Year 5 Science · The Earth, Sun and Moon · Summary
Year 5 Science The Earth, Sun and Moon: summary and key words
Part of the Year 5 Science the earth, sun and moon chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| The solar system | The Sun is at the centre. Eight planets move round it along orbits. The Earth is the third planet. |
| The Moon | The Moon moves round the Earth, taking about a month. It reflects light from the Sun. |
| Spheres | The Sun, the Earth and the Moon are approximately spherical: nearly round balls. |
| Day and night | The Earth rotates once in about 24 hours. The side facing the Sun has day, and the other side has night. |
| The Sun in the sky | The Sun appears to move from east to west, because the Earth turns. |
| Shadows | Shadows are shortest at midday, when the Sun is highest, and longer in the morning and afternoon. |
Can you…?
- I can describe how the Earth and other planets move round the Sun, in the solar system
- I can describe how the Moon moves round the Earth, and say it reflects light
- I can say the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are approximately spherical
- I can explain day and night using the Earth turning once in about 24 hours
- I can explain why the Sun appears to move across the sky, and why shadows change length
Key terms
- solar system
- the Sun, and the planets and other objects that move round it
- orbit
- the path along which a planet or moon moves round another object
- rotation
- turning round on its own axis, as the Earth does once in about 24 hours
- sphere
- a ball-shaped object, which looks like a circle from every direction
- approximately
- nearly, but not exactly
- reflect
- to bounce light off a surface, as the Moon reflects light from the Sun
- apparent movement
- a movement that seems to happen, such as the Sun moving across the sky, but is caused by something else
- model
- a simplified picture or object that helps us to explain something we cannot see directly