Solar system STEM teaching pack

Last updated: 15/11/2023
Contributor: Teachit team
Solar system STEM teaching pack
Main Subject
Key stage
Category
Science
Inside
Includes answers
Resource type
Teaching pack

Turn your pupils into space explorers with this primary science teaching pack for KS2 learners. Full of teaching ideas and fun practical activities, it offers an exciting, project-based approach to STEM learning.

Children will develop their understanding of the Earth and space, build a solar system model, plan a museum exhibition, and present and share their knowledge of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).

Children will also learn all about our solar system through virtual tours, scavenger hunts, and quizzes.

What’s included?

For teachers

  • Detailed step-by-step lesson plans will guide you through each milestone and include suggestions for formative and summative assessment, enquiry questions, extension activities and solar system homework ideas.
  • The teacher pack is carefully designed to accompany the lesson plans with printable teaching resources and worksheets (including answers), and engaging project activities to build oracy, literacy and numeracy skills.

For pupils

  • Colourful worksheets, fact sheets and fun practical activities to help space explorers learn all about our solar system. 
  • The pupil pack is ready-to-use with no preparation required — simply print and go. 

How is the pack structured?

There are three sections: a set of lesson plans, a teacher pack and a printable pupil pack. The pack is divided into five milestones which, if taught in sequence, will build pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our solar system to enable them to complete a summative assessment activity. The final milestone provides pupils with an opportunity to showcase their expertise on a particular planet and learn from others’ to find about the entire solar system as a whole. 

 Lesson activities are organised as follows:

  • Prepare (Bell-ringer/starter activity)
  • Present (Teach/model)
  • Produce (Pupil project work)
  • Participate (Pupil/group share)
  • Practise (Homework/assessment/independent activities)

What's inside?

Milestone 1: Building background knowledge of our solar system

  • Researching a chosen planet with a scavenger hunt
  • Identifying elements of our solar system

Milestone 2: Designing a planet 

  • Comparing and identifying how far different planets are from the Sun in astronomical units
  • Planning a model of our solar system at school

Milestone 3: Building a model solar system

  • Describing how the location of the planets has an impact on their physical characteristics

Milestone 4: Synthesising knowledge of the solar system

  • Creating a planet slideshow
  • Explaining whether or not humans could live on their planet

Milestone 5: Show what you know about the solar system

  • Presenting ideas and actively listening and learning about our solar system
  • Choosing which planet to visit and justifying answers

How to use this teaching pack
This teaching pack is designed to be used to teach or reinforce concepts in a primary science unit for key stage 2. It can be used in science lessons in conjunction with existing curriculum materials or as a standalone STEM learning unit. The pack is designed to be delivered over five lessons, but it can be dipped into and easily adapted to suit learning plans.

Explore more resources

You might also like our Space exploration STEM teaching pack for KS2

If you’re looking for more science teaching resources, browse our STEM teaching packs or explore Teachit Primary’s complete collection of teaching packs

We’d like to thank colleagues at TeacherVision.com for allowing us to re-use their original content.

Solar system STEM teaching pack
£15.00
Free for Premium Subscribers.

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