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Students will collect data using a game/simulation to better understand how nuclear fusion results in the release of energy and the formation of new elements, as well as why the lifespan of a high-mass star is much shorter than the lifespan of a low-mass star.

This activity around the concept of gravity will support students in developing an understanding of the big ideas in the Life Cycle of a Star, Structure of the Solar System, and Orbital Motion of Celestial Objects 5E Plans. It also provides an option for having students begin to develop their capacity for constructing scientific explanations, a skill that is crucial for sensemaking throughout this course and in the realm of science.

The Earth, Moon, Sun and planets move in a predictable pattern. During this 5E sequence, students will demonstrate their understandings about different patterns of celestial motion by constructing a model that includes the role gravity and by making predictions about the orbital motion of planets.