Grade 5 Science: The Solar System
Free Grade 5 Science unit on The Solar System: 10 lessons in order, starting with The Sun as a star and Planets. Includes practice questions and answer keys.
10 lessons in this unit
The Sun as a star
Learn that the Sun is a star, a huge ball of hot gas that makes light and heat by nuclear fusion, compare it with other stars, and keep safe from its harmful rays.
Lesson 2Planets
Learn that planets orbit the Sun, name the eight planets in order, compare their size, distance and features, and understand why Pluto is a dwarf planet.
Lesson 3Inner planets
Learn about the four rocky inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, compare their surfaces, atmospheres and temperatures, and explain why Earth supports life.
Lesson 4Outer planets
Learn about the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, compare their size, rings and moons, and explain why they are so cold and have no solid surface.
Lesson 5Earth’s rotation
Learn that Earth spins on its axis once in about 24 hours causing day and night, why the Sun appears to move across the sky, time zones, and investigate with a globe and torch.
Lesson 6Earth’s revolution
Learn that Earth orbits the Sun once in about 365 days, that Earth’s tilted axis causes the seasons and varying day length, and model the year with a globe, lamp and string.
Lesson 7The Moon
Learn what the Moon is made of and how it formed, its surface features, its gravity, why it always shows the same face to Earth, and how its pull causes ocean tides.
Lesson 8Moon phases
Learn that moon phases are caused by the changing view of the Moon’s lit half as it orbits Earth over about 29.5 days, name eight phases, and model them with a ball and lamp.
Lesson 9Gravity in the Solar System
Learn that gravity holds the Solar System together, keeping planets in orbit, that its strength depends on mass and distance, and how weight differs on other worlds.
Lesson 10Solar System models
Learn how scientists use models, scale models, orrery models and computer simulations, to understand the Solar System, and build a scale model of distances on a long strip.