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Science · Grade 5

Gravity, Stars and Observable Sky Patterns

Why don't people on the other side of the world fall off? Why does the sun look so much brighter than every other star? Learners argue from evidence that Earth's gravity pulls everything toward its center, that the sun looks brighter because it is so much closer, and they graph shadow data and star observations to find the daily and seasonal patterns caused by Earth spinning and orbiting the sun.

  • 3 lessons
  • About 105 minutes
  • Gravity, stars and sky patterns check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, highlight a text, match pairs, type a number, put in order and sort into groups
See plans Included with Family, Teacher and School plans. Open in PlayOwl

What learners will discover

  • Support an argument that the gravitational force Earth exerts on objects is directed down, toward Earth's center, everywhere on Earth.
  • Support an argument that the sun appears brighter than other stars because it is much closer to Earth.
  • Represent data in graphs to reveal patterns in shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of stars, and explain them with Earth's rotation and orbit.

Lessons

  1. Gravity pulls toward Earth's center 5 steps3 practiceabout 30 min
  2. Brightness and distance 6 steps4 practiceabout 35 min
  3. Patterns in shadows and stars 8 steps4 practiceabout 40 min
  4. Gravity, stars and sky patterns check 9 questions at the end

Keep exploring

Games to practice with

  • Marble MountainLay straights, curves, drops and splitters to roll marbles down the mountain.
  • Bridge LabBuild a bridge from beams, brace it with triangles, and stay on budget.
  • Circuit Workshop 3DWire up batteries, bulbs and switches on a 3D workbench.

More 5th grade science

Guide for grown-ups