Earth and Space: The Sun and Its Planets — Year 5 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: Science — Earth and space, Year 5: describe the movement of the Earth and other planets relative to the sun in the solar system; describe the sun, Earth and moon as approximately spherical bodies
Overview
The first of four Earth and Space lessons. Pupils learn that the Sun is a star at the centre of our solar system, name the eight planets in order, and describe how the Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun. They see that the Sun, Earth and Moon are approximately spherical, and act out the orbits as a human model of the solar system.
Earth and Space: The Sun and Its Planets learning objectives
- Explain that the Sun is a star at the centre of our solar system.
- Name the eight planets in order from the Sun.
- Describe how the Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun, and that the Earth takes about a year to go round once.
- Describe the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical.
Success criteria
- I can explain that the Sun is a star.
- I can name the eight planets in order from the Sun.
- I can describe how the Earth orbits the Sun once a year.
- I can describe the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Begin with sun safety: never look directly at the Sun, even when wearing sunglasses. Then show photographs of the Sun, the Moon, Earth, Saturn and a night sky full of stars. Pupils sort them into star, planet or moon on mini whiteboards and explain their choices. Many will not put the Sun with the stars; note this and come back to it.
Explain that the Sun is a star, the closest one to us, and that it sits at the centre of our solar system. Introduce the eight planets in order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune (mnemonic: My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming). The inner four are small and rocky; the outer four are giants made mostly of gas and ice. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. Show the planet sizes video. Explain that every planet travels around the Sun in a path called an orbit: Earth takes about 365¼ days, which is one year, and planets further out take much longer (Neptune takes about 165 Earth years). Finally, show photographs of the Sun, Earth and Moon taken from space: all three are approximately spherical.
Human solar system in the hall or playground. One pupil is the Sun in the centre; eight pupils hold planet name cards and stand in order at increasing distances. On a signal, the planets walk anticlockwise around the Sun, inner planets on small circles and outer planets on large ones. Stop after one 'Earth year' (Earth back at its start) and ask: who has completed an orbit? Who has hardly moved round? Swap roles so that more pupils take part.
Pupils label a solar system diagram with the Sun and the eight planets in order. Underneath, they write three sentences describing how the Earth moves relative to the Sun, using the words orbit, Sun and year. Challenge: explain why a year on Neptune is so much longer than a year on Earth.
True or false on mini whiteboards: The Sun is a planet (false). The Earth orbits the Sun (true). There are nine planets (false). The Moon is flat like a disc (false). Pupils correct each false statement aloud.
Videos for this lesson
How Big Are the Planets? Planet Sizes to Scale | KS2 Science (No Narration)
The eight planets shown side by side at their true relative sizes. With no narration, it works during the teaching input while you talk the class through the order and sizes of the planets.
Watch on YouTube →The Sun and Its Planets | Year 5 Earth and Space, Lesson 1 | KS2 Science (No Narration)
A four-minute walk through the whole lesson: the Sun is a star, the eight planets in order, how they orbit the Sun, and why the Sun, Earth and Moon are approximately spherical. The words are on screen, so you can pause and talk it through. Ends with a three-question quiz.
Watch on YouTube →Support and extension for earth and space: the sun and its planets
Support
- Give a planet order strip with the first letter of each planet and the mnemonic printed alongside.
- Provide sentence stems for the written task: “The Earth orbits the ___. One orbit takes ___.”
- In the human solar system, pair pupils so that one walks the orbit and the other holds the name card and checks the order.
Extension
- Use a table of orbit times to explain the pattern between a planet's distance from the Sun and the length of its year.
- Research why Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 and present the argument for and against.
- Explain what evidence shows that the Earth is approximately spherical (photographs from space, ships disappearing over the horizon hull first).
Check for understanding
Quick questions for the plenary or an exit ticket. Tap a question to see the answer.
1. What is the Sun?
Answer: A star, the closest one to Earth, at the centre of our solar system.
2. Name the eight planets in order from the Sun.
Answer: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
3. How long does the Earth take to orbit the Sun once?
Answer: About 365¼ days: one year.
4. Which planets take longer than Earth to orbit the Sun, and why?
Answer: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, because they are further from the Sun and have much longer paths to travel.
5. What shape are the Sun, Earth and Moon?
Answer: Approximately spherical (ball-shaped).
Resources you will need
- Photographs of the Sun, Earth, Moon, Saturn and a starry sky for the sorting starter
- The planet sizes video, linked in this plan
- Planet name cards on lanyards and a large ‘Sun’ card for the human solar system
- Space to walk the orbits: the hall or playground
- Solar system labelling sheet
Common Misconceptions
- The Sun is not a star, or stars are small. The Sun is a star; other stars only look small because they are much further away.
- The Sun travels around the Earth. The Earth orbits the Sun; the Sun only appears to move across the sky (lesson 4).
- The planets are evenly spaced. The gaps grow much bigger further from the Sun.
- The Sun, Earth and Moon are flat discs because that is how they look in the sky or in drawings. They are approximately spherical.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Know that we need light to see and that the Sun is a light source (Year 3 Light).
- Know that looking directly at the Sun is dangerous and how to protect their eyes (Year 3 Light).
- Have observed changes across the four seasons and how day length varies (Year 1 Seasonal changes).
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