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5th grade · Science · Unit 9 of 12

Gravity Pulls Down

Everywhere on Earth, gravity pulls things toward the center.

What your child practices

Practices explaining that Earth's gravitational force on objects is directed down, toward Earth's center, wherever you are on the planet.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 5-PS2-1 · Earth's gravitational force on objects is directed down

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Gravity pulls things toward Earth's center, everywhere on Earth.
  2. Gravity makes water drop over waterfalls like Niagara Falls and skiers speed up downhill.
  3. Gravity keeps the oceans on Earth and the moon in orbit around it.

Example: Which way does gravity pull on a person standing anywhere on Earth? Gravity pulls toward the center of Earth. So it always points down, toward Earth's center. Answer: toward Earth's center

Gravity Pulls Down in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 9 of 12 in 5th grade Science, after Engineering Challenges and before Food Webs & Ecosystems.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A skier speeds up going down a hill because of…

    • air pushing up
    • friction
    • gravity
    • magnetism

  2. Question 2

    Which force keeps you on the ground?

    • Gravity
    • Magnetism
    • Friction only
    • Electricity

  3. Question 3

    Two students, one in Buffalo and one in Australia, drop balls. Which is correct?

    • The ball in Australia falls up
    • Only the ball in Buffalo falls
    • Neither ball falls
    • Both balls fall toward Earth's center

  4. Question 4

    Water at Niagara Falls drops because of…

    • friction
    • sound
    • magnetism
    • gravity

  5. Question 5

    Water flows downhill because of…

    • gravity
    • magnets
    • light
    • sound

  6. Question 6

    Rain falls down because of…

    • sunlight
    • friction
    • gravity
    • clouds pushing

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