Gravity and energy from the sun (grade 5) · lesson

Gravity

💡 Earth's gravity pulls every object toward Earth's center, no matter where on Earth it is.

Gravity is a pulling force. Earth's gravity pulls everything toward the center of Earth.

That is why a dropped ball falls, rain falls from clouds, and water flows downhill.

Down means toward Earth's center. So a ball dropped in Australia falls down to the ground too, even though Australia is on the other side of Earth.

Other forces are different. A magnet pulls on iron. Wind pushes on a kite. Those are not gravity.

🧠 How to think about it

Ask which way the thing moves. If it moves toward the ground on its own, gravity is pulling it.

💡 Plants use sunlight to make food, and the energy in all food first came from the sun.

Plants make their own food. They use energy from sunlight to do it.

The plant stores that energy in its leaves, fruit, and seeds. An apple holds energy the tree got from the sun.

When you eat, your body uses that energy. It uses it to move, grow, fix itself, and stay warm.

🧠 Let's work it out

What do you think comes next?

💡 Animals can't use sunlight to make food, so they get the sun's energy by eating plants or animals that ate plants.

Animals can't make food from sunlight. They have to eat.

Energy passes from one living thing to the next when it is eaten. Grass is eaten by a zebra. The zebra is eaten by a lion.

Follow the chain back far enough and you always reach a plant. The plant got its energy from the sun.

🧠 Let's work it out

What do you think comes next?