1. Flat or solid
Point to ball for a three-dimensional object.
Help beside the question
A flat circle has no thickness in the ideal drawing.
Answer guidance
Answer: Ball.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON A · 2 MINUTES
Spherical Bodies: Shape Evidence
Learning objective
I can compare a disc and a sphere, then use more than one piece of evidence about the shapes of space bodies.
Success looks like
- Distinguish a flat disc from a three-dimensional sphere.
- Keep viewpoints and distance consistent in a comparison.
- Use evidence and a limitation to describe Earth, Sun and Moon as approximately spherical.
Two mystery objects look circular from the front. What extra observation would distinguish them?
Two separate lessons
A · Explore and explain · 40 minutes
B · Spherical Bodies: World Shape Lab · 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 2 · 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. One view
A shape looks circular from the front. Must it be a sphere?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. A disc can look circular too.
Answer guidance
Answer: No.
3. Change the view
Choose narrow or still a wide circle for an edge-on card.
Help beside the question
Turn the card sideways.
Answer guidance
Answer: Narrow.
4. Fair comparison
Should you compare the ball close up and the disc far away?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Keep distance the same.
Answer guidance
Answer: No; use the same distance.
Standard · 4 questions
1. Flat or solid
Which is three-dimensional: a ball or a drawn circle?
Help beside the question
A solid has depth.
Answer guidance
Answer: The ball.
2. One view
A shape looks circular from the front. Must it be a sphere?
Help beside the question
A disc can look circular too.
Answer guidance
Answer: No.
3. Change the view
What happens to a card disc’s outline when it is turned edge-on?
Help beside the question
Look along its thin edge.
Answer guidance
Answer: It looks very narrow.
4. Fair comparison
Should you compare the ball close up and the disc far away?
Help beside the question
Keep distance the same.
Answer guidance
Answer: No; use the same distance.
Stretch · 4 questions
1. Flat or solid
Which is three-dimensional: a ball or a drawn circle?
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. A solid has depth.
Answer guidance
Answer: The ball.
2. One view
Why is one circular photograph not enough to distinguish a disc from a sphere?
Help beside the question
Two different objects can have the same outline.
Answer guidance
Answer: Both can look circular from a particular viewpoint; more evidence is needed.
3. Change the view
What happens to a card disc’s outline when it is turned edge-on?
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Look along its thin edge.
Answer guidance
Answer: It looks very narrow.
4. Fair comparison
Name two controls for a fair viewpoint comparison.
Help beside the question
Distance and viewing angle.
Answer guidance
Answer: Same viewing distance and same named angles for both objects.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON A · 4 MINUTES
Circle does not always mean sphere
A front view shows a circle. Which test would help next?
No answer chosen yet. Think or discuss first.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON A · 7 MINUTES
Watch, predict, explain
Predict, model, explain
I compared the same views. The outline changed / stayed similar, which supports ___.
Make a prediction. Change one view, then use a label to explain what you notice.
Both the flat disc and the ball have a circular outline from the front.
Worked explanation · reveal after thinking
Use front (0°), oblique (45°) and edge-on (90°): a quarter-turn is 90°, not the oblique view. The sphere is an ideal model; real bodies have surface features and Earth is slightly flattened. The Moon’s outer limb is curved; its light–dark boundary can look straight at quarter phase. A classroom model alone is not proof about Earth.
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 · Front · 0°
Both the flat disc and the ball have a circular outline from the front.
08–16 seconds · Oblique · 45°
The disc looks oval. The ball still has a circular outline.
16–24 seconds · Edge-on · 90°
A quarter-turn presents the disc’s thin edge; the ball’s outline stays circular.
24–32 seconds · Combine evidence
The model helps interpret space observations. It is not itself a photograph or proof of Earth’s shape.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON A · 10 MINUTES
Separate observations from explanations
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.
Observation
Reasonable explanation
Overclaim / needs repair
Choose a card first. No cards have been placed.
Read the card clues
Disc front: The front outline is circular.
Disc edge: The edge-on outline is narrow.
Ball views: The ball’s outline is circular in three views.
