The Earth, moon and sun teaching unit

The Earth, Moon and Sun
Lesson plans for Year 3
By Joanne Villis and
Madeleine Hunter
We acknowledge that some of the teaching ideas in these lessons are the original
work of Primary Connections. We have acknowledged Primary Connections’ ideas
on the appropriate slides. Primary Connection resources can be purchased from
https://primaryconnections.org.au/shop/2PC301-BK . They can also be accessed
by Australian teachers for free via Scootle.

Australian Curriculum
Earth and Space Science
Earth’s rotation on its axis causes regular changes, including
night and day (ACSSU048)
Science Inquiry Skills
With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can
be investigated scientifically and predict what might happen
based on prior knowledge (ACSIS053)
Suggest ways to plan and conduct investigations to find
answers to questions (ACSIS054)
Safely use appropriate materials, tools or equipment to make
and record observations, using formal measurements and
digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS055)
Compare results with predictions, suggesting possible reasons
for findings (ACSIS215)
Reflect on the investigation, including whether a test was fair
or not (ACSIS058)

Lesson 1
What do we think we know?
Ask student to think about what they know about
the Earth, the moon and the sun. Invite students to
answer the questions below in their Science books.
What do I know about the Earth?
What do I know about the Sun?
What do I know about the Moon?
What do I want to know about the Earth, Sun or
Moon?

Lesson 1 continued…
Download the Blue Beauty.ppt. Show the Power Point in slide show view
from the beginning. There is audio associated with the presentation. The
original creator of the Power Point is unknown as I have had it for 7 years.
After viewing the Power Point invite students to add additional information to
what they know about the Earth, moon and sun in their Science books. Then
ask students to draw a diagram of how big they think the Earth, moon and
sun are in comparison with each other. Encourage students to label their
diagrams. Ask leading questions such as:
What shape are they?
What size are they?
Students then write a comment next to each about how they think they
move. Ask leading questions such as:
Does the Earth move?
Does the moon move?
Does the sun move?

Lesson 2 & 3
Relative sizes of the Earth, Moon and Sun (Primary
Connections Idea)
Show students an exercise ball which has a diameter of 1m.
This will represent the sun. Show students a pea which has a
diameter of 9mm (approximately) which will represent the
Earth and a dot on the whiteboard (2 ½ mm) which will
represent the moon. For teacher reference, the sun is
approximately 109 times bigger than the Earth.
Ask students to consider which object could be used to
represent the Earth, the moon and the sun. Students record
their thoughts in their science journal and write an
explanation for their reasoning.

Lesson 2 & 3 continued…
Pose the following point to students: The Sun,
Earth and Moon are all spheres, but, did you
know that for a long time, the Earth was thought
to be flat? Ask students to consider why they
think people thought this? Invite students to
record their thoughts in their Science books.

Why do the moon and sun look like the same size from Earth?
(Primary Connections idea)
Conduct the Primary Connections experiment on page 15 about
the relative sizes of the Earth, moon and sun. This experiment
involves an exercise ball (sun), tennis ball (earth) and a marble
(moon). One student is the sun, they stand with their back
against a wall. One student is the Earth, they hold a tennis ball
and then walk backwards with one eye closed until the ‘Earth’
appears the same size. One student is the moon, they hold a
marble and walk backwards from the Earth until the moon
appears the same size.

The fourth student is the
measurer. They record the
distance between the Sun and the
Earth and the Earth and the moon.
Students take it in turn to swap
roles. We found that many
students struggled viewing relative
sizes so we used an iPad to take
photos. This helped students
visualize the relative sizes of each
object.

Then ask students to
compare the distance
between the sun and earth
then earth and moon (ie
earth is a long way away from
sun and moon is closer to
earth).

Lesson 4
Shadow tag game (Primary Connections Idea)
Before you begin, discuss the following in small groups or
learning teams:
1) What is a shadow?
2) What is needed to make a shadow?
3) How do shadows change?
4) Play a game of 'shadow tag'. You will need a partner.
One partner is 'it' and tries to tag their partner's shadow.
Then the other partner becomes 'it' after being tagged.
5) Does your shadow move in the same direction as you?
6) How can you make your shadow smaller?
7) What is the biggest shadow you can make?
8) Reflect in your Science books.

