Gravity and Weight
👩🏫 Teacher’s Guide
Objective
Differentiate mass and weight and explain gravity as a force that pulls objects toward Earth’s center.
Vocabulary
- — A force that pulls objects toward Earth
- — How much matter is in something
- — The pull of gravity on an object
- — To pull toward
- — A space traveler
Teaching Notes
Use the moon–Earth weight comparison; keep distinction mass ≠ weight.
Answer Key
Gravity pulls downward; weight measures pull of gravity; mass stays the same.
Extension Ideas
Create a moon vs. Earth weight chart for classroom objects in 'relative units.'
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🧒 Student Worksheet
Concept and Helping Material
Gravity pulls things down. Weight is how strong gravity pulls on an object. Your mass stays the same on Earth or the Moon, but your weight changes.
Words to Learn
- Gravity ___ us to Earth.
- Your mass ___ (changes / stays the same) on the Moon.
- Weight is the pull of ___.
Sentences to Fill In
- Why did the water stop squirting when the cup was dropped? ___
- Would your mass change on the Moon? ___
- Would your weight change on the Moon? ___
Hands-On Experiment — Falling Water Test
What You Need
paper cup, pencil, water, outdoor space
What You Do
Poke a hole near the cup bottom; observe stream; drop the cup and observe the stream stopping as both fall together.
Reflection
- Why did the water stop squirting when the cup was dropped? (Answer may vary.)
- Would your mass change on the Moon? Your weight? (Answer may vary.)