1. Focus
Which question is more focused: “space” or “What are Saturn’s rings made of?”
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Choose the one you can answer with a few facts.
Answer guidance
Answer: What are Saturn’s rings made of?
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON A · 2 MINUTES
Solar System Research: Evidence Desk
Learning objective
I can check a focused solar-system question using named sources and present three accurate facts in my own words.
Success looks like
- Select relevant facts and retain their source codes.
- Compare a claim across two named organisations.
- Present three facts with units, a source and an honest limit.
Your mission is to prepare a short briefing someone else can trust. The nine supplied source cards allow a complete offline route.
Two separate lessons
A · Explore and explain · 40 minutes
B · Solar System Presentation: Mission Briefing · 40 minutes
Stop after Lesson A. Lesson B has its own start and exit.
Point, speak, sign, move cards, draw, write or direct an adult. Choose one route; equivalent science evidence does not require a written conversion.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON A · 5 MINUTES
Four clues to start
Choose a route. Today’s responses decide the help you use. No previous worksheet is needed.
Supported · 4 questions
2. Named source
Which is easier to check: a named NASA page or an anonymous message?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Find an identifiable publisher.
Answer guidance
Answer: A named NASA page.
3. Keep the unit
Jupiter’s day is about 10 ___. Choose hours or years.
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. A day is one rotation.
Answer guidance
Answer: Hours.
4. Own words
What should stay when you paraphrase: the scientific meaning or the exact sentence?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Keep meaning and source.
Answer guidance
Answer: The scientific meaning, with a source code.
Standard · 4 questions
1. Focus
Which question is more focused: “space” or “What are Saturn’s rings made of?”
Help beside the question
Choose the one you can answer with a few facts.
Answer guidance
Answer: What are Saturn’s rings made of?
2. Named source
Which is easier to check: a named NASA page or an anonymous message?
Help beside the question
Find an identifiable publisher.
Answer guidance
Answer: A named NASA page.
3. Keep the unit
Jupiter’s day is about 10 ___. Choose hours or years.
Help beside the question
A day is one rotation.
Answer guidance
Answer: Hours.
4. Own words
What should stay when you paraphrase: the scientific meaning or the exact sentence?
Help beside the question
Keep meaning and source.
Answer guidance
Answer: The scientific meaning, with a source code.
Stretch · 4 questions
1. Focus
Which question is more focused: “space” or “What are Saturn’s rings made of?”
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Choose the one you can answer with a few facts.
Answer guidance
Answer: What are Saturn’s rings made of?
2. Named source
Does a NASA logo pasted on a message prove it is an authentic NASA source?
Help beside the question
Check the actual page and address.
Answer guidance
Answer: No. Visit or use the documented source; a copied logo can mislead.
3. Keep the unit
Why should “about 10 hours” not become “exactly 10”?
Help beside the question
Rounding changes the precision.
Answer guidance
Answer: About is approximate; exactly would overstate the source.
4. Own words
What should stay when you paraphrase: the scientific meaning or the exact sentence?
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Keep meaning and source.
Answer guidance
Answer: The scientific meaning, with a source code.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON A · 4 MINUTES
Can we trust this briefing?
A note says “Mars is red, so it must be hot.” What should a researcher do?
No answer chosen yet. Think or discuss first.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON A · 7 MINUTES
Watch, predict, explain
Predict, model, explain
My claim is ___. Source ___ says ___. Source ___ agrees / adds detail / needs checking.
Make a prediction. Change one view, then use a label to explain what you notice.
Ask one focused question about Saturn’s rings, Mars’s colour or Jupiter’s rotation.
Worked explanation · reveal after thinking
Source cards are new paraphrases of the named NASA and ESA pages, checked 16 September 2026. No current moon counts are used. NASA “about 10 hours” and ESA 9.93 hours for Jupiter agree at different rounding levels. Mars’s reddish dust contains iron oxides; recent mineral interpretations must not be presented as certainty about life.
