Globe and Flashlight

Place a globe at the front of the classroom and dim the lights. Choose a student to shine a flashlight horizontally on the globe. Spin the glove counterclockwise, which is the direction the earth spins on its axis. Explain that the flashlight represents the sun. Ask students which countries are experiencing daytime and nighttime as the globe spins.

Sun and Moon Journal

Ask students keep a journal of the position of the sun and the moon throughout a 24-hour period. Write down times of the day along with observations. Students should observe and write down what they see as soon as they wake up. Take the students outside mid-morning to observe the sun's position. Take the students outside again at lunchtime and mid-afternoon to observe the sun. Ask students to record what they see outside just before they go to bed. This activity should follow a lecture on the earth's rotation.

Lamp Demonstration

Ask students to stand in a circle. Dim the lights in the classroom. Place a lamp, which represents the sun, in the middle of the circle. Tell students that they represent the earth and ask them to face the sun. When they are facing the sun, they are experiencing day. Ask students to rotate counterclockwise to demonstrate the earth's rotation. Students will experience night when they are facing away from the lamp. This exercise will demonstrate the earth's shadow creating nighttime.

Sundial

The earth's rotation causes day and night. Show how the sun changes position with a sundial, which is used to tell time. Find a sunny spot in the grass for the sundial. Insert a long stick into the ground. Place rocks around the stick to indicate different hours of the day. Go outside every hour to observe where the shadow from your stick has moved. The activity will show students how the earth rotates to produce day and night.