Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource
Gravity Pulls Toward Earth — 5E Lesson Plan
Physical Science · 55 minutes
Grade 5
5E lesson flow
01
Engage
7 min
Teacher Does
Place observer figures at several places around a globe and ask each group's idea of down.
Students Do
Draw arrows and compare directions.
Ask
- Does page-down work for every observer?
Look For
Recognition that down must be defined relative to Earth.
02
Explore
13 min
Teacher Does
Lead short release observations and a globe-arrow model activity.
Students Do
Record the direction objects begin to move and revise arrows around the globe.
Ask
- Where do all the arrows meet if extended inward?
Look For
Radial inward pattern toward Earth's center.
03
Explain
10 min
Teacher Does
Define gravity, gravitational force, local down, claim, evidence, and argument.
Students Do
Classify evidence cards as relevant or irrelevant.
Ask
- What makes evidence relevant to the claim?
Look For
Evidence tied specifically to force direction.
04
Elaborate
16 min
Teacher Does
Present evidence about Earth's spherical shape and observers at multiple locations.
Students Do
Build a claim-evidence-reasoning chain and critique a weak argument.
Ask
- How does the spherical model connect the drop observations?
Look For
Reasoning from many local downs to one Earth-centered direction.
05
Evaluate
9 min
Teacher Does
Give a new globe position and a mixed evidence set.
Students Do
Draw the gravity arrow and write a short supported argument.
Ask
- Which evidence did you choose and why?
Look For
Correct direction, relevant evidence, coherent reasoning.
Student goal
I can support an argument that Earth's gravity pulls nearby objects toward Earth's center using relevant evidence and reasoning.
Learning objectives
- Use a globe model to show that local down points toward Earth's center from different places on the surface.
- Evaluate which observations and models are relevant evidence for the direction of Earth's gravitational pull.
- Construct a claim-evidence-reasoning argument that gravity pulls nearby objects toward Earth's center without calculating force size.
Materials
- Globe or spherical model
- Small safe drop objects
- Gravity-arrow cards
- Evidence cards
- Argument organizer
Before class
- Prepare observer figures that can be placed around a globe.
- Choose lightweight safe objects for short drop observations.
- Prepare relevant and irrelevant evidence cards.
- Do not introduce gravitational-force equations.
Prior knowledge
- Students know forces can change motion.
- Students recognize Earth as a roughly spherical object.
- Students can distinguish a claim from an observation.
Vocabulary
- gravity
- An attractive force between objects with mass; near Earth's surface, Earth's gravity pulls objects toward Earth.
- gravitational force
- The force of attraction caused by gravity.
- center
- The point inside a sphere that is equally distant from its surface in every direction.
- local down
- The direction toward Earth's center from a place on its surface.
- evidence
- Data, observations, or models that support or challenge a claim.
- claim
- A statement that can be supported with scientific evidence.
- reasoning
- The explanation that connects evidence to a claim.
Differentiation
- Use color-coded claim/evidence/reasoning cards.
- Allow students to physically rotate the globe rather than rotate the page.
- Provide the frame: My claim is ___. Evidence shows ___. This matters because ___.
- For extension, ask students to critique a diagram where all arrows point toward the bottom of the page.
Assessment
- Check radial gravity arrows.
- Score evidence relevance selections.
- Use a simple claim-evidence-reasoning rubric for the performance task.
Exit ticket
Draw a gravity arrow for an observer on the side of Earth and justify its direction with one sentence.
Extension
Create and correct a misleading gravity diagram, explaining exactly what makes the original representation wrong.