Local explainer · 32 seconds · silent with captions
Use instead of part of the demonstration. It never autoplays and needs no internet.
Full text / no-video alternative
00–08 seconds · Choose a question
Ask one focused question about Saturn’s rings, Mars’s colour or Jupiter’s rotation.
08–16 seconds · Check a source
Keep the organisation, source code and units beside the fact. Do not copy an anonymous claim.
16–24 seconds · Compare meaning
About 10 hours and 9.93 hours describe nearly the same rotation period, with different rounding.
24–32 seconds · Brief an audience
Use three checked facts in your own words, visible source codes and one honest limit.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON A · 10 MINUTES
Keep, check or reject the mission notes
Choose a card, read its evidence, then place it in a group. Explain one decision together.
Drag, or select a card and press a group button. Tab and Enter work too; an adult can follow your pointing.
Keep · supported and relevant
Check before using
Reject this wording
Choose a card first. No cards have been placed.
Read the card clues
Named rings source: SAT-A links “mainly ice particles” to NASA’s Saturn facts.
Unit retained: JUP-A says about 10 hours for one rotation.
Unsourced life claim: “Red dust proves animals live on Mars” is not supported by these cards.
Old copied note: An undated note gives no source or unit; locate the original before using it.
Two rotation values: 9.93 hours and about 10 hours agree after rounding.
Solid ring claim: The supplied sources describe particles, not one solid ring.
Would a small change help? · optional
You may ask for a clearer diagram, fewer cards at once, reading help or more thinking time. Tell your teacher, ask privately, point or pass. Your teacher will say what can change and check whether it helped. No extra sheet is needed.
Group explanations · reveal after sorting
Named rings source: Keep · supported and relevant. SAT-A links “mainly ice particles” to NASA’s Saturn facts.
Unit retained: Keep · supported and relevant. JUP-A says about 10 hours for one rotation.
Unsourced life claim: Reject this wording. “Red dust proves animals live on Mars” is not supported by these cards.
Old copied note: Check before using. An undated note gives no source or unit; locate the original before using it.
Two rotation values: Keep · supported and relevant. 9.93 hours and about 10 hours agree after rounding.
Solid ring claim: Reject this wording. The supplied sources describe particles, not one solid ring.
With JavaScript off, point to the cards and labels or use the paper versions.
Named rings source: SAT-A links “mainly ice particles” to NASA’s Saturn facts.
Unit retained: JUP-A says about 10 hours for one rotation.
Unsourced life claim: “Red dust proves animals live on Mars” is not supported by these cards.
Old copied note: An undated note gives no source or unit; locate the original before using it.
Two rotation values: 9.93 hours and about 10 hours agree after rounding.
Solid ring claim: The supplied sources describe particles, not one solid ring.
Supplied resources · read or print
Source bank · Saturn’s rings
Question
What are Saturn’s rings like? These are paraphrased source cards, not direct quotations.
SAT-A · NASA Saturn facts
Saturn’s rings are made mainly of pieces of ice, with rock and dust also present. Own-word note: mainly ice particles.
SAT-B · ESA Saturn’s rings
The rings contain separate fragments of ice and rock; they are not one solid sheet. Compare the material claim with SAT-A.
SAT-C · NASA Saturn facts
Ring particles vary greatly in size. A smooth-looking ring in a small picture does not mean a continuous solid surface.
Check
Find one claim shared by NASA and ESA. Keep all source codes; the Teacher Pack lists the exact pages.
Source bank · Mars’s colour
Question
Why does Mars look reddish? These cards summarise sources, not measurements by this class.
MAR-A · NASA Mars facts
Iron minerals in surface material have oxidised. Iron oxides contribute to the reddish dust.
MAR-B · ESA Mars Express
Research reported in 2025 found that a water-containing iron mineral, ferrihydrite, gives a good match to the dust’s colour. The broad iron-oxide explanation agrees with MAR-A; this adds detail.
MAR-C · NASA Mars facts
Mars’s surface is not uniformly red: other colours occur. A distant reddish appearance does not describe every rock or place.
