Day, Night and Seasons: a full term of science

Ten ready-to-teach lessons for Year 1 Earth and space sciences. Print this pack and the term is prepared: every lesson comes with a step-by-step plan, the questions to ask, student worksheets, cut-out cards, an assessment kit and every answer.

Start here: five minutes to Monday

1. Skim the term at a glance on the next page.
2. Print the lesson you need. Each lesson is three A4 sheets: plan, worksheet, cards or tickets.
3. Gather the few everyday items under “You need” on the plan. Nothing needs a science cupboard.
4. Open the free interactive unit on your board or projector. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
5. Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.

No science background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the science idea in plain words, lists the ideas young children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it even if science was never your subject.

Two ways to run each lesson

Every lesson works as one 45-minute block, or as two short sessions. The split point is marked in every plan. Ten lessons fill a weekly science slot for a whole term, or up to twenty shorter sessions if your timetable runs small blocks.

The term at a glance

One lesson a week for a term. Each lesson stands on the ones before it, so run them in order where you can.

How the sequence builds

Lessons 1 to 5 build the daily pattern: the sky changes through the day, the sun moves across the sky, day turns to night, shadows grow and shrink, and a whole day has an order that shapes what we do. Lessons 6 to 8 turn to the slower seasonal pattern: the four seasons, what we wear and do in each, and how plants and animals change with them. Lesson 9 records a week of real weather, and Lesson 10 is the making task and final check.

Curriculum links (Australian Curriculum V9)

The whole term teaches the Science Understanding descriptor AC9S1U02 quoted on the cover. The lessons also work these Science Inquiry and Human Endeavour descriptors:

Assessment in this pack

• Every plan ends with “Answers and look-fors”: what meeting the idea sounds like in a Year 1 voice.
• The assessment sheet near the front has a class observation checklist and a three-level rubric.
• Lesson 10 is the summative pair: a day-and-seasons poster plus the “Show what we know” check sheet.

Materials for the whole term

One gathering session covers all ten lessons. Everything on this page is an everyday item or something you can pick up outside; nothing needs a science cupboard.

The one-trip list

• From the classroom: scissors, glue, big paper, chalk, a torch, this pack printed.
• From home or the toy box: a ball, a small figure or toy, old catalogues and magazines to cut.
• From outside (gathered safely): a leafy twig or a few fallen leaves to look at.

Safety in one look

• Never look straight at the sun, and never point a torch at anyone’s eyes.
• Wear a hat and stay in the shade for any outdoor sun and shadow work.
• Check plant allergies before handling leaves or twigs.
• Wash hands after handling leaves or anything from outside.
• Look, do not taste. Nothing gathered outside goes near mouths.

Assessment without extra work

The term assesses itself. Every lesson plan ends with answers and look-fors, and Lesson 10 is the summative pair: the day-and-seasons poster plus the check sheet. This sheet is the place to jot down what you notice along the way.

The three levels

Class observation checklist

A tick a lesson is plenty; the Lesson 10 check sheet fills the gaps.

Word wall cards

Cut out the cards and build the wall as the words arrive. Lessons 1 to 5 add the day words; Lessons 6 to 9 add the season and weather words.

Dear families

This term in science, our class becomes a group of sky watchers. We notice how the sky and the weather change through a day and across the seasons, and how those changes shape what we wear and do.

Every lesson points to one big idea: the world around us changes in patterns. The sun rises and sets each day, day turns to night, and the four seasons come round each year. Your child will practise spotting these changes and saying how they affect everyday life.

Try this at home

• In the morning and again at tea time, look at where the sun sits and how long shadows are.
• Talk about what you do in the day and at night, and why.
• Notice the season: what is the weather like, and what do you wear to go out?
• Watch a tree or a garden over the weeks and see what changes.

What to ask your scientist

• Where is the sun in the morning? Where does it go by night?
• What are the four seasons? Which one are we in now?
• How does the season change what we wear or do?

A small safety note: we never look straight at the sun, we wear hats outside, and we look rather than taste anything from the garden.

Warm regards,

The Year 1 team

Printed from the free seegongsik Day, Night and Seasons teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/y1/earth-and-space/AC9S1U02/pack

The sky changes through the day

Children notice that the sky looks different in the morning, at midday and at night, and start to put those times in order. This lesson opens the term: before we track the sun or split day from night, the class needs to feel that a day is a change that happens in a pattern, every day.

