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Free scope and sequences, TEKS breakdowns, phenomenon ideas, and engagement activities for the 2024 Texas science standards.

I'm Chris Kesler, a former award-winning Texas middle school science teacher. This is the site I wish I'd had in the classroom. One hub with TEKS breakdowns, scope and sequences, phenomenon starters, engagement ideas, and resources, all aligned to the standards you actually teach.

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7th Grade TEKS Standards

Click any standard to see what it means, how to teach it, where students get stuck, and aligned resources.

TEKS S.7.9B • Earth & Space

Gravity & Motion in Space

The Standard

"Describe how gravity governs motion within Earth’s solar system."

💡 What This Standard Actually Means

The Key Verb

"Describe". Students are describing how gravity governs motion within Earth's solar system. The new wording is broader than the old version. Instead of listing planets and moons specifically, the standard asks kids to explain gravity's role in driving motion across the whole solar system. That includes orbits of planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and the path of the Sun itself. Instruction can take many forms, such as orbit simulations, gravity-and-mass investigations, model demonstrations with marbles on a stretched fabric, and Newton's-cannonball thought experiments.

Gravity is a force of attraction between any two objects that have mass. The bigger the mass, the stronger the gravitational pull. The closer the objects, the stronger the pull between them. The Sun contains nearly all the mass in the solar system, so its gravity reaches all the way to the edge of the system and shapes the motion of everything inside it.

Every object in the solar system is held in motion by gravity. Planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun because the Sun's gravity is constantly pulling them inward. They don't fall into the Sun because they're moving sideways fast enough that the inward pull just curves their forward path into a closed loop. Moons do the same thing around their planets. Earth's moon stays in orbit because Earth's gravity keeps it from flying off in a straight line. Asteroids and comets travel along their own orbital paths under the Sun's pull. Comets that come from the Kuiper belt or Oort cloud swing through the inner solar system on long, stretched-out elliptical orbits and head back out again.

One important clarification students need: gravity doesn't "turn off" in space. Astronauts on the International Space Station appear weightless because they and the station are falling toward Earth together while moving forward fast enough to stay in orbit. Their forward speed plus Earth's gravitational pull keeps them curving around the planet. The big idea students should walk away with is that gravity is the invisible force running the whole show. Nothing in the solar system moves the way it does without gravity. Mass and distance determine how strong the pull is, and that pull determines the path.

💬 From Chris's Classroom

The demo that made this click for my students was a tennis ball on a string. I'd stand in the middle of the room, tie a ball to a string, and swing it in a circle around my head. The ball wanted to fly off in a straight line. The string pulled it inward. That tension was my stand-in for gravity. I'd ask, "What happens if I let go of the string?" They'd yell, "It flies off!" And I'd point out that the same thing would happen to Earth if gravity suddenly disappeared. From there, the conversation about orbits got a lot easier. Kids could picture the invisible pull that keeps planets from flying off into space.

⚠️ Misconceptions Your Students May Have

These are some of the most common misconceptions. Knowing what to look for can help you get ahead of them.

"There's no gravity in space"

✓

Gravity exists everywhere in space. The International Space Station orbits about 250 miles above Earth, where gravity is still about 90 percent as strong as it is on the ground. Astronauts appear to float because they and the station are continuously falling toward Earth together while also moving forward fast enough to keep circling. Scientists call this microgravity, not zero gravity.

"Planets orbit the sun in perfect circles"

✓

Planetary orbits are ellipses, which are stretched-out ovals, not circles. Most planet orbits are fairly close to circular, so textbook pictures simplify them, but the sun is not at the exact center. It sits at one of two points called a focus inside the ellipse. Comets have much more stretched-out elliptical orbits, which is why they swing close to the sun and then travel far away.

"Gravity only pulls things down toward the ground"

✓

Gravity pulls two objects toward each other. On Earth, we mostly notice how Earth's gravity pulls us "down," but "down" is just "toward the center of Earth." In space, the sun's gravity pulls every planet toward the sun. Jupiter's gravity pulls its many moons toward Jupiter. Gravity works in every direction, not just downward.

"Astronauts float because they are too far from Earth for gravity to reach them"

✓

Astronauts float because they are in continuous free-fall. They are falling toward Earth, but their forward motion is fast enough that they keep missing Earth as they go. The station is essentially falling in a curve that matches the curve of the planet. Gravity is still pulling on them the whole time.

📓 Teaching Resources for 7.9B

These resources are aligned to this standard.

Complete 5E Lesson

Gravity & Motion in Space Complete Science Lesson

The full unit for 7.9B: differentiated station labs, editable presentations, interactive notebooks (English + Spanish), student-choice projects, and assessments. Built on the 5E model.

