1. Earth’s rotation
TEKS 5.8C

2. STUDENT OBJECTIVE
5.8C Earth and space. The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. The student is expected to demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours causing the day/night cycle and the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky 

3. How can you show Earth rotating?
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How can you show Earth rotating?
What is the significance the day and night cycle?
Does the Sun move across the sky?

4. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE EARTH’S ROTATION?
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE EARTH’S ROTATION?
What is the day and night cycle?
Does the Sun move or the Earth?

5. VOCABULARY

6. VOCABULARY (Will need to know in 6th grade)

7. Rotation What does Rotation mean?
Rotation occurs when something is spinning around an axis.
What are some examples of things that rotate?
Tops, Ballerinas, Figure skaters, cyclones, Tornadoes, a merry-go-round, Earth
How do we know that the Earth rotates?
Star trails- trails made with time exposure, circular paths that occur because the planet is moving and not stationary.
Winds curve because of the Earth’s rotation.
Ocean currents curve clockwise in the northern hemisphere, and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere.
The movement of a pendulum. It does not actually move, it is the Earth moving that causes the pendulum to appear to change the direction of its swing.

8. ROTATION
WHAT IS ROTATION?
WHAT IS AN AXIS?

9. THIS IS HOW THE EARTH ROTATES (Spins)
PRACTICE ROTATING
STAND UP
HOLD YOUR LEFT HAND UP (THUMB EXTENDED)
POINT TO THE LEFT
TURN, TURN, TURN
THIS IS HOW THE EARTH ROTATES (Spins)

10. Night and Day What causes night and day? The rotation of the Earth
The side of the Earth that is facing the sun has daylight, the side of the Earth away from the sun has night.
It takes 24 hours for the Earth to complete one rotation.
The Earth is tilted on it’s axis at a 23.5 degree angle.
The Earth’s tilt is always in the direction of the North Star.
What is another name for the North Star?
Polaris
This tilt is what causes our days to get longer in the summer and shorter in the winter.
Because of the Earth’s rotation the sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west.
***WRITE THIS RED SENTENCE IN YOUR JOURNAL****

11. PRACTICE – Experience Day and night Cycle
TAPE North America (front of a person), TAPE Asia (Back of same Person)
SLOWLY ROTATE (remember to use your left thumb as a guide)
SHINE the FLASHLIGHT on the person (start with North America)
ROTATE
Where is daylight at?
Where is night time at?
Does it stay the same?
THIS IS HOW THE EARTH EXPERIENCES DAY AND NIGHT

12. Web based interactive lesson
CLICK HERE FOR LESSON
Study Jams
As the Earth Turns
Sunset and Sunrise

13. GATHER YOUR MATERIALS (ONE BLUE TRAY)
Today’S EXPERIMENT
SAFETY GLASSES?
GATHER YOUR MATERIALS (ONE BLUE TRAY)
IN ADDITION: LABQUEST AND LIGHT PROBE
WHAT CAN YOU INFER YOUR EXPERIMENT WILL BE FROM THESE MATERIALS?

14. SCIENTIFIC METHOD
REMEMBER TO USE YOUR STEPS

15. HOW CAN I DEMONSTRATE THE EARTH ROTATES ON IT’S AXIS EVERY 24 HOURS?
PROBLEM
HOW CAN I DEMONSTRATE THE EARTH ROTATES ON IT’S AXIS EVERY 24 HOURS?

16. CREATE A HYPOTHESIS hypothesis
DISCUSS WITH YOUR GROUP WHAT EXPERIMENT COULD YOU PERFORM WITH THEM…..
CREATE A HYPOTHESIS

17. Did you write your start time in your journal?????
Time start and time end
Did you write your start time in your journal?????
Remember to record date, time and any other important data as your are conducting your experiment

18. Experimental procedure
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PERFORM YOUR EXPERIMENT?
**Hint: Ensure you use the labquest to record light samples from your flashlight and from “behind” the Earth
WRITE YOUR STEPS

19. Conduct, observe and record your experiment findings
CONDUCT THE EXPERIMENT
OBSERVE
RECORD YOUR OBSERVATIONS

20. WAS YOUR HYPOTHESIS CORRECT? WHY OR WHY NOT?
conclusions
WAS YOUR HYPOTHESIS CORRECT?
WHY OR WHY NOT?

21. QUICK CHECK: SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW!!