Invite students to explore how their
shadow changes using chalk and the
pavement. Ask students to trace
around their feet and then a partner
traces around their shadow. Allow
time to lapse, ask students to stand
in their original position and then
trace their shadow again. What do
they notice? This activity is a great
lead into students making their own
sundial.
Source:
http://www.pleasantestthing.com/2014/04/shadow-
science.html

Shadow Sticks:
Use plasticine and a tooth pick to create a line shadow. Then use
an iPad or digital camera to capture photos of the shadows at
various times. Ask students to record the changes in the shadow.
Two good apps to support this task is I Motion
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/imotion-
hd/id421365625?mt=8 or Stop Motion
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stop-motion-
studio/id441651297?mt=8 .

Lesson 5
Make your own sundials. A PDF
can be downloaded from:
http://d366w3m5tf0813.cloudf
ront.net/wp-
content/uploads/sundial_s.pdf
. Before asking students to
make a sundial you need to
check your location’s latitude
line. Information can be found
online. Adelaide’s latitude is
34 °.

Lesson 5
Additional shadow
lesson ideas:
1. Taggalaxy (approximately 30
minutes)
Conduct a 'shadow' search on tag
galaxy http://taggalaxy.de/ and
discuss the images. What do you
notice about the shadows? Where do
you think the sun is located in relation
to the shadow? This is a great activity
to incorporate visual literacy.

Read the Australian Legendary Tale called ‘How the sun was
made’.
For a long time there was no sun, only a moon and stars. That
was before there were men on the earth, only birds and beasts,
all of which were many sizes larger than they are now. One day
Dinewan the Emu and Brolga the Native Companion were on a
large plain near the Murrumbidgee. There they were, quarrelling
and fighting….
Continue reading the tale at
http://www.artistwd.com/joyzine/australia/dreaming/sun.php#.
U-A_iFuKCcx

Additional shadow lesson ideas:
2. Make shadow puppets during art and create shadow plays during drama.
3. Make a character using alfoil, create and record their shadow. Original idea
source: http://doodles-and-noodles.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/figurative-
sculpture.html

Lesson 6
Day and Night experiment (modified version of Primary
Connections Idea)
Put students in small groups. Each group will need a torch
and a globe. In a darkened room, one member of the
group will be the sun (holding the torch), one member
the earth and the other members observe. Ask students
to point the torch at the equator (this needs to be
modelled). Ask students to think about which countries
would be in day light and which countries would be in the
dark. An extension of this activity is to use coloured dots
to represent certain countries and as a group discuss
which countries would be in daylight and which countries
would not be.

Ask students to focus on
the following questions:
1. What do you think
causes day and night?
2. Draw and label a
diagram to explain your
thoughts?
Extension: Use a video
camera or iPad to record
each group’s
demonstration.

Lesson 7 & 8
Earth, moon and sun experiment (Primary
Connections Idea)
Place students in small groups. One person will be
the sun, one person will be the Earth, one person will
be the moon and the other person will be the
observer. Using their bodies, invite students to can
organise their group to show how the Earth rotates
(spins) and orbits around the sun at the same? What
is the difference between rotating (spinning) and
orbiting?
How can students show how the moon rotates (spins)
and orbits the Earth at the same time? Which one
rotates faster, the moon or the Earth?
Use a video camera to record students.

Make a model of the Earth, moon & sun rotation system (source:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Space-Model-of-Earth-
Moons-orbit-565681, free download or use the one which Madeleine made)
Students make a flat paper model of the earth, moon and sun where parts
can be moved. Using a blank template, students colour the sun in yellow,
Earth blue & green and the moon in grey (do not colour rectangles). Then
punch a hole in the middle of all 3 circles and at either end of the rectangles.
One rectangle is shorter than the other to show that one is closer to the earth
than the other – which one goes where? To attach them together use split
pins so they can be manipulated later in the unit.
Then in small groups, invite students to see if they can use their model to
describe the relationship between the Earth, moon and sun.

Lesson 7 & 8 continuted…
Watch the video ‘What makes day and night’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoG1pF_r5
zU and then invite students to reevaluate their
original thoughts. Can they now draw a diagram
showing the relationship between the Earth,
moon and sun?

