Activity 01
Outdoor Shadow Hunt: Tracking Changes
Mark student positions with chalk at recess, trace shadows hourly using sticks. Students measure and compare lengths with rulers, draw paths on paper. Discuss patterns as a group, noting how shadows shorten at midday.
Describe the relative sizes and distances of planets in our solar system.
Facilitation TipDuring the Outdoor Shadow Hunt, move the hunt to different times of day to show students how shadows shift direction and length.
What to look forAsk students to draw a picture showing the difference between day and night. Include the Sun and Earth in their drawing and label 'Day' and 'Night'.
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Activity 02
Globe and Torch: Day Night Model
Use a globe and bright torch as Sun. Pairs spin the globe slowly, observe lit and dark sides. Tilt it to show longer summer days, record observations in simple drawings.
Explain the concept of gravity and its role in maintaining planetary orbits.
Facilitation TipWhile using the Globe and Torch, dim the lights to make the torch’s light more dramatic and highlight the lit half of the globe.
What to look forShow students a globe and a flashlight. Ask: 'How can we use these to show why we have day and night? What does the flashlight represent? What does the globe represent?' Guide them to explain Earth's rotation.
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Activity 03
Playdough Planets: Size Sort
Provide playdough in colours for Sun and planets. Students roll balls to match relative sizes, from huge Sun to tiny Earth. Line up on paper orbit paths, label distances with string.
Analyze how Earth's tilt and orbit around the Sun influence phenomena like seasons and day length.
Facilitation TipWhen making Playdough Planets, provide a reference object (like a marble for Earth) to anchor size comparisons before modeling.
What to look forProvide students with a sentence starter: 'Earth moves around the Sun, and this causes …' Ask them to complete the sentence and draw a small picture to illustrate their answer.
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Activity 04
Spinner Earth: Rotation Demo
Make paper plate Earth spinners with pencils. Students twirl to mimic spin, use fan as wind for day night effects. Predict shadow positions, test with partners.
Describe the relative sizes and distances of planets in our solar system.
Facilitation TipWith the Spinner Earth, pre-poke the hole for the skewer so students focus on tilting and spinning rather than setup.
What to look forAsk students to draw a picture showing the difference between day and night. Include the Sun and Earth in their drawing and label 'Day' and 'Night'.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers use physical models to confront misconceptions directly, letting students test ideas through trial and error. Avoid over-explaining; instead, pose questions that guide discovery. Research shows hands-on modeling and repeated observation build lasting understanding of Earth’s movement and scale.
Students will explain how Earth’s spin creates day and night, compare planetary sizes, and describe seasonal changes using models and observations. They will use accurate vocabulary like ‘axis,’ ‘orbit,’ and ‘tilt’ in discussions and drawings.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Globe and Torch, watch for students who say the Sun moves around Earth to make day and night.
Ask them to slowly spin the globe while keeping the torch fixed, then point to the side facing the torch and label it ‘day.’ Have peers confirm by watching which side gets light as the globe turns.
During Playdough Planets, watch for students who roll equally sized balls for all planets or include the Sun as one of the planets.
Display a real image of the Sun and planets, then have students reshape their playdough, comparing each piece to the reference sizes. Ask them to set the Sun aside as much larger before sorting the rest.
During Spinner Earth, watch for students who say seasons happen because Earth gets closer to the Sun in summer.
Have them tilt the axis while spinning and notice how one hemisphere leans toward the light while the other leans away. Ask them to describe how the tilted side gets more direct sunlight, changing temperatures.
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