Grade 4 Science: The Earth, Sun, and Moon
Free Grade 4 Science unit on The Earth, Sun, and Moon: 10 lessons in order, starting with Earth as a planet. Includes practice questions and answer keys.
10 lessons in this unit
Earth as a planet
Learn that Earth is a rocky planet shaped like a ball, with land, oceans and an atmosphere, orbiting the Sun, and compare it with other planets.
Lesson 2The Sun
Learn that the Sun is a star at the centre of our solar system that gives light and heat, how big and far it is, and why we must never look directly at it.
Lesson 3The Moon
Learn that the Moon is Earth’s natural satellite that reflects sunlight, describe its surface and size, and compare it with Earth.
Lesson 4Earth’s rotation
Learn that Earth spins once every 24 hours on a tilted axis, causing day and night, and model rotation with a globe and torch.
Lesson 5Day and night
Learn the patterns of day and night: sunrise, noon, sunset, time zones, and how living things and people organise their lives around them.
Lesson 6Apparent movement of the Sun
Learn that the Sun seems to move across the sky each day because Earth rotates, track this movement, and explain the term apparent motion.
Lesson 7Shadows during the day
Learn how shadow length and direction change from morning to evening because of the Sun’s changing height, and use this idea to build and read a simple sundial.
Lesson 8Moon observations
Learn the Moon’s phases over about a month, name them in order, record observations in a moon diary and explain why the lit part seems to change shape.
Lesson 9Models of Earth and Moon
Learn why scientists use models, build a scale model of Earth and Moon to see their relative size and distance, and judge strengths and limits of models.
Lesson 10Earth–Sun–Moon relationships
Learn how the positions of the Earth, Sun and Moon explain day and night, the year, the Moon’s phases, tides and eclipses, and present an explanation with a model.