Day and Night: Earth's Rotation — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 3rd Grade the solar system & space worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet3rd Grade · Science · The Solar System & SpaceDay and Night: Earth's Rotation — Answers
Part A: Why do we have day and night?
Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.
The Earth is shaped like a ball. It spins around an imaginary line through its middle called its axis. This spinning is called rotation.
The Earth spins around once in about 24 hours. The Sun only lights up the half of the Earth that is facing it. On that half it is day. On the half facing away from the Sun it is night.
As the Earth turns, places move from the dark side into the sunlight (morning) and later from the sunlight into the dark (evening).
The Sun seems to move across the sky, rising in the east and setting in the west. But the Sun is not moving around us — we are turning!
- AThe Sun goes around the Earth every day.
- BThe Earth spins on its axis.
- CClouds cover the Sun at night.
- DThe Sun switches off at night.
Answer: The Earth spins on its axis.
The Earth spins. The side facing the Sun has day; the side facing away has night.
- Aone hour
- Bone week
- Cone day
- Done year
Answer: one day
The Earth spins around once in about 24 hours — one day and one night.
- Ain the east
- Bin the west
- Cstraight overhead
- Din a different place each day of the week
Answer: in the east
Because the Earth spins towards the east, the Sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west.
- AIt is also daytime.
- BIt is night-time.
- CIt is always sunset.
- DThere is no Sun there.
Answer: It is night-time.
The far side of the Earth is facing away from the Sun, so it is night there.
Part B: Key words
Answer: rotation
Answer: day
Answer: west
- axis
- rotation
- sunrise
- sunset
- an imaginary line the Earth spins around
- when our place turns away from the Sun's light
- spinning around once
- when our place turns into the Sun's light
Answer: axis → an imaginary line the Earth spins around; rotation → spinning around once; sunrise → when our place turns into the Sun's light; sunset → when our place turns away from the Sun's light
Part C: Fact or mix-up?
Write True or False.
Answer: False
It only looks that way. The Earth spinning makes the Sun seem to move across our sky.
Answer: True
Only the half facing the Sun is lit up.
Answer: False
The Sun is always shining. At night, our side of the Earth is facing away from it.
Answer: True
As the Earth turns, the Sun's position in our sky changes, so shadows change length and direction.
Part D: Working scientifically: make a model
Answer the questions about your model.
With a grown-up, darken a room and turn on a lamp. Put a small sticker on a ball — the sticker is where you live.
Hold the ball in front of the lamp and slowly turn it around. Watch the sticker.
Answer: The lamp is the Sun. The ball is the Earth.
Answer: Day.
Model answer: As I turn the ball, the sticker moves into the light (day) and then out of the light into the dark (night). The real Earth spins in the same way, so places take turns facing the Sun. That is why we have day and night.
Success criteria:
- Says the Earth spins (rotates)
- Says the side facing the Sun has day and the other side has night
- Links the model to the real Earth
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: