Unit Plan 2 (Grade 6 Science): Earth–Sun–Moon Basics
Grade 6 unit using Earth–Sun–Moon models to explain rotation, day/night, Sun’s apparent motion, and shadow patterns as foundations for phases and seasons.
Focus: Use models of the Earth–Sun–Moon system to describe how Earth’s rotation and revolution create daily patterns of light and shadow (day/night, changing Sun position, shadow length), building foundations for understanding phases, eclipses, and seasons.
Grade Level: 6
Subject Area: Science (Earth & Space Science — Earth in Space • Scientific Modeling)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students build and use physical and diagram models of the Earth–Sun–Moon system to understand why we have day and night, why the Sun appears to move across the sky, and how shadows change during the day. They focus on Earth’s rotation and revolution and how these motions affect the patterns of light and darkness we experience. Students practice acting out, drawing, and explaining models while beginning to connect these ideas to the full MS-ESS1-1 standard they will revisit later for seasons, moon phases, and eclipses.
Essential Questions
- How does Earth’s rotation explain day and night and the apparent motion of the Sun across the sky?
- How does Earth’s revolution around the Sun relate to longer patterns like years and set the stage for seasons?
- How can models (physical, diagram, and motion-based) help us visualize and explain light and shadow patterns on Earth?
- What are the strengths and limitations of our Earth–Sun–Moon models?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Describe and model Earth’s rotation on its axis, explaining how it causes day and night for observers on Earth.
- Describe and model Earth’s revolution around the Sun and connect it to the length of a year and patterns that lead into seasons (preview).
- Use simple physical and diagram models to show how light from the Sun creates lighted and dark halves of Earth at any moment.
- Investigate and record shadow lengths and directions during the school day (or with a lamp model), describing patterns in the data.
- Explain the strengths and limitations of their Earth–Sun–Moon models, and identify questions that will lead into lunar phases, eclipses, and seasons later in the year.
Standards Alignment — 6th Grade (NGSS-based custom)
- MS-ESS1-1 — Develop and use a model of the Earth–Sun–Moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses, and seasons.
- In this unit (basics focus): students develop models emphasizing Earth’s rotation and revolution and use them to describe daily patterns of light and shadow (day/night, apparent Sun motion), as a foundation for more complex cycles.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can use words like rotation and axis to explain why Earth has day and night.
- I can show with a model how only half of Earth is lit at a time.
- I can describe revolution as Earth’s orbit around the Sun and connect it to the idea of a year.
- I can collect and graph shadow data and describe patterns (shadows changing length and direction).
- I can tell how our models are helpful and where they are not to scale or not exact.