Earth
Earth and Space

Selecting and developing activities for lighting the Earth

Classroom Activity for 5-11 Supporting Physics Teaching

Teacher Tip: Based on the Physics Narrative and the Teaching and Learning Issues

Ideas to emphasise here

  • the relative location of astronomical objects
  • how the astronomical objects are illuminated
  • that we get information about astronomical objects from seeing
  • that light has to travel from source to our eye so that we can see the source
  • that both spinning and orbiting change what we are able to see

Teacher Tip: Work through the Physics Narrative to find these lines of thinking worked out and then look in the Teaching Approaches for some examples of activities.

Strategies for supporting learning

  • draw on existing models of seeing
  • make extensive use of well thought out questions to intrigue and to promote fruitful additional questions
  • relate observations and evidence to assertions
  • seek to explicitly challenge likely misunderstandings
  • act out and talk through complex changes

Teacher Tip: These are all related to findings about children's ideas from research. The teaching activities will provide some suggestions. So will colleagues, near and far.

Avoid these

  • explaining why we see the different phases of the Moon as this draws on a number of different ideas, and is therefore best left until later
  • explaining why there are different seasons on Earth, as this is complex, and best left until later

Teacher Tip: These difficulties are distilled from: the research findings; the practice of well-connected teachers with expertise; issues intrinsic to representing the physics well.

Earth
is a type of Planet
Limit Less Campaign

Support our manifesto for change

The IOP wants to support young people to fulfil their potential by doing physics. Please sign the manifesto today so that we can show our politicians there is widespread support for improving equity and inclusion across the education sector.

Sign today