Howardites

A printable worksheet for the lesson Our Solar System and where space rocks live (KS2). It prints on A4 without the website around it. The answers are on a separate sheet for the teacher.

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KS2 · Ages 7 to 11 (Years 3 to 6)Howardites worksheet

Our Solar System and where space rocks live

Name:Class:Date:

Key words

Planet
A planet is a large, round body orbiting a star that has cleared its path of most other material.
Comet
An icy, dusty object from the outer Solar System that grows a glowing head and tail when it comes near the Sun.
Orbit
An orbit is the curved path one object follows around another under gravity, such as Earth around the Sun.
Mercury
Mercury is the smallest planet and the closest to the Sun, heavily cratered and with a huge iron core.
Asteroid belt
The wide ring of space between Mars and Jupiter where most known asteroids travel around the Sun.
Ceres
The largest object in the asteroid belt, about 940 kilometres across, classed as a dwarf planet since 2006.

Choose the right answer

Circle the letter of the right answer.

  1. To work out 12,700 ÷ 940, why might you first round 940 to 1,000?
    • ACeres is really 1,000 km across
    • BDividing by 1,000 is much easier
    • CRounding gives the exact answer
    • DAnswers must be whole thousands
  2. 12,700 ÷ 1,000 = 12.7. As 940 is less than 1,000, what is 12,700 ÷ 940?
    • AMuch less than 12.7
    • BA little less than 12.7
    • CA little more than 12.7
    • DExactly 12.7
  3. How long does Earth take to travel once around the Sun?
    • AOne day
    • BOne month
    • COne year
    • DOne week
  4. What happens when a comet swings close to the Sun?
    • AIt warms up and gas and dust stream off it
    • BIt freezes solid
    • CIt turns into an asteroid
    • DIt stops moving

True or false?

Is the answer given right? Tick True or False.

  1. Which is the odd one out?

    Answer given: Ceres TrueFalse

  2. Which planet is furthest from the Sun?

    Answer given: Neptune TrueFalse

Write your answer

Answer in a word or a short sentence.

  1. Which list puts the first four planets in order from the Sun?
  2. What do comets leave along their orbits?

Task

Make a planet line. Use a long strip of paper or the school field. Mark the Sun at one end, then use this guide (1 step is about 1 metre): Mercury 1, Venus 2, Earth 3, Mars 4, asteroid belt 6 to 8, Jupiter 13, Saturn 24, Uranus 49, Neptune 77. Stand at the asteroid belt and look at how far you are from Earth.

Howardites · free to copy for use in your classroom · answers are on the separate teacher's answer sheet