Y5 Autumn 1.2 · Space · Scheme of Work & Lesson Plans

Scheme of work — at a glance

Eight lessons take pupils from “what is the Solar System?” to the Moon, threading the block’s enquiry question throughout — with the payoff landing in Lesson 5. Each lesson runs the same structure — Arrival → Starter → I do → We do → Independent → Exit — in about 44 minutes, differentiated across three primary tiers.

#	Lesson	Learning objective	Key vocabulary
1	The Solar System	Know the Sun is the only star; eight planets, their moons and smaller bodies orbit it.	Solar System, star, planet, orbit, satellite, dwarf planet	Open →
2	The planets	Order the eight planets; first four rocky, last four gas giants; the Sun dwarfs Earth.	planet, rocky, gas giant, orbit, moon	Open →
3	Modelling	Use models of the Solar System; weigh their advantages, limits and scale.	model, scale, representation, orbit	Open →
4	Motion of the Earth and planets	The Sun’s gravity holds planets in orbit; each planet’s year is a different length.	gravity, gravitational pull, orbit, heliocentric model	Open →
5	The Solar System — ideas over time	Trace geocentric to heliocentric and the evidence that changed the model.	geocentric model, heliocentric model, evidence, telescope	Open →
6	Planet Earth	Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours; the Sun stays still.	rotate, axis, North Pole, South Pole	Open →
7	Night and day	Earth’s rotation causes day (facing the Sun) and night (facing away).	day, night, rotate, axis	Open →
8	The Moon	The Moon orbits Earth, held by gravity, and reflects the Sun’s light.	moon, satellite, orbit, gravitational force, reflect	Open →

National Curriculum coverage

Describe the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the Sun in the solar system.
Describe the movement of the Moon relative to the Earth.
Describe the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical bodies.
Use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky.

Working scientifically

Identifying scientific evidence used to support or refute ideas or arguments (L5).
Using models to represent and explain the Solar System, recognising their advantages and limitations (L3–L4).
Reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations (L3, L5).

Vocabulary across the block

Solar SystemstarplanetorbitSunPlutodwarf planetcelestial bodymodelgravitygravitational forceheliocentric modelgeocentric modelrotateaxisNorth PoleSouth PoleEarthnightdaymoonsatellite

Assessment

A tiered exit ticket every lesson (Seedling / Sapling / Oak).
Interactive independent sorter self-checks understanding in the moment.
End-of-block assessment covers the Solar System, planets, models, motion, ideas over time, day/night and the Moon.

Prior learning & next steps

Builds on: space is a new topic — children have not studied the Solar System before. Earlier (Y3): forces and magnets; light and shadows.

Leads to (KS3): gravity, the Solar System, the seasons and the Earth–Sun–Moon system.

How each lesson is built

Every lesson is a single interactive web page: six-phase structure with on-screen timings; three tiers on the four pupil-facing tasks; a short teaching video; a self-contained animation targeting the lesson’s key misconception; TA Focus and Cold Call prompts; and a one-click print pack.

Differentiation tiers map to attainment bands: 🌱 Seedling = working towards · 🌿 Sapling = expected · 🌳 Oak = greater depth.

The Solar System

LO: Know that the Solar System is the Sun (its only star), eight planets, their moons and smaller celestial bodies, and that the planets orbit the Sun.

🌱 SeedlingNames the star and sorts a star from a planet with support.

🌿 SaplingSorts star / planet / other body and uses the word orbit.

🌳 OakExplains why the Moon and Pluto are not planets, using satellite and dwarf planet.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	New topic — elicit prior knowledge about space; introduce the block.
Starter	5	Star, planet or moon? — define the three terms.
I do 1	6	What makes up the Solar System — Sun, planets, moons, celestial bodies (video).
We do 1	6	Name each object: does it make light / orbit a star / orbit a planet?
I do 2	4	One star, and a dwarf called Pluto (animation: Sun-centred orbits).
We do 2	5	Sort star / planet / other together; define satellite.
Independent	10	Solar System Sorter (Star / Planet / Other body) + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Tiered questions; introduce the block enquiry question.

