π§ Watch me think: Sun in the middle. I walk the Earth around it β nearly a circle, not an oval. Now, why does it not fly off in a straight line? Because the Sun is pulling it. Gravity is not stopping the Earth moving, it is constantly bending its path into a curve. Take gravity away and the Earth goes straight on, out into space.
Order from the Sun, read by icon + word: β rocky inner planets, β gas and ice giants outer. The inset shows why they orbit β gravity pulls in, motion goes sideways.
π Key definitions
orbit β The curved path one object takes around another.
Solar System β The Sun and everything that orbits it.
gravity β The force pulling objects towards each other.
year β The time a planet takes to complete one orbit of the Sun.
β Common mistake: Orbits are big ovals like a running track. β Actually: Most planetary orbits are very close to circular. Show the schematic drawing and say that it is not to scale.
Use the remaining practice time: Repeat the counter model from two positions. Pupils point towards the Sun for gravity and along the path for motion. State that the arrows represent different quantities and the counters are moved by hand.
π€ We Do Β· together
Rocky or giant?
Decide, then tap.Found 0/5
Mercury
Mars
Jupiter
Neptune
Which has the longest year?
Use the remaining practice time: Order the inner planets before choosing two outer examples. Use the Earth/Mars year values to check longer versus shorter; the remaining cards are optional consolidation.
π§ Watch me think: Answer shape: 'The Earth orbits the Sun because the Sun's gravity pulls it inward, which bends its path into a curve instead of a straight line.' Force, then effect.
Assessor witness Β· what the adult is watching for
Named the eight planets in order.
Classified planets as rocky or giant.
Explained gravity's role in maintaining an orbit.
πΈ Capture: Photograph the pupil's ordered planet strip with their orbit annotation.
π€ We Do 2 Β· sort, then write
True or false?
Sort, donβt guess. Put each card in the right bin.Sorted 0/5
Planets orbit the Sun
The Sun orbits the Earth
Gravity holds planets in orbit
There is no gravity in space
Further out means a longer year
β TRUE
β FALSE
βΈ STOP for today β label and keep your work. Tuesday P1 (09:30β10:10): use Resume period 2 on the title screen.
Use the remaining practice time: Challenge the statement no gravity in space using the two-arrow model. Invite a prediction if gravity were absent, then trace a straight tangent rather than an outward line from the Sun.
βοΈ Independent Work
Your turn β pick your tier
βΆ Tuesday P1 (09:30β10:10) β restart here. First retrieve the previous lesson; the workshop includes its own check and tidy-up.
32-minute workshop. Use the phases below. Choose a supported, standard or stretch route with your adult; pointing, signing, directing, drawing or writing can show the same science.
32:00
β Supported
Order the eight names with support. Direct the Earth counter around the Sun and point the gravity arrow towards it. Compare Earth and Mars using the supplied days; show which year is longer.
β² Standard
Order and group the planets. Draw or build the two-arrow orbit model, use two pairs of year values, and explain why a planet keeps changing direction.
β Stretch
Use the year data to test a farther-out/longer-year prediction. Explain why hand-moving counters is not an experiment on gravity, and identify a scale or speed limitation.
Build and challenge an orbit model
4 min: Retrieve Mondayβs planet order with the eight names. Choose counters on a desk, drawing or directing an adult; no public walking is required.
20 min: Build a SunβEarth counter model. Show the direction of motion and the direction of gravity separately. Compare the supplied year data, predict which of two planets completes an orbit first, then check against the numbers.
2 min: Pens down if you are writing; pause and check. Explain or point to one arrow and one data comparison for an adult or chosen partner. Check that a longer year means a longer time for one orbit.
6 min: Correct one arrow or comparison. Record two things the model shows and one thing it does not show; return counters and labels.
Access and equipment: Sun/Earth labels, counters, paper arrows and the provided numerical table. Keep everything on the desk if preferred. Do not swing objects on strings. The drawing is schematic, with no accurate size, distance or speed scale.
Order from the Sun
Group
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Rocky inner planets
Jupiter, Saturn
Gas giants
Uranus, Neptune
Ice giants
Planet
Approximate year / Earth days
Mercury
88
Earth
365
Mars
687
Jupiter
4,333
Neptune
60,190
My pair
Longer year / evidence
One model limit
Pair 1
________________
________________
Pair 2
________________
________________
Teaching sources and model status
Original classroom diagrams and tasks; the sources below support the facts. No external page is needed to do the activity.
NASA Space Place: years on other planets β https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/years-on-other-planets/en/
NASA: about the planets β https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/planets/
π Lundy Loop
Where what you say changes something
This is where your voice changes what happens next.
π‘ Space
Modelling an orbit means walking a circle in front of others. You can model it with counters on the desk instead.
π£ Voice
Point, sign, say or show one observation, question or access need. You may pass or speak privately.