We are learning to

• name times of the day: morning, midday, evening, night,
• say one way the sky changes from morning to night,
• put the parts of a day in order.

Success criteria

• I can name a time of day.
• I can say one way the sky changes through the day.

You need

• the sky-time cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the board unit open, ready to show a morning-to-night picture,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Sort the sky-time cards. Start Session B by naming the four times in order, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “The sun goes out at night.” The sun does not switch off; it is simply not in our sky, because it is daytime somewhere else. We meet this in Lesson 3.
• “We only see the moon at night.” Sometimes we can spot a pale moon in the daytime sky too.
• “It is night because clouds cover the sun.” Clouds make it grey, not night. Night is when the sun is not in our sky.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just into two piles, day and night, before naming the four times.
• Bigger: put the four time cards in order and say what changes from one to the next.

Answers and look-fors

• Morning: sun rising, first light, breakfast. Midday: sun high, short shadows, lunch. Evening: sun low, long shadows, dinner. Night: dark sky, stars, the moon, owls.
• Tricky: the orange sky is sunrise or sunset (getting lighter means morning, getting darker means evening); streetlights switching on tells us evening is turning to night.
• Look for a clue, not just a guess: “it is midday because the shadows are short” meets the goal.

The sky through the day

The sky changes from morning to night. Draw the sky at each time. Then finish the sentence.

What time of day?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into times of day: morning, midday, evening and night. Two cards are tricky on purpose.

Teacher note: the orange sky and the streetlights are the tricky pair. An orange sky can be sunrise or sunset; the streetlights coming on point to evening turning into night.

The sun moves across the sky

Children track the sun through a day: it rises low on one side, climbs high at midday, then sinks low on the other side. Last lesson the whole sky changed; this lesson we follow one thing, the sun, and trace the path it seems to take across our sky.

We are learning to

• show the sun’s path with a sweep of the arm,
• say where the sun is in the morning, at midday and in the evening,
• say that the sun looks like it moves across our sky.

Success criteria

• I can show the sun’s path with my arm.
• I can say where the sun is at midday.

You need

• a ball or a torch to be the sun,
• a small figure or a block to stand for the ground,
• the order cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Trace the path. Start Session B by sweeping the sun’s path again from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “The sun grows bigger at midday.” The sun does not change size; it just sits higher in the sky at midday, so it feels closer.
• “The sun goes out when it sets.” The sun does not switch off; it is simply daytime somewhere else on Earth.
• “The sun moves and we stay still.” This is what we see. Say it carefully: the sun looks like it moves across our sky.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: just point to a morning sun (low) and a midday sun (high).
• Bigger: say how the sun’s height changes shadows, a taste of Lesson 4.

Answers and look-fors

• The sun is low on one side at sunrise, high overhead at midday, and low on the other side at sunset.
• Order: sunrise low, climbing, high at midday, dropping, low again, sunset.
• Look for the path, not just a dot: “the sun climbs up then comes down again” meets the goal.

Where is the sun?

The sun is low in the morning and high at midday. Draw the sun over the same house each time. Then finish the sentence.

Order the sun’s day

Cut out the six cards. Put the day in order, from the sun rising to the sun going down.

Teacher note: the order is the sun rising, morning climbing, midday high, afternoon dropping, evening low again, and sunset. The sun makes a low-high-low path across the sky.

Day and night

Children learn why it is light in the day and dark at night, and match what we do to each. Now that we can follow the sun across the sky, we split the day in two: when the sun is in our sky it is day and light; when it is not, it is night and dark. It happens every day, a pattern we can count on.

We are learning to

• say that day is light because the sun is up and night is dark because the sun is down,
• name a thing we do by day and a thing we do by night,
• say that day and night make a pattern that repeats.

Success criteria

• I can say why it is dark at night.
• I can name a thing we do by day and by night.

You need

• the day / night cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Day or night? Start Session B by re-sorting two cards from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “The sun switches off at night.” The sun does not switch off; it is just not in our sky, because it is daytime somewhere else.
• “Clouds make it night.” Clouds make the day grey, not dark like night. Night is when the sun is not in our sky.
• “We only ever see the moon at night.” Sometimes a pale moon shows in the daytime sky too.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort into just two piles, day and night, with no talk about clues.
• Bigger: name one animal that is awake at night and say how you know.

