Day and Night
- Earth & Space
- Ages 6–8 · Grades 1–2
What you’ll find out
- The Sun seems to move across the sky from morning to evening.
- It is day on the side of the Earth facing the Sun.
- The Earth spins round once every day, which makes day and night.
No sign-up and no real names. In the lesson you check your understanding as you read, and practise until it sticks.
The Sun crosses the sky
In the morning the Sun is low in the sky. By lunch time it is high above you. In the evening it sinks low again, and then it sets. The sky turns dark, and night begins.
Why we have day and night
The Sun does not really travel across the sky. It is the Earth that spins, turning round once every day. When our side of the Earth faces the Sun, it is day. When it turns away, it is night.
Curriculum links: NGSS 1-ESS1-1 · England KS2: Earth and space · Cambridge Primary Stages 2–3: Earth and space