Science lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 30 minutes

The scale of the universe

Space

CCSS NGSS.MS-ESS1-2CCSS NGSS.MS-ESS1-3CCSS NGSS.5-ESS1-1England: KS3 Physics: Space physics

Objective and success criteria

Students will: The scale of the universe.

I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
I can explain each step and say why it works.
I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: The planets of the solar system

Leads to: The life cycle of stars

Materials: Torch and ball for a Sun-Earth-Moon model, Space images, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

Quick retrieval from earlier learning (The planets of the solar system). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

What is Pluto classed as today? (a moon of Neptune / the ninth planet / a dwarf planet / a star) → a dwarf planetPrompt: It was reclassified in 2006.
Which is the largest planet in our solar system? (Jupiter / Earth / Neptune / Saturn) → JupiterPrompt: It is a gas giant with a Great Red Spot.
Which planets are the rocky (terrestrial) planets? (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars / all eight / Earth and Pluto / Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) → Mercury, Venus, Earth and MarsPrompt: They are the four closest to the Sun.

Hook · 3 min

Ask why we see the Moon change shape over a month.
Share the objective: The scale of the universe. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
Example: The Sun is about 150 000 000 km away. Light travels at about 300 000 km/s. How many seconds does sunlight take to reach Earth?
Step 1: 150000000 ÷ 300000 = 500
Step 2: That is about 8 minutes 20 seconds.
Step 3: So the answer is: 500 s
Answer: 500 s
Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

The Sun is about 150 000 000 km away. Light travels at about 300 000 km/s. How many seconds does sunlight take to reach Earth? → 500 sPrompt: time = distance ÷ speed
Which is the nearest star to Earth? (the Sun / Proxima Centauri / the North Star (Polaris) / Sirius) → the SunPrompt: You see it every day.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

What is the Milky Way? (a moon of Jupiter / a constellation of seven stars / a planet / the galaxy that contains our solar system) → the galaxy that contains our solar systemPrompt: It contains hundreds of billions of stars.
Light travels about 300 000 km every second. How far does it travel in 60 seconds, in km? → 18000000 kmPrompt: distance = speed × time

Watch out for

Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

Review first: The planets of the solar system.
Use concrete materials: torch and ball for a sun-earth-moon model.
Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

Move on to: The life cycle of stars.
Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-6.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder