Lesson No

Lesson 1: 7La	Unit Title: The Solar System and Beyond Caretaker: IL	Unit No 7L
Lesson Title: A place near the Sun Horsforth Commentary		NC Ref: Sc 4 4a,b,c,d
Objectives: MK - Earth is heated by sun; day length; year length; leap years; the moon’s orbital period SK - sun rises in east, sets in west; circumference of Earth measurable using shadows CK - define: latitude & longitude; how position used to be determined before radio-navigational aids
Lesson outline: Starter activity: Ask the pupils on a scrap of paper to draw diagrams to explain: Why it goes dark at night Which way is down Why the moon has different shapes each night Main course: Students share their diagrams with the class – and the pupils discuss if these convince. Gather pupils around a globe and a projector and discuss the concepts of day and night and the length of a year. This works best in a blackout. Be sure to rotate the Earth anticlockwise so that the Sun appears to rise in the east. Use a blob of plastecine on the globe to help remember where the UK is, or use the white globe that can be annotated using a white board pen. Discuss with more able groups Latitude and longitude, navigational aids and time zones The “Earth in space” PowerPoint shows some nice explanations of day and night, and the sun in different time zones. PB Pages 140-141 to help do: MK: WS1 SK: WS 2,3 CK: WS 3,4 Back to the globe – use the tennis ball to discuss the Moon’s journey round the Earth – taking one “Moonth” – month. Finish with a quick … Plenary: a summary of the main points			Timings: 10mins 10 mins 10mins 20mins 10mins
Homework: Could ask brighter groups to research John Harrison and his chronometers. A simpler activity could be to ask the pupils to find out and explain what time it is in 6 very different parts of the world when it’s midday in the UK (E.g. Paris, New York, Hollywood, Tokyo, Moscow and Sidney)
Resources: Globe, tennis ball, slide projector or overhead, plastecine, access to video projector and Earth in Space PowerPoint (drive X) 7LaS1 7La2,3 7La3,4
Video Clips:
Risk Assessment: Slide projectors get very hot

Lesson 2: 7Lb	Unit Title: The Solar System and Beyond Caretaker: IL	Unit No 7L
Lesson Title: Moonshine		NC Ref: Sc 4 4b
Objectives: MK - The shape of the moon appears to change; solar eclipse occurs when moon blocks out sun SK - moon seen because it reflects light, explanation of phases, difference between solar and lunar eclipse, opportunity to study sun’s atmosphere during solar eclipse , CK - how the moon causes tides
Lesson outline: Starter activity: Traffic light cards – so that pupils answer true, false or unsure to some questions e.g.: The sun goes round the earth, The moon goes round the earth, the sun rotates once every 24 hours, the earth goes around the sun once every 3651/4 days, the moon changes size every night, when it is midday in the UK it is afternoon in New York (no it’s 5hours behind) etc … Main dish Phases of the moon Demonstrated using a sphere illuminated using a torch as you walk around the room. Many pupils find this difficult to interpret. The PowerPoint Earth in Space might help. PB Pages 142-143 to help: MK: WS2 SK: WS 2,3 CK: WS 3 Ellipses: Demonstrate with a globe a small ball and a slide projector or OHP Remind pupils about the total eclipse of the sun in 1999. Show video footage of it (on PowerPoint) Worksheet 7Lb1 has cut out and stick activity Could extend ideas to include a lunar eclipse – moon enters the earth’s shadow CK WS 1 (eclipse sequence) SK WS 4 (eclipses) CK WS 4 (eclipses), 6 (tides) Plenary: Quick summary of main points as a exit to the lesson			Timings: 5mins 10mins 15mins 10mins 10mins 10mins
Homework: Research activity – visit to the moon – 7Lb5
Resources: Torch or other light source, globe, balloon or football, slide projector or OHP, smaller balls to represent moon The PowerPoint Earth in Space
Video Clips:
Risk Assessment: Slide projectors get very hot J

Lesson 3 7Lc

Unit Title: The Solar System and Beyond
Caretaker: IL

Unit No 7L

Lesson Title: A plan for all seasons

NC Ref: Sc4 4b,d

Objectives:
MK - Earth axis is tilted hence seasons
SK - How day length and angle of sun varies with seasons, concept of hemispheres of earth
CK - countries close to poles have 24 hours daylight in summer, significance of Artic circles and the Tropics
(Artic: within this circle there is at least one day of year when sun does not rise above the horizon – Tropic of cancer : furthest north that the sun is directly overhead for at least one day each year.)

Lesson outline:
Starter activity:

Ask the pupils on a scrap of paper to draw diagrams to explain:
Why it goes colder in winter
Why people in Australia have Xmas in the summertime

Main dish of the day:

Show PowerPoint presentation to help convince pupils that we’re not closer to the sun in summer

Use globe with light source to help explain the impact of the Earth’s tilt.