Compare views: The changing disc outline helps distinguish it from a sphere.
One photo proves all: One circular outline could belong to a disc or a sphere.
Perfectly smooth Earth: A ball model omits mountains and Earth’s slight flattening.
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
Disc front: Observation. The front outline is circular.
Disc edge: Observation. The edge-on outline is narrow.
Ball views: Observation. The ball’s outline is circular in three views.
Compare views: Reasonable explanation. The changing disc outline helps distinguish it from a sphere.
One photo proves all: Overclaim / needs repair. One circular outline could belong to a disc or a sphere.
Perfectly smooth Earth: Overclaim / needs repair. A ball model omits mountains and Earth’s slight flattening.
With JavaScript off, point to the cards and labels or use the paper versions.
Disc front: The front outline is circular.
Disc edge: The edge-on outline is narrow.
Ball views: The ball’s outline is circular in three views.
Compare views: The changing disc outline helps distinguish it from a sphere.
One photo proves all: One circular outline could belong to a disc or a sphere.
Perfectly smooth Earth: A ball model omits mountains and Earth’s slight flattening.
Supplied resources · read or print
Real-world evidence · reading cards
E1 · Earth
NASA describes Earth as a globe, with a small equatorial bulge. Spacecraft observations let people examine more than one part and viewpoint. This is a paraphrased reading card, not an actual photograph.
E2 · Moon and Sun
NASA’s solar-system material describes these bodies as broadly spherical. Drawings in this pack are explanatory diagrams, not measured photographs or scale models.
E3 · Compare the strength
One circular outline is compatible with more than one shape. Use multiple observations and reliable sources rather than treating one classroom model as proof.
Source route
Read the named NASA sources in the Teacher Pack. Point to one sentence you used, then state what it supports.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON A · 10 MINUTES
Use the evidence yourself
Supported · use one response mode
1. Match views
Match disc and ball to the supplied edge-on pictures.
Help: A thin edge belongs to the disc.
2. Use evidence
Complete: “At 90° the disc looks ___.”
Help: Choose narrow.
3. Make a careful claim
Choose approximately spherical for Earth.
Help: Use the evidence summaries.
Standard · use one response mode
1. Match views
Label the two objects at 0°, 45° and 90°.
Help: 45° is oblique; 90° is edge-on.
2. Use evidence
Compare two observations in a because sentence.
Help: State what changed.
3. Make a careful claim
Explain why one circular picture is not enough.
Help: A disc can look circular.
Stretch · use one response mode
1. Match views
Predict each outline and explain the geometric difference.
Help: A disc has very little depth.
2. Use evidence
Distinguish the observation from the interpretation in a comparison.
Help: I observed… This supports…
3. Make a careful claim
Combine the model with space evidence and name a limit.
Help: The classroom ball is not real Earth evidence.
Use the application model · an alternative to writing
Shape-evidence decisions
Use the digital choices or the matching paper page. One response mode is enough.
Supplied resources · read or print
Real-world evidence · reading cards
E1 · Earth
NASA describes Earth as a globe, with a small equatorial bulge. Spacecraft observations let people examine more than one part and viewpoint. This is a paraphrased reading card, not an actual photograph.
E2 · Moon and Sun
NASA’s solar-system material describes these bodies as broadly spherical. Drawings in this pack are explanatory diagrams, not measured photographs or scale models.
E3 · Compare the strength
One circular outline is compatible with more than one shape. Use multiple observations and reliable sources rather than treating one classroom model as proof.
Source route
Read the named NASA sources in the Teacher Pack. Point to one sentence you used, then state what it supports.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON A · 2 MINUTES
Two small checks
Supported · 2 questions
1. Distinguish
Which becomes narrow edge-on: disc or sphere?
Help beside the question
Compare the 90° view.
Answer guidance
Answer: Disc.
2. Careful wording
Why say Earth is approximately spherical?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. It is not an ideal perfectly smooth ball.
Answer guidance
Answer: Earth has surface features and is slightly flattened.
Standard · 2 questions
1. Distinguish
Describe one observation that separates a disc from a sphere.