⏱ Best for: Full unit coverage • Multiple class periods

Station Lab

Gravity & Motion in Space Station Lab

9-station hands-on lab covering gravity, orbits, and motion in space with input stations (Explore It!, Watch It!, Read It!, Research It!) and output stations (Organize It!, Illustrate It!, Write It!, Assess It!). Print and digital. English and Spanish.

🔬 Best for: Core instruction • 1-2 class periods

Student Choice Projects

Gravity & Motion in Space Student Choice Projects

Choice board with nine project options plus a "design your own" pathway. Students demonstrate their understanding of gravity and orbital motion through writing, building, illustrating, presenting, or digital formats.

🎓 Best for: Project-based assessment • 2-3 class periods

🌎 Phenomenon Ideas for 7.9B

Use these real-world phenomena to anchor your lesson. Show students the phenomenon first, let them wonder, then build toward Gravity & Motion in Space as the explanation.

🔎

Phenomenon 1

Astronauts Floating Inside the ISS

Play a short clip of astronauts on the International Space Station floating, pushing off walls, and letting water form into blobs in the air. The ISS orbits only about 250 miles above Earth's surface. Yet everyone inside looks weightless. If gravity is still pulling on them, why don't they fall down?

💬 Discussion Prompt

"The astronauts aren't out of reach of gravity. So what has to be happening for them to float like that? How can 'falling' and 'floating' look the same?"

🔎

Phenomenon 2

The Moon Orbits Earth, Earth Orbits the Sun

The moon is about 240,000 miles away from Earth, on average. It hasn't drifted off into space in over four billion years. Earth is about 93 million miles from the sun, and it hasn't wandered off either. Somehow, both objects keep looping around without ever stopping or escaping. What invisible force is holding them in place?

💬 Discussion Prompt

"If Earth wasn't moving, what would the sun's gravity do to it? If the sun's gravity suddenly disappeared, what path would Earth take?"

🔎

Phenomenon 3

You Weigh Less on the Moon Than on Earth

A student who weighs 100 pounds on Earth would weigh only about 16 pounds on the moon. Their body didn't change. The amount of matter in them is the same. So why does the scale read differently?

💬 Discussion Prompt

"The moon has much less mass than Earth. What does that tell you about gravity? How would your weight change on a bigger planet like Jupiter?"

💡 Free Engagement Ideas for 7.9B

Ball on a String Orbit Model

Tie a small ball or bean bag to a 2-foot string. Swing it in a horizontal circle overhead. The string represents gravity, constantly pulling the "planet" inward. Ask students: What happens if I let go? What happens if I slow the ball down? Great kickoff for the idea that orbiting objects are always being pulled in and moving forward at the same time.

Materials: String, small rubber ball or bean bag, open space

Marble on a Stretched Sheet

Stretch an old bedsheet or plastic tablecloth between four students or across a hula hoop. Place a heavy ball (medicine ball or bowling ball) in the middle to create a dip. Roll marbles past it and watch their paths curve. The dip represents the sun's gravity bending space. Marbles that pass close follow tighter curves. Marbles going too slowly spiral in.

Materials: Bedsheet or tablecloth, heavy ball, marbles, group of students

Weight on Every Planet

Have each student calculate their weight on Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and the moon using a multiplier chart (Earth weight times the gravity factor). They build a bar graph comparing their weight on each world. Hooks kids who care about themselves, and reinforces that gravity depends on the mass of the planet or moon.

Materials: Calculator, gravity factor chart, graph paper

Drop Two Masses

Drop a pencil and a textbook from the same height at the same time (over carpet or a soft surface). They hit at nearly the same moment. Then crumple a piece of paper and drop it against a flat sheet of paper. Ask why one falls faster than the other even though they have the same mass. Link it to Galileo and to the universal pull of Earth's gravity.

Materials: Textbook, pencil, paper, soft landing area

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Texas Science Teacher Resource Hub

🚀 Jump to Your Grade

7th Grade TEKS Standards

Gravity & Motion in Space

💡 What This Standard Actually Means

⚠️ Misconceptions Your Students May Have

📓 Teaching Resources for 7.9B

🌎 Phenomenon Ideas for 7.9B

Astronauts Floating Inside the ISS

The Moon Orbits Earth, Earth Orbits the Sun

You Weigh Less on the Moon Than on Earth

💡 Free Engagement Ideas for 7.9B

Ball on a String Orbit Model

Marble on a Stretched Sheet

Weight on Every Planet

Drop Two Masses

Year-at-a-Glance Pacing Guides

Trusted Across Texas

Texas Schools and DistrictsLove Kesler Science

What Teachers Are Saying

Give Your Science Teachers Everything They Need

See It in Action

Texas Schools and Districts
Love Kesler Science