Answers and look-fors

• Day: the sun is up, it is light, we play, learn and eat lunch.
• Night: the sun is down, it is dark, we see the moon and stars, we sleep, and owls and bats come out.
• Tricky: the bat comes out at night; the rooster crows in the early morning, as day begins.
• Look for a reason, not just a sort: “it is night because the sun is down” meets the goal.

Day and night

The sun is up in the day and down at night. Draw one thing you do at each time. Then finish the sentence.

Day or night?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into two piles: day and night. Watch out for the rooster and the bat.

Teacher note. Day: the sun is up, children play, we eat breakfast, the rooster crows, washing dries, bees buzz. Night: the dark starry sky, the moon, we sleep, the owl, the bat, the streetlights. The rooster crows as day begins and the bat comes out at night.

Shadows change

Children make a shadow and find out that it changes through the day. A shadow appears when something blocks the light. When the sun is low the shadow is long; when the sun is high the shadow is short. Because the sun’s height changes through the day, shadows change too.

We are learning to

• make a shadow by blocking the light,
• say that a low sun makes a long shadow and a high sun makes a short one,
• say that shadows move and change through the day.

Success criteria

• I can make a shadow.
• I can say when a shadow is longest.

You need

• a torch,
• a small toy or a block to cast the shadow,
• chalk to trace the shadow, and a sunny window or an outside spot,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Trace it. Start Session B by making a long and a short shadow again, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “A shadow is a dark copy that is alive.” A shadow is just where the light is blocked; it cannot eat, grow or move on its own.
• “A shadow is always the same size.” A shadow is long when the sun is low and short when the sun is high.
• “The shadow is on the same side as the sun.” The shadow is on the opposite side, away from the sun.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: just make a long shadow, then a short shadow, with the torch.
• Bigger: from a long shadow, say whether it is morning or evening.

Answers and look-fors

• A shadow is long when the sun is low, in the morning or the evening, and short when the sun is high at midday.
• A shadow falls on the side away from the sun.
• Look for the link to the sun: “the shadow is long because the sun is low” meets the goal.

Long and short shadows

A low sun makes a long shadow. A high sun makes a short shadow. Draw the toy and its shadow each time. Then finish the sentence.

Sun and shadow

Cut out the eight cards. Match each sun to the shadow it would make.

Teacher note. Pairs: low morning sun goes with a long shadow; high midday sun with a short shadow; low evening sun with a long shadow the other way; a cloudy day with no clear shadow.

A day from start to end

Children put the parts of a day in order and see how the daily change shapes what they do. The sun’s path gives the day its shape: we wake in the morning, eat lunch at midday, go home in the evening and sleep at night. This is how a daily change affects everyday life.

We are learning to

• put the parts of a day in order,
• say how the time of day changes what we do,
• say that the day has a shape that repeats.

Success criteria

• I can put a day in order.
• I can say how the time of day changes what we do.

You need

• the daily-routine cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Order my day. Start Session B by re-ordering three cards from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “A day has no order.” A day runs in the same order every time: we wake, the day passes, and we sleep at night.
• “We do the same things day and night.” The time of day changes what we do; we play and learn by day and sleep at night.
• “The day starts at any time.” For us, the day starts in the morning when we wake, as it gets light.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: order just three cards, such as wake up, eat lunch, go to sleep.
• Bigger: say what part of the day each meal belongs to.

Answers and look-fors

• A rough order: wake up, breakfast, school, lunch, home, dinner, bath, sleep.
• The time of day decides what we do: lunch at midday, sleep at night.
• Look for the reason, not just a line-up: “we sleep at night because it is dark and we are tired” meets the goal.

My day

A day has an order, from morning to night. Draw one thing you do at each time. Then finish the sentence.

Order my day

Cut out the eight cards. Put the day in order, from waking up to going to sleep.

Teacher note: the order is wake up, breakfast, school, lunch, home, dinner, bath, sleep. Some jobs, like a baker, swap day for night, working while most of us sleep.

