This is a 10 lesson unit that is designed to cover the Australian National Curriculum for Year 5 Earth and Space Sciences.
Over the course of this unit, students will develop an understanding of our solar system, including the relative sizes and distances of the planets. This unit involves classroom demonstrations, online research, famous scientists through history and comic strips about Roman gods. Through these cross curricular activities, students will understand what we now know about our place in space, as well as how, and why, that understanding has changed through time.
Every lesson comes complete with an activity worksheet, and there is a final summative assessment quiz to complete the unit.
The Earth is part of a system of planets orbiting around a star (the sun)
Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena and reflects historical and cultural contributions
Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal and community decisions
With guidance, pose clarifying questions and make predictions about scientific investigations
Identify, plan and apply the elements of scientific investigations to answer questions and solve problems using equipment and materials safely and identifying potential risks
Decide variables to be changed and measured in fair tests, and observe measure and record data with accuracy using digital technologies as appropriate
Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations
Reflect on and suggest improvements to scientific investigations
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes using scientific representations in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts
Plans and conducts scientific investigations to answer testable questions, and collects and summarises data to communicate conclusions
Explains regular events in the solar system and geological events on the Earth’s surface
Plans and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity
Examines how the environment affects the growth, survival and adaptation of living things
Explains how food and fibre are produced sustainably in managed environments for health and nutrition
Explains the effect of heat on the properties and behaviour of materials
Explains how the properties of materials determines their use for a range of purposes
Explains how energy is transformed from one form to another
Investigates the effects of increasing or decreasing the strength of a specific contact or non-contact force
Defines problems, and designs, modifies and follows algorithms to develop solutions
Explains how digital systems represent data, connect together to form networks and transmit data
Earth is part of a system of planets orbiting around a star (the Sun)
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to inform personal and community decisions and to solve problems that directly affect people’s lives
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be based on previous experiences or general rules
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation types to answer questions or solve problems and use equipment, technologies and materials safely, identifying potential risks
Decide which variables should be changed, measured and controlled in fair tests and accurately observe, measure and record data
Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to record, represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations
Suggest improvements to the methods used to investigate a question or solve a problem
Communicate ideas and processes using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena and to identify simple cause-and-effect relationships
In this unit, students:
Lesson 1
Our Space Expedition
In this lesson, students discuss their prior knowledge of space, and are introduces to the concepts within the unit.
Lesson 2
Astronomers Past and Present
In this lesson, students expore how people thought about space through time, and how famous scientists’ discoveries have changed how we understand our universe.
Lesson 3
The Moon
In this lesson, students explore the moon. What it is, how it was made, its size and distance compared to the earth, and why it seems to change through the month.
Lesson 4
The Sun
In this lesson, students learn about the sun, it’s importance as the centre of our galaxy, and how it powers us and the world that we live in.
Lesson 5
Discovering the Solar System
In this lesson, students learned all about the 8 planets in our solar system.
Lesson 6
Modelling the Solar System
In this lesson, students explore just how big the distance between the planets is. The earth may seem like a big place, but it’s one of the smallest planets and it’s a long way away from its neighbours.
Lesson 7
Other Members of our Neighbourhood
In this lesson, students learn about the thousands of other objects that are drifting out in our galaxy, that don’t often get talked about. They investigate what happened to Pluto, and learn about other dwarf planets, and the Kuiper and Asteroid belts.
Lesson 8
Exploring Our Solar System
In this lesson, students explore how our ability to look into space has evolved through time, and how that’s allowed us to learn more about the galaxy we live in, and the universe outside it.
Lesson 9
Sky Gods
In this lesson, students explore where the names of the planets and moons in our solar system come from, and some of the stories behind them.
Lesson 10
Space Assessment
In this lesson, students finish the science unit by completing a short quiz, where they demonstrate all you’ve learned about Our Place in Space.
The WALT, WILF & TIB posters were created by request and consist of 14 pages including: WALT - We are learning to... WILF - What I'm...
These space themed WALT, WILF, and TIB posters are perfect for earth and space sciences units.
This presentation outlines the history of the field of astronomy, and how our understanding of the solar system is directly linked to the di...
These posters tell the story of the the important men and women who have made incredible discoveries in the field of astronomy, These pos...
Identify each of the phases of the moon, connecting names with meanings.
This presentation goes through all the other items in the solar system that have not been covered so far. This presentation can be used t...
This presentation links the names of the planets with the Greek and roman gods and titans who given them their names. This presentation c...
This is a title page, which will help students establish a general understanding of the solar system, and serve as a reference for future le...
Students complete online research to answer a set of questions on a famous astronomer. Linking the content of the unit with the work of...
This cloze passage outlines how the energy from the sun has been powering the earth for millions of years, not only as solar power, but as e...
This cloze passage outlines how the energy from the sun has been powering the earth for millions of years, not only as solar power, but as e...
Students use the internet to research a number of characteristics about the planets, including makeup, size, and relative gravity. This w...
Students use the internet and the included clues to solve the worksheet. This worksheet should get students reading about some of the les...
Students see how our ability to see into space has changed out understanding of space. Students are also able to see just how recent some of...
Students learn about the relationship between the roman gods and the planets, and draw a comic book representation of one of the planetary p...
A summative assessment to check students’ understanding of the unit’s content. This quiz can be used to assess the Year 5 Earth and Space...
