The shape of the lesson
By the end of the lesson, learners can
- Turn the Earth: Spin the Earth and orbit it round the Sun, and watch day, night and the seasons appear.
- Three effects, two motions: Rotation gives day and night, the orbit gives the year, and the tilt gives the seasons.
- Rotation: once in about 24 hours, giving day and night.
- Orbit: once in about 365 days (a year); the Moon orbits the Earth in about a month.
- Seasons: caused by the tilt of the axis, not by distance from the Sun.
One picture every idea returns to
The Earth rotates on its tilted axis once every 24 hours, giving day and night, and orbits the Sun once a year. The tilt of the axis causes the seasons, as each hemisphere leans toward or away from the Sun.
Forty-five minutes, phase by phase
| Time | Phase | What happens in the room | Grouping |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 min | Hook: predict | Open with the question in the title, Spin and tilt.. Two motions shape our calendar. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 5 to 17 min | Teach and check: Turn the Earth | Spin the Earth and orbit it round the Sun, and watch day, night and the seasons appear. Project tab 2 of the lab (Earth, day and night, the Moon) and let a student drive it while the class predicts. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 17 to 30 min | Teach and check: Three effects, two motions | Rotation gives day and night, the orbit gives the year, and the tilt gives the seasons. | Frayer Model |
| 30 to 36 min | Check | The four Stage 1 questions from the student lesson, answered on mini whiteboards or by show of fingers. Re-teach the one most get wrong. | Individual, then whole class |
| 36 to 43 min | Plenary | The exam-style questions from Stage 2, one at a time: thirty seconds alone, then a random call. The feedback lines in the key give the examiner's wording. | Individual, random call |
| 43 to 45 min | Exit and homework | Set the worksheet below (6 questions, 13 marks). Learners self-assess against the objectives before they leave. | Individual |
Protect the parts that carry the learning
The sequence carries about fifty minutes of material, so the lab is driven by one student while the class predicts rather than explored freely. Times are a guide.
Protected: the check at 30 minutes. It is the only individual read on whether the key idea landed, and it is not cut.
Cut first if the build overruns: the last check in Three effects, two motions, never the check or the plenary.
In a 60 minute block: run worksheet questions 1 to 3 in class as a Rally Coach set and model both the hardest worked example and its check live.
Frayer Model
Pairs fill a four-box grid for the key term: definition, characteristics, examples and non-examples. The non-examples box is where the misconceptions surface, so give it the most time.
The full structure, with its variations and the other twelve, is on the cooperative-learning page.
What to head off, and how
| Trap learners fall into | Teaching move that pre-empts it |
|---|---|
| The seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis, not by the Earth being nearer to or further from the Sun. | Day and night come from the Earth’s rotation, not from its orbit. |
The Earth, day, night and seasons: worksheet
6 questions, 13 marks. Written in the style of the papers; no past paper question is reproduced.
Explain what causes day and night on the Earth.
State how long the Earth takes to orbit the Sun, and how long the Moon takes to orbit the Earth.
The Sun appears to move across the sky during the day. Explain why, and state the direction it appears to move.
Explain why the northern hemisphere has summer in June. Refer to the tilt of the Earth's axis.
A student says the seasons happen because the Earth is closer to the Sun in summer. Use the two hemispheres to explain why this cannot be the reason.
It is midday for a person standing on the Earth. Describe where they are in relation to the Sun, and state what they will see about 12 hours later.
Answer key and marking notes
- The Earth spins on its axis once in about 24 hours. ✓
- The half facing the Sun has day; the half facing away has night. ✓
- The Earth orbits the Sun in about 365 days (one year). ✓
- The Moon orbits the Earth in about one month. ✓
- The Earth is rotating, which makes the Sun appear to move (the Sun itself is not going round us). ✓
- It appears to rise in the east and set in the west. ✓
- In June the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. ✓
- It receives more direct sunlight. ✓
- The days are longer, so it is warmer: summer. ✓
- When the north has summer, the south has winter at the same time. ✓
- Both hemispheres are the same distance from the Sun, so distance cannot be the cause; the tilt is. ✓
- At midday they are on the side of the Earth facing the Sun. ✓
- About 12 hours later the Earth has turned halfway, so they face away from the Sun: it is night (midnight). ✓
3 multiple-choice questions on this lesson
From the topic question bank. Assign them in the app for a marked score in your gradebook, or run the topic as a class game.
What causes day and night on the Earth?
- Athe Earth rotating once on its axis each day
- Bthe Sun orbiting the Earth once a day
- Cthe Earth orbiting the Sun once a day
- Dthe Moon passing in front of the Sun
The Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west. Why?
- AThe Earth spins from west to east, so the Sun appears to move the opposite way.
- BThe Sun really travels around the Earth from east to west each day.
- CThe Earth orbits the Sun once each day.
- DThe Earth wobbles back and forth on its axis.
What is the main cause of the seasons on Earth?
- Athe tilt of the Earth's axis as it orbits the Sun
- Bthe changing distance between the Earth and the Sun
- Cthe Sun giving out more heat in summer
- Dthe phases of the Moon
Quiz key
The Earth spins on its axis about once every 24 hours; the half facing the Sun has day and the half facing away has night. The Sun does not orbit the Earth, and one orbit of the Sun takes a year, not a day.
Because the Earth rotates from west to east, the Sun appears to move across the sky in the opposite direction, rising in the east and setting in the west. The Sun is not actually orbiting the Earth.
The Earth's axis is tilted, so as it orbits the Sun each hemisphere is angled toward the Sun for part of the year (summer) and away for another part (winter). The small change in Earth-Sun distance is not the cause.
What to project
The student lesson embeds these tabs. Open them full screen on the projector; every slider has a drag handle on the stage.
Slides for this lesson
A projectable deck for every pack is on the way. Until then, present the student lesson full screen: its sections, figure and lab tabs follow the same order as the plan above.