Lesson 6: Day and Night

 Lesson Plan

Tuning In

• Project a copy of the poem, One Rotation, on the board. Read the poem to the class. After reading, ask the students:
  • Which verses of the poem describe daytime?
  • Which verses of the poem describe nighttime?
  • Why do you think this poem is called One Rotation?

Teacher Instruction

• Watch the Day and Night Cycle video on YouTube. After watching, reiterate to the students that it is Earth’s rotation on its axis, once every 24 hours, that causes day and night.
• Choose a volunteer to play the role of Earth. Place a sticky note somewhere visible on the the front of the student which says, ‘We live here’. Shine a light source (such as a strong torch) onto the front of the student. Lead the students to the conclusion that, because the sticky note is facing the sun, the people living there are experiencing daytime.
• Ask the volunteer Earth to slowly rotate to the left. Encourage the students to focus on the sticky note while this is happening. Ask the student to stop moving when they are halfway through the rotation. Lead the students to the conclusion that, because the sticky note is facing away from the sun, the people living there are now experiencing nighttime.

Guided/Independent Learning

• As a class, complete the Earth Rotation: Night and Day quiz on the ABC Education website. Encourage the students to discuss each question in pairs or small groups before sharing their answers.
• Provide the students with a copy of the Night and Day Worksheet. Explain to the students that they must follow the instructions at the top of the page to create an annotated diagram which explains how day and night happen.
• Monitor and support the students as they indepedently complete the worksheet. This worksheet could be included in a portfolio of work samples and used to assess the students’ understanding of the unit objectives.

Wrapping Up

• Revisit the students’ sentences about how day and night happen (from the first lesson of the unit). Encourage the students to rewrite their sentence, or to make alterations to it, based on the knowledge they have gained during the unit.

 Differentiation

Extending Students

• Encourage fast finishers to write an accompanying paragraph for their diagram about how day and night happen.

Supporting Students

• Allow students who are finding the annotated diagram challenging to complete the worksheet in a small group with adult support.

 Assessment Strategies

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• used strategic whole class or individual questioning
• observed student participation during learning activities
• recorded student progress on a checklist
• annotated student work samples
• collected and reviewed student work samples
• facilitated whole class or peer feedback sessions
• encouraged student self-reflection
• administered formal assessment tasks.

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