Relate this on the board to a diagram of what we might see of the apparent movement of the sun across the horizon in summer and again in winter (remember the sun rises in the East and Sets in the West: “SETS WEST” is my way of remembering (ie sea sunsets in Blackpool sea sunrises in Scarborough)

PB 144 - 45                   CK WS 1 (seasons1)
                                       SK WS 2 (seasons2) & 3 (hours of sunshine)
                                       CK WS 4 (land of the midnight sun)

Could use the globe – spinning – plus 2 light sensor sellotaped to the globe – representing both UK and Australia and then the data logger can graph the received daylight in 24 hours. Repeat this for axis titled in different directions relative to the “sun”

Possible practical:
Tilt 3 trays of sand using books, towards a lamp and measure the temperature of the sand using thermometers (or heat and light sensors & data logger)

Plenary: summarise main points

Timings:

10mins

5mins

5mins

5mins

15mins

10mins

10mins

5mins

Homework:
Ask the pupils to make a 3d model diagram/presentation to illustrate either:
Day and night
Eclipses

Phases of the moon
Summer and winter
The solar system
Tell them you’re going to give a prize to the best model/presentation – as a sort of “show and tell”

Resources:
Globe, slide projector or OHP, plastecine, 2x light sensor & data logger & laptop, 3 trays of sand, block of wood or old text books, large hot lamp, 3 thermometer, 3x temp sensors, The PowerPoint Earth in Space

Video Clips:

Risk Assessment:
Slide projectors get very hot J

ICT opportunity
Use of data loggers to observe the change in heat/light due to seasons on a model earth.

Lesson 4 7Ld

Unit Title: The Solar System and Beyond
Caretaker: IL

Unit No 7L

Lesson Title: The Solar System – possibly 2 or 3 lessons here

NC Ref: Sc4 4

Objectives:
MK - planets are spheres orbiting the sun which is a star. The sun is enormous compared to planets, planets don’t make their own light
SK - 9 planets, asteroids, temp of planet related to distance from sun, how ideas of solar system have changed in time, special nature of earth – ability to support life.
CK - humans have landed on the moon, role of Russia and America and key developments in space exploration

Lesson outline:
Starter activity:
Get the pupils to cut out the circles which represent the size of planets get them to arrange them on their desk in the order they think they go around the sun. Ask them to suggest how large the sun would be on the same scale. It would be over 1 meter in diameter!
Main course

Distance from “Sun”

Light Time from Sun

Spacecraft Trip

Mercury
2 metres
3.2 minutes

5 months

Venus
4 metres
6 minutes

3 months

Earth
5.5 metres
8.3 minutes

Moon
1.5 cm from earth
1.3 seconds from Earth

3 days

Mars
9 metres
12.7 minutes

8 months

Jupiter
30metres
43 minutes

1.5 years

Saturn

50 meters

1.3 hours

3.2 years

Uranus

110 meters

2.7 hours

8.5 years

Neptune

150 meters

4.2 hours

12 years

Pluto

230 meters

5.5 hours

not yet visited

Take the pupils outside and position them on the athletics track at the scale distances (NB there are 2 scales here – the size of the planets has been exaggerated to enable us to see them) use a trundle wheel to position the planets – it might be better to halve all the distances

Worksheets
MK: 2,3
SK: 2,3,4,5,6,7
CK 9

These activities usually need more than one lesson – hence the range of extension activities

ICT can be used to plot graphs from spreadsheet data – to confirm hypothesis such as – are planets further from the sun colder? Larger? Etc

Display work - pupils to produce a scale model of the solar system – possibly only drawing a small segment of the sun onto poster paper and then using scale model circles – I would suggest ignoring the relative solar distance and concentrate on order and relative diameters. Use WS Ld1

A useful 2^nd or even 3^rd lesson on this is to get the pupils to research a planet of their choosing – they can then present their info to the group while you show the animations of the planets on the Solar System PowerPoint presentation. This also lends itself to imaginative work – eg. produce a travel guide / brochure for a holiday to a planet of your choice

Plenary might be best reserved for next lesson

Timings:

15mins
(or just 5mins if planets are pre-cut out and distributed in envelopes)

The rest of these activities could go on for several lessons- depending upon the ability and enthusiasm of the group.

Set them a deadline – and be flexible with their activities.

E.g.: use of IC, projectors, internet, spreadsheets

Homework: Continue with 3d models / presentations

ICT opportunity: Use of spreadsheets to plot graphs
Pupils could be encouraged to use ICT to produce presentations – which could then be published on the web

Resources:
Trundle wheel, scissors, poster equipment, compasses, glue The PowerPoint The Solar System

Video Clips:

Risk Assessment:

Lesson 5 7Le	Unit Title: The Solar System and Beyond Caretaker: IL		Unit No 7L
Lesson Title: Starry starry nights			NC Ref: Sc4 4
Objectives: MK - stars make their own heat, the sun is star SK - stars appear to move across the sky due to the Earth’s rotation, patterns of stars are called constellations, space distances are measured in light years, collections of millions of stars are called galaxies, all galaxies make up the universe CK - the shape of galaxies and the milky way
Lesson outline: Starter activity: Ask the pupils to put the keywords into size order starting with the smallest: 4 Sun 2 Moon 7 Galaxy 8 Universe 5 Solar system 6 Constellation 1 Asteroid 4 Star 3 Planet Main Define each word and get the pupils to write up definitions Possible get the pupils to do this as a quizword activity – in which they have to play scrabble with the letters and then design clues. Discuss the Light year – useful chance to do some numeracy here. Many of the worksheets for this lesson are in the form of revision activities Worksheets: MK: 1, 2, 3 SK: 4, 5 CK: 6 I tried the constellation work out with a class – but it was not successful. It did not seem all that relevant to them. The ideas was to stick bits of foil onto black paper to make a constellation. Maybe you might have more success with this.				Timings: 10mins 15mins 15mins extra time can be given to revision or for pupil presentations
Homework: Revision for test		ICT opportunity Pupils enjoy making quizwords on the computers using Hot Potato software. They can then by placed on the schools internet server.
Resources: Black paper, white paper, Al foil or silver stars (I used bits from a hole punch), scissors, glue, chalk, ruler, coloured pencils, Worksheets: 7Le1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Video Clips:
Risk Assessment: