5th Grade Science: What Causes Day and Night

Why does the sun appear to move across the sky?

Because the Earth is rotating on its axis

Describe how you could make a model of the Earth revolving around the sun.

Hold a ball (Earth) and move in a circle around a lamp (sun).

How does the Earth move?

It rotates and revolves.

What effect does the Earth's rotation have on the planet's time of day?

One side of the Earth has daytime while the other side has nighttime.

If you spin a top that stays in one place, are you causing the top to rotate or revolve? Explain.

Rotate, because its spinning on its axis, not moving in a circular path.

What is one effect of Earth's axis being tilted?

Seasons and the length of days and nights are not always the same.

Describe how the Earth moves.

The Earth rotates on its axis and revolves or orbits around the sun.

Why does the length of day and night change throughout the year?

The Earth's axis is tilted.

Sydeny, Austraila, is south of the equator. In January, the South Pole is tilted toward the sun. In Sydney, are there more hours of daylight or darkness in January? Explain.

There are more hours of daylight, because the South Pole tilts toward the sun.

Describe planets' movement when they rotate.

They spin on an axis.