Earth and Space — Year 5 Science

Year 5 Earth and space: what pupils learn

Earth and space is studied in Year 5. Pupils learn how the Earth, the Moon and the planets move, and use the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night.

By the end of Year 5, the National Curriculum expects pupils to:

• describe how the Earth and the other planets move relative to the Sun in the solar system
• describe how the Moon moves relative to the Earth
• describe the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical bodies
• use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night, and the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky

Key vocabulary

Sun, star, Earth, Moon, planet, solar system, orbit, rotate, axis, spherical, day, night, year, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

How it builds

Year 5 builds on Year 3’s work on light and shadows. At Key Stage 3, pupils go further with gravity, the seasons, and the Earth’s place in the galaxy and the universe.

Frequently asked questions

Why do we have day and night?
The Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours. The half facing the Sun has day, and the half facing away has night.

Does the Sun move across the sky?
It looks that way, but it’s the Earth that is turning. As the Earth rotates, the Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west.

How many planets are in our solar system?
Eight: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A popular way to remember the order is “My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming”.

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