Students learn why shadows change length and direction during the day as the Earth spins and the Sun seems to move across the sky, read data from a shadow stick, and explain how a sundial tells the time.
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Curriculum: Australian Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.
Completed: Shadows Over a Day: Shadow Sticks and Sundials
Year 3 students (typically ages 8–9) working on the solar system & space. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.
Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.
About 30 minutes for 16 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.
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Try The Earth, Sun and Moon: How They Move.
Success TutoringWorksheetsYear 3 · Science · The Solar System & SpaceName
Date
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Remember: shadows point away from the Sun, and the Earth's spin makes the Sun seem to move.
Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.
A shadow forms when an object blocks sunlight. The shadow always falls on the side of the object away from the Sun.
The Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours. As it spins, the Sun seems to rise in the east, travel across the sky and set in the west. The Sun is not really moving across our sky — we are turning.
When the Sun is low in the sky, in the early morning and late afternoon, shadows are long. When the Sun is high, around the middle of the day, shadows are short.
Because shadows change in a regular way, people long ago used them to tell the time with a sundial.
Write True or False.
Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.
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Worksheet · Year 5 · The Solar System & Space · Level 2 · Standard
Worksheet · Year 5 · The Solar System & Space · Level 2 · Standard
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