The four seasons

Children name the four seasons and the change each one brings. Summer is hot and sunny; autumn cools and leaves fall; winter is cold and often wet; spring warms up and plants grow. After the daily pattern of the sun, this is the slower pattern of the year, and it comes round again and again.

We are learning to

• name the four seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring,
• say one change each season brings,
• say that the seasons come round in a pattern.

Success criteria

• I can name the four seasons.
• I can say one change each brings.

You need

• the season cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the board season wheel, ready to turn,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Which season? Start Session B by naming the four seasons in order, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “There are only two seasons, hot and cold.” There are four: summer, autumn, winter and spring, each with its own change.
• “Winter is always snowy.” In much of Australia winter is cold and wet, with rain more often than snow.
• “The seasons come in a random order.” They always follow the same order and come round each year.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: name just two seasons, such as summer and winter, and one change each.
• Bigger: given one season, say which season comes next.

Answers and look-fors

• Summer: hot, sunny, days at the beach. Autumn: cooler, leaves fall.
• Winter: cold, wet, bare trees. Spring: warmer, blossom, new growth.
• The four seasons repeat each year, always in the same order.
• Look for a change, not just a name: “in autumn the leaves fall” meets the goal.

The four seasons

Each season brings its own change. Draw one thing for each season. Then finish the sentence.

Which season?

Cut out the twelve cards. Sort them into the four seasons: summer, autumn, winter and spring.

Teacher note. Summer: a hot sunny day, swimming at the beach, long light evenings. Autumn: leaves turn brown and fall, cooler mornings, windy days. Winter: a cold wet day, bare trees, we rug up warm. Spring: blossom on the trees, new lambs and chicks, it warms up and plants grow.

What we wear and do

The season does not just change the weather; it changes us. This lesson makes that plain: when the season turns, we swap our clothes and change the things we do. Choosing a coat for winter or a hat for summer is how a seasonal change reaches into everyday life.

We are learning to

• see that the season changes what we wear and do,
• match clothes and activities to the right season,
• say why an outfit suits a season.

Success criteria

• I can pick clothes for a season.
• I can say why.

You need

• old catalogues to cut for clothes, and glue,
• the sorting cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Dress for the season. Start Session B by naming a hot-day and a cold-day outfit, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “We wear the same clothes all year.” We change our clothes as the season changes; a coat that is right in winter is too hot in summer.
• “A warm coat suits summer.” Summer is hot, so a heavy coat would make us too warm; light clothes and a hat suit summer.
• “You swim in winter.” Winter is cold, so we play warm games and often stay inside; swimming suits the hot summer.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: pick a hot-day outfit from the cards, no reason needed yet.
• Bigger: say why boots suit a wet day, not just that they do.

Answers and look-fors

• Summer: a hat, light clothes, swimming, sunscreen. Winter: a coat, a beanie, warm play inside.
• Wet weather: a raincoat, boots, an umbrella; these can turn up in any season.
• Look for a reason, not just a match: “a coat in winter because it is cold” meets the goal.

Dressed for the season

The season changes what we wear. Draw yourself dressed for each season. Then finish the sentence.

Dress for the season

Cut out the cards. Sort each one into summer or winter, and say why it fits.

Teacher note: a raincoat is not on the cards on purpose, because it suits any wet day in any season. Summer: a sun hat, a swimsuit, sunscreen, thongs, an icy pole, a fan. Winter: a warm coat, a beanie, gumboots, a scarf, hot soup, a jumper.

Nature in the seasons

The seasons change more than the weather; they change the living things around us. Trees drop their leaves in autumn and blossom in spring, more insects buzz about in summer, and some animals grow a thicker coat for winter. This lesson helps children read a tree as a clock for the year.

We are learning to

• see that plants and animals change with the seasons,
• describe how a tree looks in each season,
• order the tree through the year.

Success criteria

• I can say one way a tree changes in the seasons.

You need

• a leafy twig or a few leaves, checked for allergies first,
• pictures of a tree across the seasons, and the order cards (third sheet),
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after A tree through the year. Start Session B by naming a tree in each season, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “Trees look the same all year.” Many trees change a lot: full in summer, bare in winter, then blossom in spring.
• “Someone pulls the leaves off.” The tree drops its own leaves in autumn as it cools; no one takes them off.
• “Animals do not notice the seasons.” Many do: bugs are busy in summer, and some animals grow a thicker coat for the cold.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: say how a tree looks in summer and how it looks in winter.
• Bigger: say what a bird might do when the weather turns cold.

