• 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. Why can't we see stars in the daytime? (Stars only exist at night / The Sun's light is so bright it hides them / Clouds always cover them / The stars go away in the day) → The Sun's light is so bright it hides themPrompt: Stars are still there during the day.
2. Sun, Moon and stars: which statement is true? (The Moon reflects light from the Sun. / The Sun goes round the Earth. / The Moon makes its own light. / You can only see the Moon at night.) → The Moon reflects light from the Sun.Prompt: Which objects make their own light?
3. Sun, Moon and stars: which statement is NOT true? (The Moon reflects light from the Sun. / The Sun goes round the Earth. / The Sun appears to move across the sky during the day. / The Sun is a star.) → 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. When it is daytime in the UK, it is night-time in… (Ireland / New Zealand / Spain / France) → New ZealandPrompt: Which place is on the opposite side of the world?
2. The Sun rises at 08:00 and sets at 19:15. How many hours of daylight are there? Give your answer in hours as a decimal (e.g. 12.5). → 11.25 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? (It is always daytime somewhere on Earth. / The Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west. / The Sun travels around the Earth once a day. / Shadows change length and direction during the day.) → The Sun travels around the Earth once a day.Prompt: Rotation and orbit are different movements.
2. How long does the Earth take to spin once? (one year / one month / about 24 hours / one week) → about 24 hoursPrompt: It is one day and one night.

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