Help beside the question
Compare edge-on outlines.
Answer guidance
Answer: An edge-on disc becomes narrow; a sphere keeps a circular outline.
2. Careful wording
Why say Earth is approximately spherical?
Help beside the question
It is not an ideal perfectly smooth ball.
Answer guidance
Answer: Earth has surface features and is slightly flattened.
Stretch · 2 questions
1. Distinguish
Describe one observation that separates a disc from a sphere.
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Compare edge-on outlines.
Answer guidance
Answer: An edge-on disc becomes narrow; a sphere keeps a circular outline.
2. Careful wording
Give an evidence statement and its limit, without claiming a single image proves a sphere.
Help beside the question
Use multiple observations.
Answer guidance
Answer: Space observations from different viewpoints support a near-sphere; one circular view alone is insufficient.
Lesson A ends here. Keep any useful science evidence. Lesson B starts fresh with the supplied materials.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON B · 4 MINUTES
Spherical Bodies: World Shape Lab
Fresh start · your 32-minute workshop
Spherical Bodies: World Shape Lab
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. View angles
Which view is a quarter-turn from front: 45° or 90°?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. A full turn is 360°.
Answer guidance
Answer: 90°.
2. Predict the disc
At 45°, choose oval or a perfect wide circle for a disc.
Help beside the question
It is slanted.
Answer guidance
Answer: Oval.
3. Evidence row
The ball looks circular at 0°, 45° and 90°. What does that support?
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Use sphere-like.
Answer guidance
Answer: A sphere-like shape.
4. Beyond models
Name a source of evidence about the real Earth beyond our classroom ball.
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Think of spacecraft.
Answer guidance
Answer: Space observations / images from different viewpoints.
Standard · 4 questions
1. View angles
Which view is a quarter-turn from front: 45° or 90°?
Help beside the question
A full turn is 360°.
Answer guidance
Answer: 90°.
2. Predict the disc
Predict the outline of a flat disc at 45°.
Help beside the question
It is between front and edge-on.
Answer guidance
Answer: An oval / ellipse.
3. Evidence row
The ball looks circular at 0°, 45° and 90°. What does that support?
Help beside the question
Use sphere-like.
Answer guidance
Answer: A sphere-like shape.
4. Beyond models
Name a source of evidence about the real Earth beyond our classroom ball.
Help beside the question
Think of spacecraft.
Answer guidance
Answer: Space observations / images from different viewpoints.
Stretch · 4 questions
1. View angles
Which view is a quarter-turn from front: 45° or 90°?
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. A full turn is 360°.
Answer guidance
Answer: 90°.
2. Predict the disc
Predict the outline of a flat disc at 45°.
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. It is between front and edge-on.
Answer guidance
Answer: An oval / ellipse.
3. Evidence row
Does “circular in three views” establish a perfectly smooth planet?
Help beside the question
Outline is not every surface feature.
Answer guidance
Answer: No. It supports a broadly spherical shape, not perfect smoothness.
4. Beyond models
Name a source of evidence about the real Earth beyond our classroom ball.
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Think of spacecraft.
Answer guidance
Answer: Space observations / images from different viewpoints.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON B · 20 MINUTES
Gather and use evidence
Use a large clean ball and a stiff card disc with rounded edges. Hold at the same distance; do not use sharp skewers. Point to the supplied views or direct an adult instead. Never look at the Sun.
4 min · Predict the three named views.
20 min · Compare the ball and disc at the same distance; record all six outlines. Then read the space-evidence summary.
2 min · Check that 90°, not 45°, is the quarter-turn.
6 min · Explain which shape matches the outline pattern; state a limit.
| Viewpoint | Disc outline | Ball outline |
|---|---|---|
| Front · 0° | Predict, then observe | Predict, then observe |
| Oblique · 45° | Predict, then observe | Predict, then observe |
| Edge-on · 90° | Predict, then observe | Predict, then observe |
Supported route
Match front and edge-on outline cards; direct an adult to position each object. Explain one contrast by pointing.
Standard route
Record all six observations. Combine the outline pattern with the NASA evidence summary to support approximately spherical bodies.
