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. Darken the room as much as possible. Have students use the materials to discover how light shines on the smaller ball as it revolves around the larger ball.