Check
Do not turn mineral evidence into proof of life, or colour into a temperature measurement. The exact source pages are in the Teacher Pack.
Source bank · Jupiter’s day
Question
How long is Jupiter’s day, and how is it different from its year?
JUP-A · NASA Jupiter facts
Jupiter completes a rotation in about 10 hours. A day here refers to the planet’s rotation.
JUP-B · ESA Juice facts
ESA gives a day length of 9.93 hours. Rounded to a whole hour, this agrees with about 10 hours.
JUP-C · NASA Jupiter facts
Jupiter takes about 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun. A year refers to an orbit, not a rotation.
Check
Keep hours and Earth years distinct. Different rounded values need not conflict. The exact source pages are in the Teacher Pack.
Research record and briefing storyboard
My focused question
____________________________________________________________
Fact 1 · source code
____________________________________________________________
Fact 2 · source code
____________________________________________________________
Fact 3 · source code
____________________________________________________________
My two-source check
Source ___ and source ___ agree / differ / add detail because: __________
One limit / one useful revision
____________________________________________________________
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON A · 10 MINUTES
Use the evidence yourself
Supported · use one response mode
1. Choose and collect
Choose one question. Select three relevant source-bank facts with an adult.
Help: Use one complete three-card question set.
2. Check one claim
Match one NASA fact to an agreeing ESA card.
Help: Choose the paired source codes.
3. Prepare to present
Place your three facts in a clear order.
Help: Point to a title and three fact spaces.
Standard · use one response mode
1. Choose and collect
Choose a question and record three relevant facts in your own words.
Help: Keep each source code.
2. Check one claim
Compare one claim across two named organisations.
Help: Compare meanings, not identical wording.
3. Prepare to present
Plan a question, three facts and a sources line.
Help: Use the supplied storyboard.
Stretch · use one response mode
1. Choose and collect
Select three precise facts, retaining units and any uncertainty.
Help: Reject interesting but irrelevant facts.
2. Check one claim
Explain agreement, extra detail or a remaining uncertainty; do not invent a contradiction.
Help: Consider rounding and shared research.
3. Prepare to present
Add a precise limitation and a checkable explanation for a non-expert audience.
Help: Distinguish observation from speculation.
Use the application model · an alternative to writing
Check the briefing decisions
Use the digital choices or the matching paper page. One response mode is enough.
Supplied resources · read or print
Source bank · Saturn’s rings
Question
What are Saturn’s rings like? These are paraphrased source cards, not direct quotations.
SAT-A · NASA Saturn facts
Saturn’s rings are made mainly of pieces of ice, with rock and dust also present. Own-word note: mainly ice particles.
SAT-B · ESA Saturn’s rings
The rings contain separate fragments of ice and rock; they are not one solid sheet. Compare the material claim with SAT-A.
SAT-C · NASA Saturn facts
Ring particles vary greatly in size. A smooth-looking ring in a small picture does not mean a continuous solid surface.
Check
Find one claim shared by NASA and ESA. Keep all source codes; the Teacher Pack lists the exact pages.
Source bank · Mars’s colour
Question
Why does Mars look reddish? These cards summarise sources, not measurements by this class.
MAR-A · NASA Mars facts
Iron minerals in surface material have oxidised. Iron oxides contribute to the reddish dust.
MAR-B · ESA Mars Express
Research reported in 2025 found that a water-containing iron mineral, ferrihydrite, gives a good match to the dust’s colour. The broad iron-oxide explanation agrees with MAR-A; this adds detail.
MAR-C · NASA Mars facts
Mars’s surface is not uniformly red: other colours occur. A distant reddish appearance does not describe every rock or place.
Check
Do not turn mineral evidence into proof of life, or colour into a temperature measurement. The exact source pages are in the Teacher Pack.
Source bank · Jupiter’s day
Question
How long is Jupiter’s day, and how is it different from its year?
