Gravity Pulls Things Down
Understand gravity as a force that pulls objects towards the centre of the Earth, that 'down' means towards Earth’s centre regardless of where you stand on the sphere, and that gravity keeps the Moon orbiting Earth and planets orbiting the Sun
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Gravity is attraction between masses. Near Earth, down points towards Earth’s centre. A person on the far side of Earth is not upside down in their own local view. Gravity also bends the paths of moons and planets. An orbit needs sideways motion as well as gravity. Safety: Only a soft sock ball and a low drop onto a cushion. No hard or heavy objects. Stop: Stop after one low drop and the diagrams. Do not throw, swing, or launch the ball.”
Bring to the table
- Paper
- Pencil
- Soft sock ball
- Cushion placed on a table
Extra for the adult
Worked example. At the left-hand person, my down arrow points right on the page, towards Earth’s centre. It is correct because down is local. It does not have to point towards the bottom edge of the paper.
Optional challenge. Explain why a Moon with sideways motion does not simply fall straight to Earth’s surface.
What to notice. Keep the Earth diagram and observation sentence. Record if the adult supplied arrow directions or the orbit sentence.
Share and support
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
NASA Space Place · Practice link — not the full lesson
Moon
Before you open · source notes
Moon supports Gravity Pulls Things Down. An adult previews and guides; this is a learning page, not a scored quiz.
Free educational page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner one fact they learned and one question they still have.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public NASA Space Place page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
NASA Space Place. “Moon.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Define gravity as a pulling force that attracts objects towards the centre of the Earth
- Explain that 'down' points towards Earth's centre, so people on opposite sides of the globe both feel pulled 'down'
- State that gravity keeps the Moon orbiting Earth and planets orbiting the Sun
“Can your child explain why things fall 'down' and that gravity is the same force keeping the Moon going around the Earth?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Space Exploration
- Age range
- Ages 9–11