A spinning Earth, sunrise times and shadows
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Draw Earth with its axis and show with arrows the rotation. Write what causes day and night.
A circle with an axis line and a curved arrow; day and night happen because Earth rotates so places face the Sun and then face away.
2
Earth turns 360° in 24 hours. How many degrees does it turn in 8 hours?
8 × 15 = 120°.
3
The Sun rises at 5:50 in one town and at 6:30 in a town farther west. Which town is farther east and by how many minutes do the sunrises differ?
The town with 5:50 is farther east. 6:30 − 5:50 = 40 minutes.
4
Do the shadow card on a sunny day, then graph your results. Say when your shadow was shortest.
The shortest shadow should be near midday.
5
Write a claim, evidence and reasoning to answer: why do the Sun and stars seem to move across the sky?
Claim: they seem to move because Earth rotates. Evidence: the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west in a 24-hour pattern. Reasoning: we turn with Earth, so we see the sky pass by, as the scenery seems to pass a moving car.