JUP-A · NASA Jupiter facts
Jupiter completes a rotation in about 10 hours. A day here refers to the planet’s rotation.
JUP-B · ESA Juice facts
ESA gives a day length of 9.93 hours. Rounded to a whole hour, this agrees with about 10 hours.
JUP-C · NASA Jupiter facts
Jupiter takes about 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun. A year refers to an orbit, not a rotation.
Check
Keep hours and Earth years distinct. Different rounded values need not conflict. The exact source pages are in the Teacher Pack.
Research record and briefing storyboard
My focused question
____________________________________________________________
Fact 1 · source code
____________________________________________________________
Fact 2 · source code
____________________________________________________________
Fact 3 · source code
____________________________________________________________
My two-source check
Source ___ and source ___ agree / differ / add detail because: __________
One limit / one useful revision
____________________________________________________________
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON A · 2 MINUTES
Two small checks
Supported · 2 questions
1. Trace a fact
Match “mainly ice particles” to SAT-A or JUP-A.
Help beside the question
SAT means Saturn.
Answer guidance
Answer: SAT-A.
2. Check agreement
How would you check a claim before presenting it?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Use another named source and compare meaning and units.
Answer guidance
Answer: Find the claim in a second suitable source, retaining units and any uncertainty.
Standard · 2 questions
1. Trace a fact
State one supplied fact and its source code.
Help beside the question
Choose SAT-A, MAR-A or JUP-A.
Answer guidance
Answer: For example: Saturn’s rings are mainly ice particles, SAT-A / NASA.
2. Check agreement
How would you check a claim before presenting it?
Help beside the question
Use another named source and compare meaning and units.
Answer guidance
Answer: Find the claim in a second suitable source, retaining units and any uncertainty.
Stretch · 2 questions
1. Trace a fact
State one supplied fact and its source code.
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Choose SAT-A, MAR-A or JUP-A.
Answer guidance
Answer: For example: Saturn’s rings are mainly ice particles, SAT-A / NASA.
2. Check agreement
Why can two agreeing websites still be weaker than two independent measurements?
Help beside the question
They may describe the same underlying study.
Answer guidance
Answer: Both sites may repeat one study; agreement does not automatically provide independent experimental evidence.
Lesson A ends here. Keep any useful science evidence. Lesson B starts fresh with the supplied materials.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON B · 4 MINUTES
Solar System Presentation: Mission Briefing
Fresh start · your 32-minute workshop
Solar System Presentation: Mission Briefing
Arrival, investigation, checking and refining total 32 minutes. Then review the evidence for four minutes and complete two exit checks in four minutes.
Supported · 4 questions
1. Relevant fact
For a rings-material question, choose “mainly ice particles” or “Saturn is a planet”.
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Both may be true; only one answers the question closely.
Answer guidance
Answer: Mainly ice particles.
2. Cross-check
9.93 rounds to 10. Do the two rounded day lengths agree?
Help beside the question
Same unit: hours.
Answer guidance
Answer: Yes.
3. Attribution
You use card SAT-A. What should be shown next to your fact?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Keep the card’s source code.
Answer guidance
Answer: SAT-A and NASA / the named source.
4. Audience
Name a way to share a briefing without speaking to the whole class.
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. A partner, typed slides or adult-directed explanation.
Answer guidance
Answer: A small-group explanation, poster, typed storyboard or adult-supported sharing.
Standard · 4 questions
1. Relevant fact
For a rings-material question, choose “mainly ice particles” or “Saturn is a planet”.
Help beside the question
Both may be true; only one answers the question closely.
Answer guidance
Answer: Mainly ice particles.
2. Cross-check
NASA says about 10 hours; ESA says 9.93 hours. Is this necessarily a disagreement?
Help beside the question
Round 9.93 to the nearest whole hour.
Answer guidance
Answer: No; both are about 10 hours.
3. Attribution
You use card SAT-A. What should be shown next to your fact?
Help beside the question
Keep the card’s source code.
Answer guidance
Answer: SAT-A and NASA / the named source.
