Year 7 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 14
Foundation Worksheet
Learning Goals
Fill the gap: the sky
Choose words from the word bank. Each word is used at most once. Two words are not needed: cross them out.
Day and night are caused by the Earth on its axis. The cycle of Moon comes from seeing different amounts of the Moon’s lit half as it Earth. The daily rise and fall of the ocean, called the , is mainly caused by the pull of the .
Match each term to its meaning
Write the letter of the correct meaning next to each term. Each letter is used once.
| Term | Letter | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Observation | A. A conclusion you work out from what you noticed | |
| Inference | B. The thing you measure to see the effect | |
| Independent variable | C. Something you keep the same so the test stays fair | |
| Dependent variable | D. The daily rise and fall of the ocean, mainly caused by the Moon’s pull | |
| Controlled variable | E. What you directly notice or measure | |
| Tides | F. The one thing you deliberately change in a fair test |
Sort it: what causes each sky event?
Write each event in the box for its main cause. The boxes do not hold the same number of items.
Earth spinning on its axis
The Moon orbiting Earth
The pull of the Moon and Sun
1. Sam writes: “The Moon looks like a thin curve tonight, so only a sliver of its lit half must be facing Earth.” Which part is an observation, and which part is an inference?
Read the data: making craters
Scenario
Lena’s class modelled how craters form on the Moon. They dropped the same rubber ball into the same tray of flour from five heights. They smoothed the flour flat before every drop, dropped the ball three times at each height and measured each crater across the top with a ruler.
| Drop height (cm) | Average crater diameter (mm) |
|---|---|
| 20 | 26 |
| 40 | 33 |
| 60 | 39 |
| 80 | 44 |
| 100 | 48 |
Source: sample class results.
2. In Lena’s test, name the independent variable, the dependent variable and one controlled variable.
3. Describe the trend in Table 1. Use two numbers from the table in your answer.
4. A ruler, a stopwatch and a telescope are all instruments. Explain why scientists use instruments instead of their eyes alone. Use Lena’s crater test as your example.
5. Explain how careful observation leads to real knowledge of the sky. Use the words observation, variable and evidence.
Fill the gap: the sky
spinning; phases; orbits; tides; Moon. Not used: shadow, Sun.
Match each term to its meaning
Observation → E; Inference → A; Independent variable → F; Dependent variable → B; Controlled variable → C; Tides → D.
Sort it: what causes each sky event?
Spinning: day and night; the Sun rising and setting each day. Orbiting: a new moon that we cannot see; a thin crescent Moon growing to a full Moon; a half-lit Moon, seven days after a new moon. Pull: two high tides at the beach most days; extra-large spring tides.
Question 1
Observation: the Moon looks like a thin curve (1). Inference: only a sliver of its lit half is facing Earth (1). [2 marks]
Question 2
Independent: drop height (1). Dependent: crater diameter (1). Controlled, any one: same ball, same tray, same flour, flour smoothed flat (1). [3 marks]
Question 3
As the drop height increases, the crater diameter increases (1), e.g. from 26 mm at 20 cm to 48 mm at 100 cm (1). [2 marks]
Question 4
Our senses are limited, so instruments observe more accurately (1); a ruler measures the crater to the millimetre, which eyes alone cannot (1). [2 marks]
Question 5
Marking guide: 1 purpose (build knowledge through observation, experimentation and analysis); 1 a named skill; 1 a sky example with its cause; 1 crater model: change one variable, measure the effect, results are evidence; 1 all three words used correctly. [5 marks]
Model answer: Science builds knowledge through observation, experimentation and analysis. Watching the Moon night after night shows its phases, which come from seeing different amounts of its lit half. In the crater model we controlled variables: we changed only the drop height and measured the crater, so our results were evidence about how real craters form.
Common error: mixing up the independent (changed) and dependent (measured) variables.