Lesson 2: Why we have day and night
Grades K–2 · about 15 minutes · NGSS 1-ESS1-1. By the end: I can explain that Earth spins, so the Sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west.
Learn
- Earth is a giant ball that spins around, like a top, once every day.
- When our side of Earth faces the Sun, it's day. When our side turns away, it's night.
- The Sun isn't really moving across the sky. We are turning! That's why it seems to rise in the east and set in the west.
Try it
Put a sticker on a ball (that's you) and hold it near a lamp (the Sun). Spin the ball slowly. When is the sticker in daytime? When is it night?
Quiz: five questions
Four right is a pass. Peabody reads every question; tap a box.
Tonight's task
With a grown-up, look where the Sun went down (never look at the Sun itself). After dark, look the other way, east, and see what comes up.
🌍 Night task: Why we have day and night
With a grown-up, look where the Sun went down (never look at the Sun itself). After dark, look the other way, east, and see what comes up.
A grown-up comes too. Never look at the Sun.
Date: ____________ Clear? ☐ yes ☐ some clouds ☐ cloudy
“Owls are supposed to be wise. Mostly we just stay up late and look at things.”