6G – Upper School Science – Space
By investigating the position of the Earth and Sun and the tilt of the Earth, students will begin to conclude that the light and heat energy that reach Earth are directly related to the angle at which sunlight reaches Earth. They will also understand that a geographical region on Earth experiences night and day when that area is turned away from or toward the Sun, respectively.
Students will model the relationship between the Sun, Earth, and Moon. Through analysis of they model, they will realize that the position of the Moon in relation to the Earth and Sun causes us to view the Moon in different phases.
Throughout models and simulations, students will also find that the orbit of the planets around the Sun is affected by two factors, the forward motion of the planets and the gravitational pull of the Sun. Likewise, the orbit of the Moon around Earth is affected by the forward motion of the Moon and gravitational pull of Earth.
From these models and experiments, students will begin discover that many of the occurrences we observe in outer space come as a result of the motion of the planets, Sun, and moons, as well as from the forces that govern motion.