Earth and Space: Does the Sun Really Move? — Year 5 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: Science — Earth and space, Year 5: use the idea of the Earth's rotation to explain the apparent movement of the sun across the sky; notes and guidance on how the geocentric model gave way to the heliocentric model (Ptolemy, Alhazen, Copernicus)
Overview
The last of four Earth and Space lessons. Pupils use their shadow stick results and the Earth's rotation to explain why the Sun appears to move across the sky. They then find out how ideas about the solar system changed: from Ptolemy's Earth-centred (geocentric) model, through Alhazen's questions, to Copernicus's Sun-centred (heliocentric) model and Galileo's evidence.
Earth and Space: Does the Sun Really Move? learning objectives
- Use the idea of the Earth's rotation to explain the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky.
- Describe the geocentric and heliocentric models of the solar system.
- Explain how the work of Ptolemy, Alhazen and Copernicus changed ideas about the solar system.
- Explain why scientific ideas change when new evidence is found.
Success criteria
- I can explain why the Sun seems to move across the sky.
- I can describe the geocentric and heliocentric models.
- I can say what Ptolemy, Alhazen and Copernicus each contributed.
- I can explain why scientists changed their minds.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Look at the shadow stick results from lesson 2 (or photographs of a shadow stick at different times if the day was cloudy). Ask: how did the shadow change during the day? When was it shortest? Which way did it point? Establish that the shadow was long in the morning, shortest around midday, and long again in the afternoon, moving round as the day went on.
Explain that in the UK the Sun appears to rise in the east, climb highest around midday in the south, and set in the west. It is not really moving: the Earth's rotation carries us round, just as trees seem to slide past the window of a moving train. That is why the shadow moved. Then tell the story of how ideas changed. For most of history it seemed obvious that the Earth stood still. Ptolemy, working in Alexandria around AD 150, described a geocentric model with the Earth at the centre, and it was used for over 1,000 years. Around AD 1000, Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham), working in Cairo, wrote about problems with Ptolemy's model and argued that ideas must be tested against observations. In 1543, Copernicus published his heliocentric model, with the Sun at the centre. In 1610, Galileo used a telescope to see four moons orbiting Jupiter, evidence that not everything goes around the Earth.
In groups, pupils sort cards into a timeline and match each scientist to their idea and their evidence (Ptolemy, Alhazen, Copernicus, Galileo). Groups then hold a short debate: one side gives the evidence that made the geocentric model seem right (the Sun appears to move; we cannot feel the Earth moving), the other side gives the evidence for the heliocentric model.
Pupils answer the question 'Does the Sun really move across the sky?' in a short explanation that uses their shadow stick evidence, the Earth's rotation and the heliocentric model. Challenge: some people think Stonehenge may have been used as a calendar, because it lines up with the sunrise on the longest day and the sunset on the shortest day. Explain how the Sun's position could help people track the time of year.
Whole-unit quiz on mini whiteboards: What is at the centre of our solar system? What causes day and night? How long does the Moon take to orbit the Earth? Why does the Moon seem to shine? Who published a Sun-centred model in 1543? Pupils mark their own answers and note any to revise.
Video for this lesson
Does the Sun Really Move? | Year 5 Earth and Space, Lesson 4 | KS2 Science (No Narration)
The Sun's path across a UK sky with a shadow stick seen from above, then how ideas changed from Ptolemy's geocentric model, through Alhazen, to Copernicus and Galileo. The words are on screen, so you can pause and talk it through. Ends with a three-question quiz.
Watch on YouTube →Support and extension for earth and space: does the sun really move?
Support
- Give the timeline cards with dates already printed so pupils focus on matching each scientist to their idea.
- Provide two simple diagrams, Earth-centred and Sun-centred, for pupils to label rather than draw.
- Use sentence stems for the explanation: “The Sun seems to move because… The shadow changed because…”
Extension
- Make a simple shadow clock or sundial and mark it to show midday and the start and end of the school day.
- Explain why the geocentric model seemed sensible to people at the time, using what they could observe.
- Research how Galileo's observations of Jupiter's moons and the phases of Venus supported Copernicus.
Check for understanding
Quick questions for the plenary or an exit ticket. Tap a question to see the answer.
1. Why does the Sun appear to move across the sky?
Answer: Because the Earth rotates; the Sun stays still.
2. What is the difference between the geocentric and heliocentric models?
Answer: Geocentric puts the Earth at the centre; heliocentric puts the Sun at the centre.
3. Who published a Sun-centred model in 1543?
Answer: Copernicus.
4. What did Alhazen argue about Ptolemy's model?
Answer: That it had problems and that ideas should be tested against observations.
5. When is a shadow shortest during the day, and why?
Answer: Around midday, because the Sun is at its highest in the sky.
Resources you will need
- Shadow stick results from lesson 2, or photographs of a shadow stick at different times of day
- Timeline and scientist cards (Ptolemy, Alhazen, Copernicus, Galileo)
- Diagrams of the geocentric and heliocentric models
- A photograph of Stonehenge for the challenge
- Mini whiteboards for the whole-unit quiz
Common Misconceptions
- The Sun really moves across the sky. Its movement is apparent: the Earth's rotation makes it look as though the Sun moves.
- People in the past who believed in the geocentric model were foolish. The model fitted what they could observe; it changed when new evidence and better instruments became available.
- The Sun is directly overhead at midday in the UK. In the UK the Sun is never directly overhead; at midday it is at its highest point, in the south.
- Shadows are always the same length. A shadow is longest when the Sun is low in the sky and shortest around midday.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Use the Earth's rotation to explain day and night (lesson 2).
- Know that the Earth and planets orbit the Sun and that Jupiter has four large moons (lessons 1 and 3).
- Know that shadows change in size and position as the light source moves (Year 3 Light).
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