π Audience
Tell the adult teaching this lesson, or ask a chosen partner to help you pass on the message.
β Influence
The adult says what can change now, makes one agreed change if possible, and explains any limit. Check whether the change helped; no display or sharing is assumed.
π« Exit Ticket
Before you go
β Supported
Which planet is third from the Sun?
Earth
β² Standard
What force keeps a planet in orbit?
gravity
β Stretch
Explain why a planet does not fall into the Sun.
It is moving sideways fast enough that the inward pull curves its path instead of pulling it in.
Slide 1/10
π πΈβοΈ
Earth and the Planets β banked!
GROW Science Β· Week 6 β
β I can name the eight planets in order from the Sun.β I can state that the planets orbit the Sun, and that the orbits are nearly circular.β I can explain what keeps a planet in orbit.
OPTIONAL EVIDENCE CHECK
Check one piece of evidence
Show an adult or chosen partner, or quietly check your own work against todayβs success: I can name the eight planets in order from the Sun. and I can state that the planets orbit the Sun, and that the orbits are nearly circular.. Keep or correct one thing using the evidence.
The planned two-minute check belongs inside the workshop. If this optional panel is opened manually, resume when ready and allow for the pause in the teaching plan.
Knowledge Organiser β Earth and the Planets
GROW Β· White Rose Science Year 5/6 Β· Week 6
Key word
What it means
orbit
The curved path one object takes around another.
Solar System
The Sun and everything that orbits it.
gravity
The force pulling objects towards each other.
year
The time a planet takes to complete one orbit of the Sun.
spherical
Ball-shaped.
Key facts
Order from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Mnemonic: My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets.
The four inner planets are rocky. The four outer planets are gas or ice giants.
Gravity from the Sun is what holds every planet in its orbit.
The further out the planet, the longer its year. Neptune's year is about 165 Earth years.
The Sun is about 109 times the diameter of Earth.
Success criteria
I can name the eight planets in order from the Sun.
I can state that the planets orbit the Sun, and that the orbits are nearly circular.
I can explain what keeps a planet in orbit.
Earth and the Planets
Name: ____________________ Tier ringed by adult: β Supported β² Standard β Stretch Date:
Learning objective
I can describe how the Earth and the other planets move around the Sun.
Teaching plan: Monday P2 (10:10β10:50) β Title through We Do 2: 40 minutes. STOP after We Do 2, label and keep the work. Tuesday P1 (09:30β10:10) β restart at Independent Work: 32-minute workshop, 4-minute pupil feedback, 4-minute Exit Ticket. Total: 40 minutes on each day; 80 across the week. Timers guide the plan and never advance a pupil automatically.
Today at a Glance
Get the order right
Model the orbit
Explain what holds it
Arrival task
Put the four planet cards in order from the Sun.
Write the first four planets in order from the Sun.
Write all eight planets in order from the Sun.
We Do β Sort each card into the right group
Planets orbit the Sun → ______________________________
The Sun orbits the Earth → ______________________________
Gravity holds planets in orbit → ______________________________
There is no gravity in space → ______________________________
Further out means a longer year → ______________________________
WAGOLL
Neptune has a longer year than Earth because it is much further from the Sun, so its orbit is far bigger and it takes about 165 Earth years to complete one.
Scaffolding β β Supported
Adult notes β access & sensory Forces work is noisy and physical β trolleys, ramps, dropped masses. Agree the noise signal before equipment comes out, and offer ear defenders without making it a conversation. A pupil may record data instead of running the trial and still be doing the science.
Sentence stems
Answer shape: 'The Earth orbits the Sun because the Sun's gravity pulls it inward, which bends its path into a curve instead of a straight line.' Force, then effect.
Word bank
orbit, Solar System, gravity, year, spherical
Scaffolding β β² Standard
Sentence stems
Answer shape: 'The Earth orbits the Sun because the Sun's gravity pulls it inward, which bends its path into a curve instead of a straight line.' Force, then effect.
Word bank
orbit, Solar System, gravity, year, spherical
Scaffolding β β Stretch
Sentence stems
Answer shape: 'The Earth orbits the Sun because the Sun's gravity pulls it inward, which bends its path into a curve instead of a straight line.' Force, then effect.
Word bank
orbit, Solar System, gravity, year, spherical
Independent Work β β Supported
Task: Order the eight names with support. Direct the Earth counter around the Sun and point the gravity arrow towards it. Compare Earth and Mars using the supplied days; show which year is longer.
Build and challenge an orbit model
4 min: Retrieve Mondayβs planet order with the eight names. Choose counters on a desk, drawing or directing an adult; no public walking is required.
20 min: Build a SunβEarth counter model. Show the direction of motion and the direction of gravity separately. Compare the supplied year data, predict which of two planets completes an orbit first, then check against the numbers.
