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How fast does the Earth spin?
Spaceship Earth Unit | Lesson 1 of 5

How fast does the Earth spin?

Spaceship Earth Unit | Lesson 1 of 5
Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep

DISCUSS:

How do we know the Earth is moving, and not the Sun?

DISCUSS:

How fast is the Earth spinning? (How many miles or kilometers an hour?)

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planet


1 of 5

a large, round object in outer space that orbits a star
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axis


2 of 5

an imaginary line that goes through the North Pole and South Pole of the Earth

rotate


3 of 5

to spin or turn around a central point, like the Earth around its axis

model


4 of 5

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with

circumference


5 of 5

the distance around a circle

Featured Reviews

“AMAZING Really makes my job easy breaking it down :)”
“This is a great lesson with great discussion topics. Most 5th graders think they understand Earth's rotation and they really don't. This lesson helps them make the concept of rotation causing day and night meaningful.”
“My students enjoyed the ability to model how the earth moved, It made some of the ELL student compare and contrast their home location to other parts of the world”
“My students enjoyed getting to work with a partner to complete each challenge, and the learning stuck with them. It was a great lesson!”
“The students loved working together!”
Lesson narration:

Grade 5

Earth & Space Patterns

Day, Night, & Earth's Rotation

5-ESS1-2

Activity Prep

Print Prep
THIS LESSON WAS REVISED ON JULY 1, 2019. Here is a link to the previous version.
In this lesson, students come to understand that the setting Sun isn’t moving, the Earth is spinning. In the activity, Spinning Earth, students use their bodies as a kinesthetic model of the Earth to understand how the speed of the Earth’s spin affects the length of a day.
Preview activity

Exploration

15 mins

Wrap-Up

5 mins

Grade 5

Earth & Space Patterns

Day, Night, & Earth's Rotation

5-ESS1-2

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Astronomy Lesson 1: How fast does the Earth spin?

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