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Year 7

Changing ideas about Earth

I can describe how and why our understanding of the position and motion of Earth has changed over time.

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New
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Year 7

Changing ideas about Earth

I can describe how and why our understanding of the position and motion of Earth has changed over time.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Earth was once thought to be flat, with all the stars and the Sun moving around it.
  2. Until the 16th century most people thought Earth was at the centre of the universe.
  3. Observations with telescopes provide evidence that helps us to understand the universe.

Keywords

  • Sphere - An object that is shaped like a ball is a sphere.

  • Geocentric model - In the geocentric model of the universe (which is incorrect), Earth is at the centre of everything.

  • Heliocentric model - In the heliocentric model, Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun.

  • Telescope - A telescope is able to magnify distant objects so they can be seen in more detail.

Common misconception

Science understanding is similar to politics and we can all have different opinions about what is correct.

Provide pupils with opportunity to see that scientific understanding is built up on evidence, and the best model we have fits with the evidence and can explain observations.


To help you plan your year 7 science lesson on: Changing ideas about Earth, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

This is a synoptic lesson that allows you to revisit ideas and understanding about Earth in space, and it uses examples to show how a scientific understanding requires observation and evidence.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is a large, hot star?
Mercury
the Moon
Jupiter
Correct answer: the Sun
Q2.
Which of the following happens to the time it takes a planet to orbit the Sun as the distance from the Sun increases?
The time decreases.
The time stays the same.
Correct answer: The time increases.
Distance has no effect on the time.
Q3.
Which of the following statements about the Sun rising and setting is correct?
The Sun rises in the West and sets in the East.
Correct answer: The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
The Sun rises in the North and sets in the South.
The Sun rises in the South and sets in the North.
Q4.
Which of the following statements about Earth, when it is winter in the UK, is correct?
Earth's axis points towards the Sun and days are longer than the nights.
Earth's axis points away from the Sun and days are longer than the nights.
Earth's axis points towards the Sun and nights are longer than the days.
Correct answer: Earth's axis points away from the Sun and nights are longer than the days.
Q5.
Which of the following explains why the stars appear to move across the sky during the night?
Earth is orbiting the Sun.
Correct answer: Earth is spinning on its axis.
The stars move from East to West, like the Sun rising and setting.
The points of light are actually space craft and satellites.
Q6.
Apart from the Sun, how far is the nearest star to us?
hundreds of thousands of kilometres
about a million kilometres
about a million miles
Correct answer: about 4 light years

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following does a telescope do?
Correct answer: It magnifies distant objects so that we can see them in more detail.
It helps light from our eyes reach the object we are looking at.
It shines light on the object we are looking at so we can see it more clearly.
Q2.
The model of the universe in which the Earth is at the centre is called the model.
Correct Answer: geocentric
Q3.
The model of the universe in which Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun is called the model.
Correct Answer: heliocentric
Q4.
Which of the following statements are evidence that Earth is a sphere?
We do not fall off Earth.
The Moon and stars travel across the sky.
Correct answer: We can fly all the way round Earth without changing direction.
Correct answer: Earth’s shadow on the Moon (during a lunar eclipse) is circular.
Correct answer: When a boat sails away, the bottom of the boat disappears first.
Q5.
Why do we accept the heliocentric model of the universe (first suggested by Copernicus) instead of the geocentric model?
Copernicus was a popular person.
Correct answer: The heliocentric model fits all of our observations.
It's just obvious that Earth goes around the Sun.
Correct answer: The geocentric model does not fit all of our observations.
It feels wrong for Earth to be at the centre of our solar system.
Q6.
Which of the following explains why we can see different stars in the night sky at different times of year?
The stars travel around the Sun.
The stars travel around Earth.
Correct answer: Earth travels around the Sun.
The Sun travels around Earth.