior learning from Earth, Sun and Moon, where they explored the movement and interactions of these celestial bodies. It expands their understanding by examining the solar system, including the concept of gravity as a force between masses and the role of gravity in maintaining orbital paths. This prepares pupils for the next unit, Gravity in space, where they will delve deeper into the effects of gravity on orbits, the formation of celestial bodies, and evidence supporting theories about the universe's expansion.
Prior knowledge requirements
- The Sun is a huge, hot star.
- Other stars are much further away than the Sun.
- Earth is a spherical rocky planet.
- The Sun appears to move in an arc across the sky because Earth spins round once every 24 hours.
- The spin of Earth causes day and night.
- Earth is one of eight planets that orbit the Sun.
- A year is the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun.
- The Moon is a spherical and rocky moon.
- The Moon orbits Earth about once every month.
Threads
Why this why now
This unit builds on pupils’ prior learning from Earth, Sun and Moon, where they explored the movement and interactions of these celestial bodies. It expands their understanding by examining the solar system, including the concept of gravity as a force between masses and the role of gravity in maintaining orbital paths. This prepares pupils for the next unit, Gravity in space, where they will delve deeper into the effects of gravity on orbits, the formation of celestial bodies, and evidence supporting theories about the universe's expansion.
Prior knowledge requirements
- The Sun is a huge, hot star.
- Other stars are much further away than the Sun.
- Earth is a spherical rocky planet.
- The Sun appears to move in an arc across the sky because Earth spins round once every 24 hours.
- The spin of Earth causes day and night.
- Earth is one of eight planets that orbit the Sun.
- A year is the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun.
- The Moon is a spherical and rocky moon.
- The Moon orbits Earth about once every month.
Physics
Our solar system and beyond
This unit explores gravity as the force between masses, including weight calculation using gravitational field strength. It covers the relationship between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, the concept of light years, and seasonal changes due to Earth’s tilt.
8 lessons in unit
slide decks, worksheet PDFs, quizzes and lesson overviews. You can select individual lessons from the Our solar system and beyond unit and download the resources you need, or download the entire unit now. See every unit listed in our secondary science curriculum and discover more of our teaching resources for secondary science programmes.