Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 7

The spinning Earth

I can describe the motions of Earth to explain day, night and a year, and describe the motion of the Moon to explain why it appears to change shape.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 7

The spinning Earth

I can describe the motions of Earth to explain day, night and a year, and describe the motion of the Moon to explain why it appears to change shape.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Earth is a planet. It is a sphere that spins once every 24 hours.
  2. Earth's spin explains day and night.
  3. Earth orbits the Sun, with each orbit taking 365.25 days (1 year).
  4. Earth orbits the Sun in a circle so stays the same distance from the Sun all year.
  5. The Moon orbits the Earth about once per month (27.3 days), this explains why the Moon appears to change shape.

Common misconception

Pupils can find it challenging to see how the movements of Earth as seen from the perspective of space (looking back at Earth) give rise to the observations experienced from Earth's surface.

Model the motions of objects in space with pupils as part of the model (i.e. representing Earth, moving as Earth moves) and with pupils observing the model. This enables them to experience how the same motion appears from both perspectives.

Keywords

  • Sphere - A sphere is the shape of a ball.

  • Spin - Spinning objects are rotating.

  • Day - One day is the time taken for Earth to complete one spin (24 hours).

  • Orbit - An orbit is the movement of one object in a loop around another object.

  • Year - One year is the time taken for Earth to orbit the Sun (365.25 days).

A lamp/torch and a globe or sphere can be used in many ways to model the Sun's light on the spinning Earth or the Moon. Seasonal constellations can be put in 4 corners of the room with a lamp (the Sun) in the middle, a pupil could model the motion of Earth around the Sun whilst also slowly rotating.
Teacher tip

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).

Video

Skip video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the best description of the shape of Earth?
flat, like a pancake
Correct answer: nearly spherical, like a slightly flat football
an oval - narrow at the sides and big in the middle, like a rugby ball
narrow at one end and wide at the other, like an egg
Q2.
Starting with the smallest, put these objects in order of increasing size.
1 - Earth's Moon
2 - Earth
3 - Jupiter
4 - the Sun
Q3.
How long does it take for Earth to spin once on its axis?
24 minutes
Correct answer: 24 hours
24 days
28 days
Q4.
Which statement correctly explains why we have day and night.
The Sun goes round Earth once every day.
The Moon goes round Earth once every day.
During the day we face the Sun and during the night we face the Moon.
Correct answer: During the day we face the Sun and during the night we face away from the Sun.
Q5.
Which is the correct statement about Earth, the Moon, the Sun and the stars?
Correct answer: they are all round like footballs
Earth and the Sun are round but the Moon and the stars are pointed
Earth, the Sun and the stars are round but the Moon changes its shape
Q6.
Which is the correct explanation for why stars seem to move across the sky?
stars orbit Earth
Correct answer: Earth is spinning
they are satellites
the Sun's gravity pulls the stars around Earth

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which is the best description for the shape of Earth?
a flat disc
Correct answer: a sphere
a flat rectangle like a football pitch
Q2.
What is the name of the imaginary line about which Earth spins?
An image in a quiz
meridian
pole
equator
Correct answer: axis
Q3.
In which direction does Earth spin?
Correct answer: from east to west
from west to east
from north to south
from south to north
Q4.
In winter in the UK, (northern hemisphere) the constellation Orion is visible in the night sky. Which two statements correctly explain why?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: Earth is between the Sun and Orion
the Sun is between Earth and Orion
Orion is between Earth and the Sun
Earth faces away from Orion at night time
Correct answer: Earth faces towards Orion at night time
Q5.
Put these seasons in the correct order, starting with summer.
1 - summer
2 - autumn
3 - winter
4 - spring
Q6.
How long does it take for the Moon to orbit Earth?
An image in a quiz
about 7 days
Correct answer: about 28 days
about 31 days
about 365 days