4. Audience
Name a way to share a briefing without speaking to the whole class.
Help beside the question
A partner, typed slides or adult-directed explanation.
Answer guidance
Answer: A small-group explanation, poster, typed storyboard or adult-supported sharing.
Stretch · 4 questions
1. Relevant fact
For a rings-material question, choose “mainly ice particles” or “Saturn is a planet”.
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Both may be true; only one answers the question closely.
Answer guidance
Answer: Mainly ice particles.
2. Cross-check
NASA says about 10 hours; ESA says 9.93 hours. Is this necessarily a disagreement?
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Round 9.93 to the nearest whole hour.
Answer guidance
Answer: No; both are about 10 hours.
3. Attribution
You use card SAT-A. What should be shown next to your fact?
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Keep the card’s source code.
Answer guidance
Answer: SAT-A and NASA / the named source.
4. Audience
Why is a short explanation with sources stronger than a long copied page?
Help beside the question
Audience understanding and traceable claims.
Answer guidance
Answer: It selects relevant evidence, shows understanding and lets the reader check the claims.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON B · 20 MINUTES
Gather and use evidence
Use the supplied offline source bank. Optional web checking is adult-supervised with no logins or pupil personal data. Pupils may point to source codes, dictate, type or use the paper storyboard; a public spoken performance is not compulsory.
4 min · Recheck a source, unit and question.
20 min · Build a one-page or three-slide briefing from the source bank. Rehearse with a partner, adult or typed explanation.
2 min · Listener checks one fact against its source card.
6 min · Keep the first version and improve one scientific detail.
| Briefing part | What the audience needs |
|---|---|
| Question | One focused question |
| Facts 1–3 | Three relevant facts in your own words |
| Check | Two source codes and what agrees |
| Limit | One thing the evidence does not establish |
Supported route
Use the four-part storyboard. Select three fact strips and point to two source codes; an adult can read your explanation to one listener.
Standard route
Present three relevant facts with sources and an agreement check. Record one audience question and improve the science detail.
Stretch route
Explain approximation or uncertainty, discuss whether sources share evidence, and answer a listener’s question without adding an unsupported claim.
Check the briefing decisions
Use the digital choices or the matching paper page. One response mode is enough.
Revisit the controllable model
Ask one focused question about Saturn’s rings, Mars’s colour or Jupiter’s rotation.
Supplied resources · read or print
Source bank · Saturn’s rings
Question
What are Saturn’s rings like? These are paraphrased source cards, not direct quotations.
SAT-A · NASA Saturn facts
Saturn’s rings are made mainly of pieces of ice, with rock and dust also present. Own-word note: mainly ice particles.
SAT-B · ESA Saturn’s rings
The rings contain separate fragments of ice and rock; they are not one solid sheet. Compare the material claim with SAT-A.
SAT-C · NASA Saturn facts
Ring particles vary greatly in size. A smooth-looking ring in a small picture does not mean a continuous solid surface.
Check
Find one claim shared by NASA and ESA. Keep all source codes; the Teacher Pack lists the exact pages.
Source bank · Mars’s colour
Question
Why does Mars look reddish? These cards summarise sources, not measurements by this class.
MAR-A · NASA Mars facts
Iron minerals in surface material have oxidised. Iron oxides contribute to the reddish dust.
MAR-B · ESA Mars Express
Research reported in 2025 found that a water-containing iron mineral, ferrihydrite, gives a good match to the dust’s colour. The broad iron-oxide explanation agrees with MAR-A; this adds detail.
MAR-C · NASA Mars facts
Mars’s surface is not uniformly red: other colours occur. A distant reddish appearance does not describe every rock or place.
Check
Do not turn mineral evidence into proof of life, or colour into a temperature measurement. The exact source pages are in the Teacher Pack.
Source bank · Jupiter’s day
Question
How long is Jupiter’s day, and how is it different from its year?
JUP-A · NASA Jupiter facts
Jupiter completes a rotation in about 10 hours. A day here refers to the planet’s rotation.
