Learning objectives
Knowledge
- To explain the causes of day and night and the seasons.
Working scientifically
- To draw a diagram to explain day and night.
Success criteria
Knowledge
- I can describe how the Earth rotates on
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National curriculum
Science
Earth and space
Pupils
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Cross-curricular links
Geography
Locational knowledge
Pupils should be taught
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Before the lesson
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Lesson plan
Recap and recall
Arrange the class into pairs and hand out a whiteboard and pen to each pair. Ask them to draw a circle in the middle of their whiteboard and explain that this circle represents the Earth. Ask them to add the following labels: The equator. The North Pole. The South Pole. The Northern Hemisphere. The Southern…
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Adaptive teaching
Pupils needing extra support
Could use the Resource: Day and night diagram (support) to help them draw their diagram; could take the role of the Sun when modelling day and night and the seasons.
Pupils working at greater depth
Should use the modelling equipment (torch and polystyrene ball with a toothpick through the middle) to demonstrate and explain why the North and South Pole experience six months of daylight and six months of nighttime rather than a 24-hour cycle of day and night (provide them with a tablet to record their model demonstration and explanation); could choose an extension activity relating to the day and night or the seasons from the Resource: Stretch and challenge: Earth and space.
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Assessing progress and understanding
Pupils with secure understanding indicated by: describing how the Earth rotates on
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Knowledge outcomes
- I can describe how the Earth rotates on its axis, completing one rotation every 24 hours.
- I can describe the tilt of the Earth as 23.5 degrees.
- I can describe the orbit of the Earth in an anticlockwise direction around the Sun, taking 365.25 days.
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Vocabulary definitions
-
axis
The imaginary line that the Earth spins around, going from the North Pole to the South Pole.
-
day
A 24-hour period that includes one rotation of Earth on its axis, giving us day and night.
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Maintained by: Kapow Primary team
Last update: 6th December, 2024
