lesson
Models represent very large objects
1 · Learn
The Sun is a star. Earth is a planet that orbits the Sun. The Moon is Earth's natural satellite. These bodies are approximately spherical, not flat discs.
A classroom ball model can show shape and arrangement, but usually cannot show correct size and distance at the same time. State which feature a model represents and which it simplifies.
2 · Worked example
I use a small ball for the Moon and a larger ball for Earth, but I do not claim the short space between classroom balls is the true scaled distance.
3 · Your turn
Is the Moon a star like the Sun? Name one limitation of a simple classroom ball model.
Check your answer
No: it is a natural satellite. The model may not accurately represent relative sizes, distances or motions.
4 · Apply your learning
Compare reliable space images with a labelled model. Explain which observations support the description rather than treating the model as evidence by itself.
Adult guidance and safety
Never look directly at the Sun, including through lenses or binoculars. Use approved images, not improvised solar viewing.
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Check a calculation · Year 5 onward
Use this only when your teacher or adult allows a calculator for the task. Show your thinking first. It does not replace mental or written arithmetic and does not mark your lesson answer.
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With an adult, look at a safe real example or a checked photograph. Name the example and say which you used. Record what you actually notice. Do not taste plants or materials, approach unknown animals or invent missing observations.
Ask your teacher for support with the method and recording. A prediction is what you think might happen; an observation is what you actually see, hear or feel safely.
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