Lesson 7 & 8 continuted…
Use a alfoil plate and
a marble to
demonstrate a
revolution. Original
idea:
http://jouneytojosie.
blogspot.com.au/201
2/01/spaced-out-
wrap-up.html

Lesson 9 & 10
Individually, students will answer the following questions in their books:
• What shape are the earth, moon and sun?
• Which is biggest, Sun, Earth or Moon?
• Is the Earth closest to the Sun or the Moon?
• What causes shadows?
• What time of the day are shadows the longest? During the morning and
the afternoon or in the middle of the day?
• What causes day and night?
• How long does the earth take to complete one rotation?
• How long does the Moon take to do complete revolution around the
Earth?
• How long does the Earth take to complete one revolution around the Sun?
• Does the Sun rotate?

Lesson 9 & 10
In pairs, using an iPad, students record themselves answering
the questions. We recommend a free app called Garage Band
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/garageband/id408709785?mt=
8 .
One student asks a question and their partner responds.
Students take it in turns to ask and respond to the questions. We
then uploaded the podcasts to our class Weebly (blog)
for students to listen to and share with their parents.

Lesson 11
Research basic facts about the Earth’s moon. We found that
students were interested in the following:
- The size of the moon
- The moon’s surface (craters)
- What would it be like living on the moon?
- Facts about the moon
We used a range of online resources, YouTube videos, books
from the library and apps.

We liked these videos:
The Moon (Bill Nye The Science Guy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2rDjMBsAFY
Science Channel (Moon)
http://www.sciencechannel.com/video-topics/space-videos/space-school-
moon.htm
NASA YouTube (evolution of the moon)
https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=UIKmSQqp8wY
Repeat similar tasks for meteorites.
What is the difference between asteroids and meteorites?
There needs to be a wealth of discussion about the surface of the moon,
meteorites and creators in order for students complete the next task. We
brainstormed key words/facts during this lesson on the whiteboard.

Science Investigation
Aim: With guidance students identify possible questions to
investigate. Then they plan, conduct and evaluate their
investigation.
We showed students how we can make a pretend moon surface
using flour and cocoa. Then we showed students a range of
materials including tape, alfoil, oven baking paper, gladwrap,
patty pans, pop sticks, flour, cocoa, rubber bands, straws, freeze
tape, scales, rulers, magnifying glasses and stop watches. We
allowed students to handle unfamiliar objects such as scales,
weights, magnifying glasses and stop watches.

Students were asked to come up with a question to investigate. We gave
them a clue, something to do with the surface of the moon? They were
given examples of how to start a question. Examples included; (1) How
might… (2) What could you do to ….. (3) What would happen if…(4) How
does….
Students wrote their questions on a sticky note and we attached them to
the board. They were then asked to write their aim, a list of materials, their
method, a diagram, a table (if needed) and a prediction.

Lesson 13
After viewing students’ work Madeleine and I thought that
several students needed extra guidance in terms of their
investigative question and how they were going to
determine if their test was fair or not. To assist students,
present two different experiment scenarios to student (one
which is obviously a fair test and one which is not).
Encourage students to focus on the number of variables.
Ultimately we are aiming to test one variable in each
investigation. Allow students time to revaluate and edit their
original investigation.

Lesson 14
Allow students to conduct their investigations. It is
essential that all materials are set up prior to this lesson
and students have their books to record their results in.
We had access to a few iPad and some students chose
to record their results using the camera function or an
app called Explain Everything. Explain Everything costs
AU$2.99.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/explain-
everything/id431493086?mt=8

Lesson 14 ASSESSMENT
We created a rubric for teachers to use to assess
students’ investigations.

Lesson 15 & 16
We created a set of questions for students in order to support their
evaluation of their investigation. We used Bloom’s Taxonomy to guide
our questions.

Credits
This is unit is the combined work of Joanne Villis and student
teacher, Madeleine Hunter. We have acknowledged that
some of the teaching ideas in this unit are the original work of
Primary Connections. We have acknowledged Primary
Connections’ ideas on the appropriate slides. If schools would
like to contact Madeleine Hunter for various opportunities
they can do so via jvillis@inter-tech.com.au .
COPYRIGHT:
We give permission for the following:
Adaptations and sharing of this resources for educational
purpose only. We do not give permission for commercial use
of this work. When sharing or adapting this work I ask that
you give credit to the original creator, Joanne Villis at
http://intertecheducation.edublogs.org/ and Madeleine
Hunter. Thank you to
http://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/ for sharing
this resource.
ENJOY!

The Earth, moon and sun teaching unit

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