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Gravity keeps everything on earth grounded. It’s the reason objects fall downward instead of upward or sideways, and why a ball thrown high in the air will only rise so far before returning to your waiting hands. In some ways, we take gravity for granted! Because gravity is a physical force—not a physical object—it went undetected and unidentified for millennia! In the late 1600’s—nearly three and a half centuries ago—an English scientist named Sir Isaac Newton observed an apple falling from an orchard tree and had an “AHA” moment! That moment led to his scientific law of “universal gravitation”—this means the law applies everywhere in the universe! This issue analyzes what happens to gravity around the solar system, including why you weigh more or less on other planets (and satellites). The universe and all its wonders is just waiting for your young explorer to unlock its mysteries!
In this issue future space travelers will:
- Read informational text about gravity and weight in space
- Use context clues to fill in missing words in a story about Newton’s falling apple
- Understand why objects weigh different amounts on different planets and satellites in space
- Calculate sums to compare weights on different celestial objects
- Use the newspaper to hunt for “ei” and “ie” words (as in “either” and “weight”)
- Achieve gravitational greatness by spelling words from a set of letters
- Analyze good and not-so-good uses of gravity in the news
- Write creatively about your life without the pull of gravity
- Use a decoder ring to discover the name of high interest fantasy adventure to the moon
6 page PDF
