• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (The Sun, Moon and stars). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. In which direction does the Sun rise? (in the east / in the north / in the west / it does not rise) → in the eastPrompt: It sets in the opposite direction.
2. Sun, Moon and stars: which statement is true? (The Moon makes its own light. / You can only see the Moon at night. / The Sun goes round the Earth. / Stars are still in the sky during the day.) → Stars are still in the sky during the day.Prompt: Which objects make their own light?
3. Sun, Moon and stars: which statement is NOT true? (The Sun goes round the Earth. / The Moon reflects light from the Sun. / The Sun is a star. / The Sun appears to move across the sky during the day.) → The Sun goes round the Earth.Prompt: Does the Sun really move round us?

• Ask why we see the Moon change shape over a month.
• Share the objective: Day and night. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: When it is daytime in the UK, it is night-time in…
• Step 1: New Zealand is roughly on the opposite side of Earth, so it faces away from the Sun.
• Step 2: So the answer is: New Zealand
• Answer: New Zealand
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. What causes day and night? (the Sun moving around the Earth / the Earth spinning on its axis / clouds covering the sky / the Moon blocking the Sun) → the Earth spinning on its axisPrompt: Half the Earth faces the Sun at any time.
2. The Sun rises at 07:45 and sets at 19:30. How many hours of daylight are there? Give your answer in hours as a decimal (e.g. 12.5). → 11.75 hPrompt: Count the whole hours first, then the extra minutes.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Day and night: which statement is NOT true? (Shadows change length and direction during the day. / Day and night happen because the Earth orbits the Sun. / The Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west. / It is always daytime somewhere on Earth.) → Day and night happen because the Earth orbits the Sun.Prompt: Rotation and orbit are different movements.
2. The Sun rises at 07:30 and sets at 21:45. How many hours of daylight are there? Give your answer in hours as a decimal (e.g. 12.5). → 14.25 hPrompt: Count the whole hours first, then the extra minutes.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-4.