The shape of the lesson
By the end of the lesson, learners can
- Look at the Sun: See the Sun as a star powered by fusion in its core.
- An ordinary star: The Sun is medium-sized, made of light elements, and shines by fusion.
- Type: a medium-sized star.
- Made of: mostly hydrogen and helium.
- Energy: fusion of hydrogen into helium.
One picture every idea returns to
The Sun is a medium-sized star made mostly of hydrogen and helium. It releases energy by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium in its core, and it is the main source of energy for the Solar System.
Forty-five minutes, phase by phase
| Time | Phase | What happens in the room | Grouping |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 min | Hook: predict | Open with the question in the title, Our local star.. The Sun feels unique because it is ours, but it is a fairly ordinary star, one of billions. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 5 to 17 min | Teach and check: Look at the Sun | See the Sun as a star powered by fusion in its core. Project tab 1 of the lab (The Sun) and let a student drive it while the class predicts. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 17 to 30 min | Teach and check: An ordinary star | The Sun is medium-sized, made of light elements, and shines by fusion. | Mix-Pair-Share |
| 30 to 36 min | Check | The four Stage 1 questions from the student lesson, answered on mini whiteboards or by show of fingers. Re-teach the one most get wrong. | Individual, then whole class |
| 36 to 43 min | Plenary | The exam-style questions from Stage 2, one at a time: thirty seconds alone, then a random call. The feedback lines in the key give the examiner's wording. | Individual, random call |
| 43 to 45 min | Exit and homework | Set the worksheet below (6 questions, 10 marks). Learners self-assess against the objectives before they leave. | Individual |
Protect the parts that carry the learning
The sequence carries about fifty minutes of material, so the lab is driven by one student while the class predicts rather than explored freely. Times are a guide.
Protected: the check at 30 minutes. It is the only individual read on whether the key idea landed, and it is not cut.
Cut first if the build overruns: the last check in An ordinary star, never the check or the plenary.
In a 60 minute block: run worksheet questions 1 to 3 in class as a Rally Coach set and model both the hardest worked example and its check live.
Mix-Pair-Share
Students mix around the room until you call pair; they pair with the nearest classmate, discuss the prompt, then mix again. Three prompts of rising difficulty, three different partners.
The full structure, with its variations and the other twelve, is on the cooperative-learning page.
What to head off, and how
| Trap learners fall into | Teaching move that pre-empts it |
|---|---|
| The Sun shines by nuclear fusion, joining hydrogen nuclei into helium, not by burning like a fire. | It is a fairly ordinary, medium-sized star among billions of others. |
The Sun as a star: worksheet
6 questions, 10 marks. Written in the style of the papers; no past paper question is reproduced.
State what type of object the Sun is, and its size compared with other stars.
State the two elements the Sun is mostly made of.
Name the process that releases energy in the Sun's core, and state what it turns into what.
State the main source of energy for the Solar System.
A student writes that the Sun produces energy by burning. Explain why this is wrong.
The stars seen at night are similar objects to the Sun. Explain why they look so much fainter.
Answer key and marking notes
- The Sun is a star. ✓
- It is a medium-sized star. ✓
Hydrogen and helium. ✓
- Nuclear fusion. ✓
- Hydrogen is fused into helium. ✓
The Sun. ✓
- Burning is a chemical reaction; the Sun's energy comes from nuclear fusion. ✓
- Fusion releases far more energy, which is why the Sun can shine for billions of years. ✓
- They are stars like the Sun. ✓
- They are vastly further away, so they appear much fainter. ✓
3 multiple-choice questions on this lesson
From the topic question bank. Assign them in the app for a marked score in your gradebook, or run the topic as a class game.
What is the Sun?
- Aa star of average size
- Ba large planet
- Ca galaxy
- Da very large comet
What is the Sun mostly made of?
- Ahydrogen and helium
- Biron and rock
- Ccarbon dioxide gas
- Dwater and ice
Where does the energy radiated by the Sun come from?
- Anuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium in its core
- Bburning hydrogen like a chemical fire
- Cnuclear fission of uranium
- Dfriction between layers of gas
Quiz key
The Sun is a star of about average (medium) size. It is not a planet, and a galaxy is a vast collection of many stars, far larger than a single star.
The Sun is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, the two lightest elements. Rocky and icy materials are found in planets and comets, not in the bulk of a star.
The Sun's energy comes from nuclear fusion, in which hydrogen nuclei join to form helium, releasing huge amounts of energy. This is not chemical burning, and stars run on fusion rather than fission.
What to project
The student lesson embeds these tabs. Open them full screen on the projector; every slider has a drag handle on the stage.
Slides for this lesson
A projectable deck for every pack is on the way. Until then, present the student lesson full screen: its sections, figure and lab tabs follow the same order as the plan above.