Students tour the Sun and eight planets, learn what keeps everything in orbit, and model why Earth’s spin gives us day and night.
Students will be able to…
The Sun looks like it moves across the sky each day — but it doesn’t. So what’s really moving, and why do we get day and night?
Watch the planets orbit, then tap each world to reveal a fact. Have students record one thing that makes each planet unique.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
If the Sun “rises” and “sets,” is it really moving?
Students tour the Sun and eight planets.
What holds it all together?
A flashlight, a globe, and a big “aha.”
Three quick checks on planets, gravity, and day/night.
Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core literacy. State-standard crosswalks available on request.
Support an argument that the apparent brightness of the sun and stars is due to their relative distances from Earth.
Represent data to reveal patterns of daily changes in shadows, day and night, and seasonal appearance of stars.
Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.
Draw on information from multiple sources to answer a question or solve a problem.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students pace out the planets’ distances on the playground using a scaled tape measure — the empty space between the outer planets is the real lesson. A printable scale-distance chart is in the Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.