JUP-B · ESA Juice facts
ESA gives a day length of 9.93 hours. Rounded to a whole hour, this agrees with about 10 hours.
JUP-C · NASA Jupiter facts
Jupiter takes about 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun. A year refers to an orbit, not a rotation.
Check
Keep hours and Earth years distinct. Different rounded values need not conflict. The exact source pages are in the Teacher Pack.
Research record and briefing storyboard
My focused question
____________________________________________________________
Fact 1 · source code
____________________________________________________________
Fact 2 · source code
____________________________________________________________
Fact 3 · source code
____________________________________________________________
My two-source check
Source ___ and source ___ agree / differ / add detail because: __________
One limit / one useful revision
____________________________________________________________
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON B · 2 MINUTES
Check one piece of evidence
Check one piece of evidence
Can a listener find the source of one fact? Does every number have a unit, and does “about” remain where needed?
Worked explanation · reveal after thinking
Accept any accurate three-fact briefing based on the supplied bank. Example Jupiter: one rotation is about 10 hours (JUP-A); ESA reports 9.93 hours (JUP-B); one orbit takes about 12 Earth years (JUP-C). The first two agree by rounding. Day and year measure different motions. This does not establish an exact period at every atmospheric latitude.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON B · 6 MINUTES
Improve one science explanation
Improve the science, not the amount of writing
Keep the first version. Improve a source code, missing unit, inaccurate paraphrase or unsupported claim—not only the decoration.
Point, speak, sign, move a card, draw or write. One useful change is enough.
Worked explanation · reveal after thinking
Accept any accurate three-fact briefing based on the supplied bank. Example Jupiter: one rotation is about 10 hours (JUP-A); ESA reports 9.93 hours (JUP-B); one orbit takes about 12 Earth years (JUP-C). The first two agree by rounding. Day and year measure different motions. This does not establish an exact period at every atmospheric latitude.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON B · 4 MINUTES
Does the claim fit?
Test the claim
“A longer copied paragraph is always a better science presentation.”
Compare relevance, own-word explanation and traceable facts.
Does the claim fit the evidence?
No answer chosen yet. Think or discuss first.
Would a small change help? · optional
You may ask for a clearer diagram, fewer cards at once, reading help or more thinking time. Tell your teacher, ask privately, point or pass. Your teacher will say what can change and check whether it helped. No extra sheet is needed.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 3 · LESSON B · 4 MINUTES
Two checks to finish
Supported · 2 questions
1. Explain clearly
Give your focused question and one checked fact with its source.
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Use the source bank or your storyboard.
Answer guidance
Answer: Accept a relevant accurate question/fact/source combination; e.g. Jupiter turns in about 10 hours, JUP-A.
2. Improve the briefing
Which improves “Jupiter turns in 10”: add hours, or make the title bigger?
Help beside the question
Improve science meaning first.
Answer guidance
Answer: Add hours and about.
Standard · 2 questions
1. Explain clearly
Give your focused question and one checked fact with its source.
Help beside the question
Use the source bank or your storyboard.
Answer guidance
Answer: Accept a relevant accurate question/fact/source combination; e.g. Jupiter turns in about 10 hours, JUP-A.
2. Improve the briefing
Name one useful correction after a listener checks your work.
Help beside the question
Add a missing unit, source or careful word.
Answer guidance
Answer: For example replace “exactly 10” with “about 10 hours”, or add a source code.
Stretch · 2 questions
1. Explain clearly
Give your focused question and one checked fact with its source.
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Use the source bank or your storyboard.
Answer guidance
Answer: Accept a relevant accurate question/fact/source combination; e.g. Jupiter turns in about 10 hours, JUP-A.
2. Improve the briefing
Name one useful correction after a listener checks your work.
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Add a missing unit, source or careful word.
Answer guidance
Answer: For example replace “exactly 10” with “about 10 hours”, or add a source code.
Lesson B ends here. Keep useful science evidence; no extra feedback form is needed.