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DISCUSS:
How do we know the Earth is moving, and not the Sun?
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DISCUSS:
How fast is the Earth spinning? (How many miles or kilometers an hour?)
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the Exploration and Activity you just completed.
- Lesson Assessment and Answer Key
- Activity: Earth in the Sun. On a sunny day, use a globe to show students exactly how sunlight illuminates the Earth.
- Activity: On the Move. Track the movement of sunlight on Earth with a small mirror.
- Activity: Sky Dome. Create a simple dome to model the Sun’s daily path.
Position a globe so that light from the Sun shines on it in just the same way that sunlight shines on the Earth. As the Earth spins, the boundaries between “day” and “night” will move steadily across both your globe and the Earth. Follow these instructions to position your globe.
Over the course of the day, compare the light on your globe to the light shown on this interactive map.
A more detailed version of this activity can be found at Earth Learning Ideas.
To track the movement of sunlight on Earth, you need a windowsill in the sun, a small mirror, and sticky notes. Place the mirror on the windowsill so that it reflects sunlight onto a wall. Write the time on a sticky note and place it in the spot of light.
Have students predict where the spot of light will be in 15 minutes and mark that spot with a sticky note. While you wait to see if the prediction is right, have students discuss why they chose the spot they did.
As the Earth turns, the angle of the sunlight on the mirror changes and the spot of light moves.
