Students learn about the moon's surface, its rotation and revolution around Earth, the tides it produces on Earth, and its phases. Students learn what causes day and night. Students find out how sunlight heats Earth. Students learn how Earth moves around the sun.
Students discover what causes seasons.
By the end of fourth grade, students will develop an understanding of the changes in the earth and sky. Students use the ball, lamp, and themselves to make a model of how the moon revolves around Earth. The model shows how shadows caused by the sun seem to change the shape of the moon. Actually, the amount of the moon visible from Earth is changed. Students will complete Lab Manual pages 61-62 as they do the activity.