Discover space patterns and cycles with this engaging Year 6 Earth & Space Sciences unit of work.

This unit focuses on hands-on experiences to help your students understand space concepts, including how Earth’s rotation on its axis causes night and day and how its tilt causes the seasons.

Your students will complete two hands-on investigations. The first explores the science inquiry skills by investigating the diameter of the Sun. The second challenges students to apply their skills and knowledge by completing an assessed investigation into the effect of Earth’s tilt. A comprehensive marking rubric is provided.

Other engaging activities include using craft to create models that demonstrate concepts and creating a fascinating collaborative research display of celestial bodies. Students will learn about the phases of the Moon, constellations and how First Nations Australians use their knowledge of the night sky for timekeeping. A final assessment task is included which allows students to demonstrate the knowledge that they have developed throughout the unit.

This unit includes everything that you need to confidently plan, teach and assess 8 lessons of Earth & Space Sciences, Science Inquiry and Science as a Human Endeavour V9 Australian Curriculum aligned content.

The unit plan package downloads as a zip file and contains the following resources:

1. Unit Guide: includes a scope and sequence, unit overview, lesson plans with associated and suggested resources, assessments and rubrics.
2. PowerPoints: includes two that explain scientific concepts and one fun interactive quiz.
3. Displays: includes a unit banner, a set of space posters and word wall cards organised into tiered vocabulary.