The Solar System - Lesson Plan

This comprehensive lesson plan is tailored for students exploring the vast topic of the Solar System, aligning with the National Curriculum. The lesson aims to develop a range of science skills such as pattern seeking, identifying, classifying, and researching using secondary resources. Students will delve into understanding the movements of the Earth and other planets relative to the Sun, and recognise the spherical nature of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. The lesson builds on prior knowledge from earlier years, where students may have learned about planets and the impact of an asteroid on the dinosaurs. The lesson incorporates cross-curricular connections, including RE, Maths, Art, and English, with activities like creating mnemonics to remember the order of the planets and graphing their distance from the Sun against surface temperature.

The lesson plan addresses common misconceptions, clarifying that the Sun, not the Earth, is the centre of the solar system and that planets orbit in an elliptical, not circular, shape. Students will engage in hands-on activities such as constructing planetary orbits using board pins and cotton to draw ellipses, and playing Planet Top Trumps to explore relationships between planetary distance from the Sun and surface temperature. They will also create models of the planets, using a variety of materials to represent their size and composition. Health and safety considerations are noted, particularly when handling pointed objects like bamboo skewers. The lesson culminates in a plenary where students reflect on their learning, assessing their understanding of planetary orbits, movement direction, and the differences between rocky planets and gas giants.