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Gravity and the Universe

By Platform Administrator · Submitted Sep 30, 2026

Content Area
Science and Technology/Engineering
Grade
8

Students demonstrate their knowledge about scale of the universe, fundamentals of gravity, and the limitations of space travel through writing a science fiction short story with a graphic representation or a graphic novel that incorporates these concepts. The story may either educate readers on current scientific theory or push the limits of current scientific theory to inspire the next wave of space exploration.

MA Standards

6.ESS.1.5
Use graphical displays to illustrate that Earth and its solar system are one of many in the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of billions of galaxies in the universe. Clarification Statement: Graphical displays can include maps, charts, graphs, and data tables.
6.PS.2.4
Use evidence to support the claim that gravitational forces between objects are attractive and are only noticeable when one or both of the objects have a very large mass. Clarification Statement: Examples of objects with very large masses include the Sun, Earth, and other planets. State Assessment Boundary: Newton's law of gravitation or Kepler's laws are not expected in state assessment.
8.ESS.1.2
Explain the role of gravity in ocean tides, the orbital motions of planets, their moons, and asteroids in the solar system. State Assessment Boundary: Kepler's laws of orbital motion or the apparent retrograde motion of the planets as viewed from Earth are not expected in state assessment.
8.PS.2.2
Provide evidence that the change in an object's speed depends on the sum of the forces on the object (the net force) and the mass of the object. Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton's first law) and unbalanced forces in a system, qualitative comparisons of forces, mass, and changes in speed (Newton's second law) in one dimension. State Assessment Boundaries: State assessment will be limited to forces and changes in motion in one dimension in an inertial reference frame and to change in one variable at a time. The use of trigonometry is not expected in state assessment.

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