Year 5
(Entry into Year 6)
4 Hour Revision Course
Physics
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Topic 1: Space
Lesson 1 – Planets (0.5 hours)
There are 8 planets in our solar system. There used to be 9, but astronomers agreed that Pluto was
too small and had a funny orbit so could not longer be called a planet.
Mercury
Saturn
Mars
Earth
Neptune
Jupiter
Uranus
~1~
Venus
A mnemonic is a short sentence to help you remember the names and order of the planets. Try this
one. The first letter of each word corresponds to the first letter of each planet.
My
Very
Easy
Method
Just
Speeds
Up
Names
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
The planet Venus is close to the sun and is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. It is
closer to the sun than Earth and is only visible at dawn or dusk.
Jupiter is the largest planet. It can be identified because of a large storm swirling near its equator.
Do you know any other interesting facts about the other planets?
~2~
Lesson 2 – The solar system (0.5 hour)
The earth rotates on its axis. One side of the planet is towards the sun; the other side is in shadow. As
the earth rotates, different parts of the earth’s surface are in the light (day time) or shadow (night
time).
1. Why does our planet experience day and night?
2. How long does it take for the earth to rotate on its axis once?
We know that the planets go round the sun in the centre of our solar system. The path they take is
called an orbit. This is called the heliocentric model of the universe. However, scientists used to think
that the sun went around the earth. This is called the geocentric model of the solar system.
3. What evidence would lead scientists to think that the sun went around the earth?
~3~
Nicolaus Copernicus was a scientist born in 1473. He worked on the heliocentric model of the solar
system.
Describe the heliocentric model of the solar system.
How long does it take for the earth to orbit the sun?
A moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet. Earth has one moon and Jupiter has four large moons
and several smaller ones.
1. How long does it take the moon to orbit the earth?
~4~
Lesson 3 – Planets: Review (1 hour)
Complete the crossword using the clues below. The answers can be found in the words in bold from
the previous pages.
Across
Down
1. The centre of the solar system
5. The planet we live on
6. Model in which the sun is the centre of
the solar system
7. A celestial body that orbits a planet
8. The largest planet
2. The side of the earth in shadow
3. Model in which the earth is the centre of
the solar system
4. The path a planet takes on its journey
around the sun
9. Scientist who worked on the heliocentric
model of the solar system
~5~
2. You can often see Jupiter if you go outside at night. It shines brighter than any of the stars.
Jupiter doesn’t give out any light of its own. Where does the light come from?
3. List the planets in order, starting with the planet closest to the sun. Try to remember the
order using the mnemonic rather than copying the list.
4. When Venus is visible it is usually around sunrise or sunset. Think about its orbit in relation
to the earth. Why can’t it be seen during the middle of the night?
~6~
Topic 2: Electricity
Lesson 4 – Electrical Conductors
Some materials are good conductors of electricity, some are not. Electrical wires in your house are
good conductors. The plastic casing of electrical wires are good insulators. Insulators do not conduct
electricity. Metals are good conductors. Most other things are good insulators.
Look at the objects below.
Coins
Toothbrush
Apple
Fork
1. Decide whether they insulators or conductors and then add them to the table.
Conductors
Insulators
~7~
2. Have a look round the house and add 5 more objects to the table. Think about whether they
are made of metal, or something else, such as plastic.
3. Most electrical wires are made of copper. Gold conducts electricity even better than copper,
but isn’t used as often. Why do you think copper is preferable to gold?
~8~
Lesson 5 – Electrical appliances (1 hour)
Some things need electricity to work. For example, a refrigerator needs electrical to cool the food and
drinks that are stored inside it. Other things do not need electricity to work, for example a book.
List 5 things in from the kitchen that require electricity to work
Some of the things that use electricity get it from a battery and some get it from
mains electricity. A battery can only supply a finite amount of electricity, so if
an appliance needs a lot of electricity it will usually be plugged into the mains
as in the diagram on the right.
1. List the objects below in order of which you think uses the most
electricity and which uses the least.
Torch (flashlight), mobile phone, laptop, electric car, kettle, washing machine,
calculator
Most electricity
Least electricity
~9~
2. Which of the above use batteries and which use mains electricity? Are there any that use a
combination of batteries and mains electricity?
Batteries
Mains
What are the advantages of using batteries?
What are the advantages of using mains electricity?
~10~
Combination