Misconceptions to address“There is more than one star in the Solar System” (only the Sun); “Pluto is a planet” (reclassified as a dwarf planet).

Resources: video The Solar System — KS2; Sun-centred orbit animation; Solar System Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 1 →

The planets

LO: Know the eight planets and their order from the Sun; that the first four are rocky and the last four are gas giants; and that the Sun is far larger than Earth.

🌱 SeedlingOrders the first four planets and names a rocky planet.

🌿 SaplingOrders all eight; sorts rocky / gas / not a planet.

🌳 OakExplains why Earth is tiny beside the Sun, and why the Sun and Moon are not planets.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L1 (Solar System, only one star, Pluto).
Starter	5	Order the eight planets (mnemonic).
I do 1	6	Meet the eight planets; rocky vs gas; moons (video).
We do 1	6	Sort rocky vs gas; spot the pattern (near = rocky).
I do 2	4	The Sun is enormous (animation: Sun ≈109× wider than Earth).
We do 2	5	True/false on the three big planet myths.
Independent	10	Rocky / Gas giant / Not-a-planet Sorter + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Tiered questions.

Misconceptions to address“Earth is bigger than the Sun”; “all planets are rocky”; “only Earth has a moon” (e.g. Uranus has 27).

Resources: video Planet order from the Sun; Sun-vs-Earth size animation; Planet Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 2 →

Modelling

LO: Understand what a model is and why scientists use models; recognise the advantages and limitations of a Solar System model, especially scale.

🌱 SeedlingNames a way to model the planets and one good thing about a model.

🌿 SaplingGives one advantage and one disadvantage of a Solar System model.

🌳 OakDesigns a better model in words and explains what it still cannot show to scale.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L2 (planets, rocky/gas, the Sun’s size).
Starter	5	How would you build a Solar System? — introduce models.
I do 1	6	What a model is; why scientists use them; scale (video).
We do 1	6	Critique a model — shows order/orbits, gets sizes/gaps wrong.
I do 2	4	Great for orbits, wrong for scale (animation: orrery model).
We do 2	5	Advantage or disadvantage? — sort statements together.
Independent	10	Model Sorter (Advantage / Disadvantage / Can’t-show-to-scale) + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Tiered questions.

Misconceptions to address“Planets are really this close together / this size” — a table-top model cannot show true distances or sizes to scale.

Resources: video Our Solar System — size comparison; orrery animation; Model Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 3 →

Motion of the Earth and planets

LO: Describe how the Sun’s gravity holds the planets in orbit, and that each planet takes a different length of time to orbit the Sun.

🌱 SeedlingNames gravity as the force that keeps planets in orbit.

🌿 SaplingExplains why Mercury’s year is shorter than Neptune’s.

🌳 OakExplains, using gravity and orbit, why the planets circle the Sun and none fly away.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L3 (models).
Starter	5	Why don’t the planets fly away? — introduce gravity.
I do 1	6	Gravity, orbits and years; Mercury fast, Neptune slow (video).
We do 1	6	Order planets by orbit time; near = faster.
I do 2	4	Not every year is 365 days (animation: different orbit speeds).
We do 2	5	Day vs year — separate the spin from the orbit.
Independent	10	Year / Day / Gravity Sorter + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Tiered questions.

Misconceptions to address“Every planet takes about 365 days to orbit the Sun” — each planet’s year differs (Jupiter ≈ 12 Earth years).

Resources: video The Solar System — movement of the planets; different-speed orbit animation; Year/Day/Gravity Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 4 →

The Solar System — ideas over time

LO: Know how ideas changed from the geocentric (Earth-centred) to the heliocentric (Sun-centred) model, and how evidence from Copernicus, Galileo and Newton drove the change.

🌱 SeedlingSorts ‘Earth-centred’ and ‘Sun-centred’ statements with support.

🌿 SaplingNames a scientist who argued the Sun is at the centre and one difference between the models.