Stretch route
Record six observations and controls. Explain why multiple viewpoints are stronger than one front view and why a model alone cannot establish Earth’s shape.
Shape-evidence decisions
Use the digital choices or the matching paper page. One response mode is enough.
Revisit the controllable model
Both the flat disc and the ball have a circular outline from the front.
Supplied resources · read or print
Real-world evidence · reading cards
E1 · Earth
NASA describes Earth as a globe, with a small equatorial bulge. Spacecraft observations let people examine more than one part and viewpoint. This is a paraphrased reading card, not an actual photograph.
E2 · Moon and Sun
NASA’s solar-system material describes these bodies as broadly spherical. Drawings in this pack are explanatory diagrams, not measured photographs or scale models.
E3 · Compare the strength
One circular outline is compatible with more than one shape. Use multiple observations and reliable sources rather than treating one classroom model as proof.
Source route
Read the named NASA sources in the Teacher Pack. Point to one sentence you used, then state what it supports.
Six-view shape observation record
Fair comparison
Use the same distance and the same named viewpoints for both objects. Point, sketch an outline, write one word or direct an adult.
Evidence source
Our object observations / supplied view diagrams. Record which you used.
| Viewpoint | Disc outline | Ball outline |
|---|---|---|
| Front · 0° | ________________ | ________________ |
| Oblique · 45° | ________________ | ________________ |
| Edge-on · 90° | ________________ | ________________ |
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON B · 2 MINUTES
Check one piece of evidence
Check one piece of evidence
Did both objects use the same distances and viewing angles? Have you recorded outlines rather than simply writing “sphere”?
Worked explanation · reveal after thinking
Disc: circular at 0°, oval at 45°, narrow at 90°. Ideal ball: circular outline at all three views. Real space observations support near-spherical Earth, Moon and Sun; a small classroom ball does not itself establish their shape.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON B · 6 MINUTES
Improve one science explanation
Improve the science, not the amount of writing
Add the observed contrast at 90° and replace “proves perfectly round” with a claim the evidence supports.
Point, speak, sign, move a card, draw or write. One useful change is enough.
Worked explanation · reveal after thinking
Disc: circular at 0°, oval at 45°, narrow at 90°. Ideal ball: circular outline at all three views. Real space observations support near-spherical Earth, Moon and Sun; a small classroom ball does not itself establish their shape.
GROW · SCIENCE · Autumn 2 · Week 2 · LESSON B · 4 MINUTES
Does the claim fit?
Test the claim
“A circular front view proves that an object is a sphere.”
Use both mystery objects to test the word proves.
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 2 · LESSON B · 4 MINUTES
Two checks to finish
Supported · 2 questions
1. Use two rows
Use front and edge-on observations to describe the disc.
Help beside the question
Point, choose or say. Circle → narrow.
Answer guidance
Answer: It is circular from the front but narrow edge-on, consistent with a flat disc.
2. Evidence and limit
Is our ball a model of Earth or a photograph of Earth?
Help beside the question
A model helps us think.
Answer guidance
Answer: A model, not a photograph.
Standard · 2 questions
1. Use two rows
Use front and edge-on observations to describe the disc.
Help beside the question
Circle → narrow.
Answer guidance
Answer: It is circular from the front but narrow edge-on, consistent with a flat disc.
2. Evidence and limit
What can the ball comparison tell us, and what cannot it prove alone?
Help beside the question
Model behaviour versus the real Earth.
Answer guidance
Answer: It predicts sphere outlines; real Earth claims also require real-world evidence.
Stretch · 2 questions
1. Use two rows
Use front and edge-on observations to describe the disc.
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Circle → narrow.
Answer guidance
Answer: It is circular from the front but narrow edge-on, consistent with a flat disc.
2. Evidence and limit
What can the ball comparison tell us, and what cannot it prove alone?
Help beside the question
Use an accurate science word. Model behaviour versus the real Earth.
Answer guidance
Answer: It predicts sphere outlines; real Earth claims also require real-world evidence.
Lesson B ends here. Keep useful science evidence; no extra feedback form is needed.