These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Describe constellations of stars in the night sky.
• Describe the planets that can be seen with a telescope.
• Describe evidence that shows the Earth is shaped as a sphere and...

In these activities, pupils are introduced to the idea of controlled or uncontrolled re-entry for satellites. They are challenged to devise a way of reducing space debris by designing alterations to satellites so that they bring themselves back to Earth. In the first activity, the students pretend to be satellites...

Produced by the Hamilton Trust, these resources give details of seven lessons on space. This includes lesson plans, practical activities and all student materials. Students find facts about the Sun, Moon and Earth. They develop an understanding of day and night, the four seasons and the Moon’s phases. The Sun and...

This resource from Physicists in Primary Schools (PIPS) supports the teaching of Earth and Space at Key Stage Two. A presentation introduces Earth and the planets of our solar system, with an activity in which children help demonstrate the relative sizes of planets and the distances between them. It moves on to...

From the Institute of Physics, this resource provides extensive teacher guidance and suggested classroom activities to support the teaching of:

* Gravity and space

* Orbits and satellites

* The solar system and beyond

* Sun, Moon and Earth Each topic is explored from the following...

In this activity, pupils will consider some properties of different rocks. They will also learn about classifying, or sorting things into groups to help them identify which rock is which. They can then take a closer look at the meteorites, tektite and ammonite in their sample boxes. There are two versions of the...

Geology: Structure of the Earth was a topic designed by the Northumberland Supported Self Study Unit at Northumberland County Council in the early 1990s for post-16 students. Comprising six units, the topic aimed to not only teach about geological features of the Earth but also to develop learning skills which...

In this activity from the European Space Agency, students communicate with a rover on "Mars". The objective of the mission is to send an automatic message from Earth to a rover located on Mars via an Orbiter. This message is sent by a programmed, LEGO-built, robot running an automatic switch. The rover on Mars...

This video introduces the idea of inertia by using a large globe suspended by water. It shows that acceleration requires an unbalanced force and then explains that an objects inertia is its tendency to maintain its motion unless it is acted upon by an unbalanced force. 

This video shows people’s misconceptions regarding the age of the Earth. It shows how imagining the difference between a million and billion is very difficult for people to do.

The video uses an arm span to model the age of the Earth and shows how recent in the Earth’s history the evolution of more complex...

This series of seven lessons were written by the University of Edinburgh with support from CSIRO, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

The materials contains detailed presentations, student worksheet, extension materials and solutions. Lessons can be used as...

Tim Peake is a European Space Agency astronaut. This resource gives background to Tim’s training leading up to his mission in 2015/16 to the International Space Station. Tim is shown in survival training, in the swimming pool training for microgravity, and in the centrifuge at the European Astronaut Centre to...

This activity looks at the shape of the Earth and the reasons why we have day and night. It includes a game “The Earth goes on a Spin”; in which children role-play the Sun and the Earth. In other activities children think about the sounds that are heard during day and night. The activities require the use of an...

Unit 4 of the Geology: Structure of the Earth series, produced by Northumberland County Council, leads on from the third unit, which looked at the effects of earthquakes on the surface of the Earth, to now discover the effects inside the Earth. Students find out about how...

Volcanoes can be found on many planets and satellites in the Solar System, although not all volcanoes are the same as those found on Earth. It is the conditions on the planet and its composition that determine the shape of the volcanoes and the material that is erupted.

Students will use topography data to...