🌳 OakExplains how the model improved as tools like the telescope gave new evidence.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L4 (gravity, orbits, heliocentric).
Starter	5	Why did people once think everything went round the Earth?
I do 1	6	Geocentric vs heliocentric; Aristotle to Newton (video).
We do 1	6	Match each scientist to their idea.
I do 2	4	The idea that changed (animation: geocentric to heliocentric).
We do 2	5	Geocentric vs heliocentric — spot the difference.
Independent	10	Geocentric / Heliocentric / New-evidence Sorter + answer the enquiry question.
Exit	4	Answer the block enquiry question at tier.

Misconceptions to address“Earth is flat” and “Earth is at the centre” — both once believed, now known to be wrong.

Resources: video The heliocentric model — Year 5; geo-to-helio animation; Ideas-over-time Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 5 →

Planet Earth

LO: Know that Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, that this makes the Sun appear to move, and that the Sun itself stays still.

🌱 SeedlingNames what Earth spins on and how long one spin takes.

🌿 SaplingExplains what the axis is and names the two poles.

🌳 OakExplains why the Sun appears to move across the sky even though it stays still.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L5 (geocentric/heliocentric, scientists).
Starter	5	Does the Sun move across the sky? — surface the misconception.
I do 1	6	Earth rotates on its axis every 24h; axis and poles (video).
We do 1	6	Torch-and-globe demonstration of rotation.
I do 2	4	The Sun stays still (animation: Earth spins on a tilted axis).
We do 2	5	True/false about Earth.
Independent	10	Rotation / Seasons / The-Sun Sorter + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Tiered questions.

Misconceptions to address“The Sun rotates around Earth”; “Earth is the biggest object”; “other planets support life” (only Earth is known to).

Resources: video Earth’s rotation — day and night; Earth-spin animation; All-about-Earth Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 6 →

Night and day

LO: Use Earth’s rotation to explain day and night: the side facing the Sun has day, the side facing away has night.

🌱 SeedlingStates which side of Earth has day.

🌿 SaplingExplains in one sentence what causes night and day.

🌳 OakExplains why different countries do not experience day at the same time.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L6 (Earth spins on its axis, 24h, Sun stays still).
Starter	5	Day here, night in Australia — how?
I do 1	6	How night and day happen; day and night sides (video).
We do 1	6	Torch-and-globe: find the day–night line.
I do 2	4	The Sun doesn’t go anywhere (animation: rotating terminator + ‘you are here’).
We do 2	5	Why doesn’t everyone have day at once? (time zones).
Independent	10	Day-side / Night-side / Myth Sorter + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Tiered questions.

Misconceptions to address“The Sun switches off at night”; “the Sun moves around the Earth” — Earth rotates; the Sun stays still.

Resources: video Earth’s rotation — day and night; day/night terminator animation; Day-Night Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 7 →

The Moon

LO: Describe the movement of the Moon relative to Earth: a natural satellite held by Earth’s gravity, orbiting about every 27–28 days, that reflects the Sun’s light.

🌱 SeedlingStates what the Moon orbits and where its light comes from.

🌿 SaplingExplains what keeps the Moon in orbit and where its light comes from.

🌳 OakExplains why other planets have moons too, using gravity and orbit.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L7 (night and day).
Starter	5	Where does the Moon’s light come from?
I do 1	6	Earth’s natural satellite; orbit, gravity, reflected light (video).
We do 1	6	Link orbits, gravity and light across the block.
I do 2	4	Borrowed light (animation: Moon orbits Earth, lit half only).
We do 2	5	True/false on the Moon myths.
Independent	10	True / Myth / Orbit-&-gravity Sorter + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Tiered questions; look back at the enquiry question; block review.

Misconceptions to address“The Moon makes its own light” (it reflects the Sun’s); “the Moon is only out at night”; “only Earth has a moon”.

Resources: video The Moon, Earth and Sun — KS2; Moon-orbit animation; The-Moon Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 8 →