Our solar system
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe our solar system, including ideas about the locations, movements, sizes and distances of the different objects within our solar system.
Key learning points
- A star is an extremely large sphere of hot gas that gives out light.
- A planet is a very large sphere of rock or gas that orbits a star.
- Our solar system includes the Sun (a star) and all the objects that orbit the Sun.
- Orbiting the Sun are: 8 planets (many of which have moons), dwarf planets and smaller objects such as asteroids.
- Distances between objects in our solar system are very, very large compared to the sizes of the objects.
Keywords
Star - A star is an extremely large sphere of hot gas that emits light.
Planet - A planet is a very large sphere of rock or gas that orbits a star.
Dwarf planet - A dwarf planet is a large, round object that orbits a star but is not big enough to clear its orbital path of other debris.
Asteroid - An asteroid is a small, rocky object that orbits the Sun.
Solar system - Our solar system includes the Sun and all the objects in orbit around the Sun.
Common misconception
Stars and the planets in our solar system are intermingled, with stars between the planets.
Make it clear with diagrams, scaled examples and/or videos (freely available online) that 'zoom out' from Earth, that the second nearest star to Earth is 10 000 times further away from the Sun than Neptune, the most distant planet.
Teacher tip
There are numerous high-quality videos online that really help pupils develop a sense of the scale of our solar system. Some show a 'zooming out' sequence from Earth, others show the construction of a complete scale model. There are excellent online solar system simulations freely available too.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these objects in the solar system is a planet?
Q2.Put these planets in order of increasing distance from the Sun, starting with the closest one.
Q3.Put these planets in order of increasing size, starting with the smallest.
Q4.Which of these statements is correct about Earth?
Q5.Which of these objects are not found in our solar system?
Q6.Which of these planets does not have any moons?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these statements about planets is incorrect?
Q2.Which of these objects is not found in our solar system?
Q3.Which of the planets listed is small and rocky?
Q4.Between which two planets is the asteroid belt found?
Q5.If a scale model was made of our solar system, and the Sun was represented by a tennis ball, what size would the planets be?
Q6.Which of these planets is an outer gas planet?
To help you plan your 7 science lesson on: Our solar system, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 science lesson on: Our solar system, 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 3 science lessons from the Our solar system and beyond unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.