Lesson 1 of 84 · Space
Lesson⭐ 30 XP🚀 StarbaseDay and Night: Earth's Rotation
Day and Night: Earth's Rotation.
🎯 Your mission
Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.
⚡ The twist
Up there, the rules of down here stop working.
Mind = Blown
🪐 A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus.
Make a hypothesis first
Predict: what would happen on the moon vs. on Earth?
What You'll Learn
Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, causing day and night. The side facing the sun experiences day, while the opposite side experiences night.
Key Words
- orbit
- rotation
- revolution
Steps
Read about Space and write down three key facts.
Build a scale model of the inner solar system using different-sized balls. Research the relative sizes and distances of the planets.
Observe what happens and describe it in detail.
Record your observations in your science journal with measurements and descriptions.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3Why do we have day and night?
Where you see this in real life
Every sunrise and every shadow is this idea in action.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Look at the moon tonight. Notice its shape. Look again in 3 days.
For the dinner table
“If you could visit any planet, which would you pick and why?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Space for 8th Grade
Get the full Space track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.