Year 7 - Science
The spinning Earth
Our solar system and beyond
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores gravity as the force between masses, including weight calculation using gravitational field strength. It covers the relationship between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, the concept of light years, and seasonal changes due to Earth's tilt.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe the motions of Earth to explain day, night and a year, and describe the motion of the Moon to explain why it appears to change shape.
Key Notes
- Earth is a planet. It is a sphere that spins once every 24 hours.
- Earth's spin explains day and night.
- Earth orbits the Sun, with each orbit taking 365.25 days (1 year).
- Earth orbits the Sun in an almost perfect circle.
- The Moon orbits the Earth about once per month (27.3 days), this explains why the Moon appears to change shape.
Vocabulary To Learn
- sphere: A sphere is the shape of a ball.
- spin: Spinning objects are rotating.
- day: One day is the time taken for Earth to complete one spin (24 hours).
- orbit: An orbit is the movement of one object in a loop around another object.
- year: One year is the time taken for Earth to orbit the Sun (365.25 days).
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils can find it challenging to see how the movements of Earth as seen from the perspective of space (looking back at Earth) give rise to the observations experienced from Earth's surface.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Earth is a planet. It is a sphere that spins once every 24 hours. Earth's spin explains day and night.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'sphere'
A sphere is the shape of a ball. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils can find it challenging to see how the movements of Earth as seen from the perspective of space (looking back at Earth) give rise to the observations experienced from Earth's surface. Correction: Model the motions of objects in space with pupils as part of the model (i.e. representing Earth, moving as Earth moves) and with pupils observing the model. This enables them to experience how the same motion appears from both perspectives.
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