Earth, Moon & Sun

What students will do

A teacher demonstration with scale planet discs establishes relative sizes and positions in the solar system. Students then use a globe and torch on a floor mat to simulate Earth's rotation, tracking which regions of Australia move in and out of daylight. A second globe-and-torch activity models the Moon's orbit and demonstrates the positions that produce solar and lunar eclipses. Students investigate orbital mechanics using a funnel and ping-pong ball, noticing how the ball's curved path mirrors a planet's orbit, before working in groups to launch Alka-Seltzer water rockets, connecting action-reaction forces to real space propulsion. Sessions with Year 3–4 focus on the Earth–Moon–Sun relationship rather than the broader solar system.

Curriculum outcomes

Victorian Curriculum v2.0 content descriptions addressed in this session.

• Model how Earth's rotation on its axis causes day and night, and demonstrate how the Moon orbits Earth

• Describe the relative positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun and explain the conditions that produce solar and lunar eclipses

• Investigate orbital motion using a funnel and ping-pong ball, and connect this to the gravitational forces keeping the Moon in orbit around Earth