Answers and look-fors

• The tree through the year: full green in summer, leaves falling in autumn, bare in winter, blossom and new leaves in spring.
• Not every tree does this: many gum trees stay green all year round.
• Look for a change tied to a season: “bare in winter because it is cold” meets the goal.

A tree through the seasons

A tree changes with the seasons. Draw the tree at each time. Then finish the sentence.

A tree through the year

Cut out the cards. Put them in order through the year, and match each one to its season.

Teacher note: a natural order runs summer to spring: full green leaves; leaves turn gold and brown; leaves fall to the ground; bare branches; buds swell; blossom opens; fresh green leaves; a nest of chicks. Remember, many gum trees stay green all year.

Our weather week

Now the class becomes weather watchers. Each morning for a week we tick what the sky is doing, then at the end we read the pattern the ticks make. Recording the weather day after day is real science, and it links the daily change we know to the slower seasonal one.

We are learning to

• record the weather each day for a week,
• read the pattern our week makes,
• see that weather is part of daily and seasonal change.

Success criteria

• I can record today’s weather.
• I can read our week’s chart.

You need

• the class weather chart (third sheet), put up where all can reach it for a week,
• a window or a doorway for a quick look outside each morning,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

This lesson runs across a week. End the first session after Start our chart, tick a box each morning, and finish Draw and write once the week is done and the pattern can be read.

Watch for these ideas

• “Weather and season are the same thing.” Weather is what today is like; a season is a time of year with its own pattern of weather.
• “The weather never repeats.” It does come round in patterns; that is why we can chart it and read it.
• “You cannot record the weather.” We can, with a simple tick each morning, and the ticks tell a story by Friday.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: tick one day’s weather on the chart.
• Bigger: count how many sunny and how many rainy days the week held.

Answers and look-fors

• A tick each day in one of sun, cloud, rain or wind; the chart fills over the week.
• Most days match the season: lots of sun in summer, more grey and wet in winter.
• Look for reading, not just recording: “we had four sunny days, so it is warm” meets the goal.

Our weather week

Watch the weather this week. Draw today’s weather and the type that happened most. Then finish the sentence.

Our weather week

Put this chart up where everyone can reach it. Tick one box each morning for a week.

Tick one box each morning. At the end of the week, count the ticks in each column and read the pattern: which weather did we have most?

Show what we know

The last lesson brings the whole term together. Children make a poster that shows both patterns we have studied, a day and the four seasons, and then take a short check. Between the poster and the check you can see what each child has learned about how a day and the year change, and how those changes shape everyday life.

We are learning to

• bring it together: make a day-and-seasons poster,
• show how a day changes and how the seasons change,
• answer the final check.

Success criteria

• I can show how a day and the seasons change.
• I can answer the check.

You need

• old magazines or paper, and glue, or space to draw,
• the poster planner and the check sheet (the next two sheets), one each per child,
• the board unit, so you can run the self-check quiz as a class game if you like.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Plan the poster. Start Session B by recalling the two big ideas, then make the poster and take the check.

Watch for these ideas

• A poster that shows the day well but forgets the seasons, or the other way round; both halves need to be there.
• Naming the four seasons but showing no change in each; a season card needs its own weather or picture.
• Muddling weather and season; weather is today, a season is a longer time of the year.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: show just two seasons on the poster, such as summer and winter.
• Bigger: say how each season changes what we wear.

Answers and look-fors

• Check answers: 1 the sun is highest at midday; 2 at night we see the moon and stars; 3 a shadow is longest when the sun is low; 4 summer is usually the hottest season.
• Question 5: on a cold winter day we wear a warm coat and a hat (accept any warm winter clothing with a reason).
• Look across the poster and check together: a child who shows both patterns and gives one reason has met the term goal.

Plan my poster

One half of your poster shows a day. One half shows the four seasons.

My day: from morning to night

My four seasons

Show what we know

Circle or write your answer.

Answer key is on the Lesson 10 teacher plan.