Grade 6 Science: Earth and Space Systems
Free Grade 6 Science unit on Earth and Space Systems: 10 lessons in order. Includes practice questions and answer keys.
10 lessons in this unit
Earth in the Solar System
Place Earth in the Solar System, the Milky Way and the universe, compare the eight planets and dwarf planets, understand astronomical units and why Earth is habitable, and make scale comparisons.
Lesson 2The Sun
Learn about the Sun as a star, its structure core, radiative zone, convective zone and surface, how nuclear fusion produces energy, sunspots and solar flares, how solar energy sustains life and why we must never look at the Sun directly. Observation by projection only.
Lesson 3The Moon
Learn about the Moon’s origin (giant impact hypothesis), size and distance, surface features, temperature extremes, weak gravity, effects on tides and Earth’s tilt, and how humans have explored it.
Lesson 4Planetary motion
Learn how planets orbit the Sun in elliptical paths held by gravity, how Kepler and Newton explained it, that inner planets orbit faster and take less time, and compare orbital periods from a data table.
Lesson 5Earth’s rotation
Learn that Earth spins on its axis once in about 24 hours, that this causes day and night and the Sun’s apparent movement, how time zones follow rotation, and the evidence for rotation such as the Foucault pendulum and star trails.
Lesson 6Earth’s revolution
Learn that Earth orbits the Sun once in about 365.25 days, why we have leap years, how the orbit is a slightly elliptical path, and how revolution differs from rotation.
Lesson 7Day and night
Explain day and night as a result of Earth’s rotation and the Sun lighting one half of Earth, understand sunrise, noon, sunset, shadow length and direction through the day, and polar day and night.
Lesson 8Seasons
Explain that seasons are caused by Earth’s 23.5° tilt as it orbits the Sun, how the angle and length of daylight change, solstices and equinoxes, and why hemispheres have opposite seasons and tropical regions have wet and dry seasons.
Lesson 9Moon phases
Explain Moon phases as the changing view of the lit half of the Moon as it orbits Earth about every 29.5 days, order the eight phases, and distinguish phases from eclipses.
Lesson 10Space exploration
Summarise the history of space exploration from Sputnik and Apollo to space stations, rovers and telescopes, explain why we explore, how rockets work using action and reaction, challenges of space, and careers in space science. Design activities are paper-based.