Key Stage 2: Rocks from space
Twelve lessons on meteorites for Years 3 to 6: what they are, where they come from, how to test a rock like a scientist, craters, the end of the dinosaurs, meteor showers and meteorites in history.
This course follows the science that pupils in England meet in Key Stage 2, especially rocks in Year 3, forces and magnets in Year 3, Earth and space in Year 5, and fossils and evolution in Year 6. Several lessons also practise maths, such as large numbers, measuring and finding the mean, using real numbers from space.
The lessons build on each other, so start with lesson 1. Each one takes about 30 to 45 minutes, including the activity and the quiz.
- What is a meteorite?A meteorite is a piece of rock or metal from space that has landed on Earth. This lesson gives you the three words every space-rock scientist uses.
- Our Solar System and where space rocks liveThe Sun, eight planets, their moons and millions of smaller bodies make up our Solar System. In this lesson you will find out where the asteroids and comets are.
- The fiery fall through the airA meteoroid hits the air at tremendous speed. In this lesson you will find out why it glows, why its outside melts and how it slows down before it lands.
- Falls and findsSome meteorites are picked up just after people see them land. Most are found years or thousands of years later. This lesson explains both, and where people search.
- Three kinds of meteoriteScientists sort meteorites into three main kinds by what they are made of: stone, iron, or a mixture of both.
- Meteorites and magnetsMost meteorites contain iron metal, so most of them are attracted to a magnet. This lesson shows how a magnet helps scientists, and why it cannot give the whole answer on its own.
- Testing a rock like a scientistHow do experts decide whether a rock is a meteorite? They look for several clues, use simple fair tests and only then ask a specialist laboratory. This lesson shows you the clues.
- Rocks from the Moon and MarsA few meteorites have come from the Moon and from Mars. In this lesson you will find out how a rock can escape a world and how scientists know where it came from.
- Craters: when big rocks hitSmall meteorites land with a thud, but large ones hit so hard that they blast out a crater. In this lesson you will find out how craters form and make some yourself.
- The end of the dinosaursAbout 66 million years ago an asteroid struck Earth and helped end the age of the dinosaurs. In this lesson you will find out how scientists worked this out from clues in rocks and fossils.
- Meteor showers and cometsOn certain nights each year you can see many more shooting stars than usual. This lesson explains why, and how to watch a meteor shower safely.
- Meteorites in historyPeople have treasured meteorites for thousands of years. This final lesson visits Ancient Egypt and medieval France, and ends with how to look after meteorites today.
How it links to what you study
- Year 3 science, rocks: comparing and grouping rocks by how they look and their simple physical properties (lessons 5, 7 and 8).
- Year 3 science, forces and magnets: magnetic and non-magnetic materials, and grouping materials with a magnet (lessons 6 and 7).
- Year 4 science, states of matter: melting, with the heated outer skin of a falling meteorite as the example (lesson 3).
- Year 5 science, Earth and space: the Sun, planets and Moon, and how they move (lessons 1, 2, 8 and 11).
- Year 5 science, forces: gravity and air resistance on a falling space rock (lessons 3 and 9).
- Year 6 science, evolution and inheritance: fossils as evidence of life long ago, and the extinction of the dinosaurs (lesson 10).
- Working scientifically: asking questions, fair tests, measuring, recording results in tables and drawing conclusions (lessons 6, 7, 9 and 11).
- Maths: place value with large numbers, converting units, multiplication, rates and the mean (lessons 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11).
- History: the achievements of Ancient Egypt, where iron from meteorites was used before iron could be made from ore (lesson 12).
Each lesson has learning goals, a short activity and a five-question quiz. Finish every quiz to unlock the printable certificate. Your progress is saved on this device only.