2 min: Pens down if you are writing; pause and check. Explain or point to one arrow and one data comparison for an adult or chosen partner. Check that a longer year means a longer time for one orbit.
6 min: Correct one arrow or comparison. Record two things the model shows and one thing it does not show; return counters and labels.
Access and equipment: Sun/Earth labels, counters, paper arrows and the provided numerical table. Keep everything on the desk if preferred. Do not swing objects on strings. The drawing is schematic, with no accurate size, distance or speed scale.
Order from the Sun
Group
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Rocky inner planets
Jupiter, Saturn
Gas giants
Uranus, Neptune
Ice giants
Planet
Approximate year / Earth days
Mercury
88
Earth
365
Mars
687
Jupiter
4,333
Neptune
60,190
My pair
Longer year / evidence
One model limit
Pair 1
________________
________________
Pair 2
________________
________________
Independent Work β β² Standard
Task: Order and group the planets. Draw or build the two-arrow orbit model, use two pairs of year values, and explain why a planet keeps changing direction.
Build and challenge an orbit model
4 min: Retrieve Mondayβs planet order with the eight names. Choose counters on a desk, drawing or directing an adult; no public walking is required.
20 min: Build a SunβEarth counter model. Show the direction of motion and the direction of gravity separately. Compare the supplied year data, predict which of two planets completes an orbit first, then check against the numbers.
2 min: Pens down if you are writing; pause and check. Explain or point to one arrow and one data comparison for an adult or chosen partner. Check that a longer year means a longer time for one orbit.
6 min: Correct one arrow or comparison. Record two things the model shows and one thing it does not show; return counters and labels.
Access and equipment: Sun/Earth labels, counters, paper arrows and the provided numerical table. Keep everything on the desk if preferred. Do not swing objects on strings. The drawing is schematic, with no accurate size, distance or speed scale.
Order from the Sun
Group
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Rocky inner planets
Jupiter, Saturn
Gas giants
Uranus, Neptune
Ice giants
Planet
Approximate year / Earth days
Mercury
88
Earth
365
Mars
687
Jupiter
4,333
Neptune
60,190
My pair
Longer year / evidence
One model limit
Pair 1
________________
________________
Pair 2
________________
________________
Independent Work β β Stretch
Task: Use the year data to test a farther-out/longer-year prediction. Explain why hand-moving counters is not an experiment on gravity, and identify a scale or speed limitation.
Build and challenge an orbit model
4 min: Retrieve Mondayβs planet order with the eight names. Choose counters on a desk, drawing or directing an adult; no public walking is required.
20 min: Build a SunβEarth counter model. Show the direction of motion and the direction of gravity separately. Compare the supplied year data, predict which of two planets completes an orbit first, then check against the numbers.
2 min: Pens down if you are writing; pause and check. Explain or point to one arrow and one data comparison for an adult or chosen partner. Check that a longer year means a longer time for one orbit.
6 min: Correct one arrow or comparison. Record two things the model shows and one thing it does not show; return counters and labels.
Access and equipment: Sun/Earth labels, counters, paper arrows and the provided numerical table. Keep everything on the desk if preferred. Do not swing objects on strings. The drawing is schematic, with no accurate size, distance or speed scale.
Order from the Sun
Group
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Rocky inner planets
Jupiter, Saturn
Gas giants
Uranus, Neptune
Ice giants
Planet
Approximate year / Earth days
Mercury
88
Earth
365
Mars
687
Jupiter
4,333
Neptune
60,190
My pair
Longer year / evidence
One model limit
Pair 1
________________
________________
Pair 2
________________
________________
Exit Ticket
What force keeps a planet in orbit?
Assessor Witness Statement
Pearson Entry Level Science 8939 (E1βE3); AQA UAS science units Records what was observed, and at which level of independence.
Pupil
____________________
Lesson
Earth and the Planets β GROW Science Β· Week 6
Date
____________________
Observed in this lesson
β Named the eight planets in order.
β Classified planets as rocky or giant.
β Explained gravity's role in maintaining an orbit.
Assessor comment
Ring the tier the pupil actually worked at
β Supported
β² Standard
β Stretch
Assessor name ______________ Role ____________ Signature ______________ Date ________
Lundy Loop
Space: Modelling an orbit means walking a circle in front of others. You can model it with counters on the desk instead.
Voice: Point, sign, say or show one observation, question or access need. You may pass or speak privately.
Audience: Tell the adult teaching this lesson, or ask a chosen partner to help you pass on the message.
Influence: The adult says what can change now, makes one agreed change if possible, and explains any limit. Check whether the change helped; no display or sharing is assumed.
Closing the loop: this one ends on paper — your own hand, or your words scribed by an adult. Saying it aloud starts the loop; writing it is what closes it. Pass is always allowed.