🔬 6th Grade Science · Unit 2
Gravity and the Solar System
15 short narrated lessons in 3 chapters, each with pictures, a quiz with a hint and a second try, and an explanation for every answer.
Standards: MS-ESS1-2 MS-ESS1-3
What your child will learn
Gravity holds it together
- What Gravity IsExplain that gravity is a pull between all objects that have mass.
- Gravity Keeps Things in OrbitExplain how gravity and forward motion together keep planets and moons in orbit.
- How the Solar System FormedDescribe how gravity pulled a cloud of gas and dust together to form the Sun and planets.
- Gravity and GalaxiesExplain that gravity holds billions of stars together in galaxies like the Milky Way.
- Gravity Holds It Together: Review ReviewReview how gravity shapes the motion of objects in the solar system and galaxy.
Members of the solar system
- The Sun, Our StarDescribe the Sun as a medium-sized star that gives the solar system light and heat.
- The Rocky Inner PlanetsCompare Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars using data about size and surface.
- The Giant Outer PlanetsCompare Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune using data about size and makeup.
- Moons, Asteroids and CometsDescribe the smaller objects in the solar system and where they are found.
- Members of the Solar System: Review ReviewReview the properties of the Sun, planets and smaller objects in the solar system.
Scale of the solar system
- Measuring Huge DistancesExplain why scientists use the astronomical unit to measure distances in space.
- Building a Scale ModelUse scale to compare the sizes of the Sun and planets.
- How Spread Out the Planets AreAnalyze data to show how much empty space lies between the planets.
- Scale of the Solar System Review ReviewReview how scale models and data show the sizes and distances of objects in space.
- Unit 2 Test: Gravity and the Solar SystemShow what you learned in the whole unit (Gravity holds it together, Members of the solar system, Scale of the solar system) by answering mixed questions.
Try a question from this unit
From the lesson “What Gravity Is”
Each pair is the same distance apart. Which pair has the strongest pull of gravity between them?
Show the answer
two large boulders. Boulders have far more mass than the other objects, and more mass means a stronger pull. Two tennis balls might seem bigger than marbles, but they are still tiny next to boulders.
Hint kids see after a wrong try: “Think about which objects contain the most matter.”
Key words
- gravity
- mass
- orbit
- inertia
- nebula
- solar system
- galaxy
- Milky Way
- star
- nuclear fusion
- terrestrial planet
- gas giant
- ice giant
- asteroid
- comet
- dwarf planet
- astronomical unit
- distance
- scale
- scale model
- data
- ratio
Try these lessons in Kids Shelf
Narrated lessons, pictures and quizzes for every grade from K to 8. Works offline.
