Day length in summer

I can observe what happens to day length in summer.

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Year 1

Day length in summer

I can observe what happens to day length in summer.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

The amount of light we see during the day changes throughout the year.
Day length is longer in the season of summer and this means that it is darker later.
Day length can be investigated using observation skills.
A clock can be used to help record what time it becomes dark each evening.
The longest day, when we have the most amount of daylight, in the UK is June 21st.

Common misconception

We have the same amount of daylight in every season.

Explanation of how day length changes throughout the year and is longer during summer. You may link back to a previous lesson: Day length in winter (in the Year 1 unit: Seasonal changes: autumn and winter).

Keywords

Season - Seasons are periods of similar weather. In the UK there are four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter).
Summer - Summer is the season after spring and before autumn.
Light - It is light during the daytime.
Day length - Day length is how long it is light for during a day. This happens between sunrise and sunset.
Time - Time tells you how long something takes to happen.

Remind pupils that even when it is dark outside, it can still be light inside and this light is not coming from the sun but instead from artificial lighting. Turn off lights in the classroom to demonstrate the impact of artificial lights.

Teacher tip

Equipment

Watch or clock.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).