Stars, galaxies and the universe
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe what stars and galaxies are and explain how they look when seen from Earth.
Key learning points
- The Sun is a star, an extremely hot sphere of gas that emits light.
- The stars in the night sky are much smaller and dimmer than the Sun because they are much further away.
- A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. This is large enough to be suitable for distances in space.
- In the universe, stars are found in groups called galaxies, with billions of stars in each one.
- There are billions of galaxies in the universe.
Keywords
Star - A star is an extremely hot sphere of gas that emits light.
Light year - A light-year is the distance light travels in one year.
Billion - 1 billion = 1 000 000 000 (one thousand million).
Galaxy - A galaxy is a group of billions of stars.
Universe - The name for the whole of space and everything in it is the universe.
Common misconception
The Sun is not a star.
Make it clear that the only reason the Sun looks different to the stars in the night sky is because it is so much closer to Earth. Use visual examples to show what the Sun and/or other stars would look like at greater distances.
Teacher tip
A video showing a 'zooming out' sequence from Earth to the scale of galaxies can be very powerful. Calculations involving light-years (distance travelled by light in a year) may be best left until after the speed, distance and time relation has been introduced in a future topic, so are not included.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the nearest star to us on Earth?
Q2.What is the Sun mainly made of?
Q3.What is a constellation in the night sky?
Q4.How many planet Earths could you fit into the Sun?
Q5.Which of the following orbit the Sun?
Q6.How long does it take for light from the Sun to reach Earth?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the Sun?
Q2.Why do the stars in the night sky look different to the Sun, which is also a star?
Q3.Match each keyword to the correct definition.
all of space and everything in it
a star and the objects (e.g. planets) in orbit around that star
a cluster of billions of stars
a huge sphere of gas that gives out light
Q4.What is a light year?
Q5.Starting with the smallest, put these in order of size from smallest to largest.
Q6.Select the statements about stars that are true.
To help you plan your 7 science lesson on: Stars, galaxies and the universe, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 science lesson on: Stars, galaxies and the universe, 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.