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1st Grade Science (Next Generation Science Standards) • Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles

Where Does the Sun Go?

Let's watch how the sun seems to move across the sky from morning to night!

Explore the lesson 6 min read
A microscope with leaf and experiment flask for elementary science discovery
Inside this lesson 9 sections 4 questions 5 figures

Section 1

What's Happening? 🔍

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🔍 Anchoring Phenomenon

The sun seems to move across the sky every day. Where does it go?

MorningNoonEvening→→
The sun appears low in the morning, high at noon, and low again in the evening.
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💭 Thinking Questions
  • Where do you see the sun when you wake up in the morning?
  • Does the sun always go the same way across the sky?

Section 2

What Scientists Know ☀️

Every day, the sun seems to travel across the sky. It follows a path. That means it goes the same way again and again. Let's learn about this path!

1

The Sun Rises

Each morning, the sun comes up on one side of the sky. We call this sunrise. That means the sun appears and the sky gets bright.
2

The Sun Sets

Each evening, the sun goes down on the other side of the sky. We call this sunset. That means the sun disappears and it gets dark.

Section 3

Let's Try It! 🔬

You can be a scientist! Scientists observe things. That means they look carefully. They also make records. That means they draw or write down what they see. Let's observe the sun!

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🔬 Let's Try This!

Sun Watching Activity

Pick a sunny day. Look at the sky (but never look right at the sun — it can hurt your eyes!). Notice where the sun is.

Worked example

  1. 1

    Morning

    Go outside in the morning. Point to where the sun is. Draw a picture of the sky and where the sun is.
  2. 2

    Midday

    Go outside at lunchtime. Point to where the sun is now. Draw another picture.
  3. 3

    Afternoon

    Go outside later in the day. Point to the sun again. Draw one more picture.
  4. 4

    Compare

    Look at your three pictures. Did the sun move? Which way did it go?
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⚠️ Safety
📓 My Sun Journal☀️ MorningSun is low☀️ NoonSun is HIGH🌅 AfternoonSun is low again→→🔍 What I noticed:The sun moved across the sky from one side to the other!Scientists keep records like this to track patterns. 📝
A student's sun journal showing morning, noon, and afternoon observations.

Section 4

What We Found Out 🌤️

When you watched the sun, you probably noticed something important. The sun did not stay in one spot. It appeared to move across the sky!

In the morning, the sun was low on one side. At the middle of the day, it was high up. In the afternoon, it was low on the other side. Then came nighttime.

This happens every single day. The sun always goes the same way. It rises on the same side and sets on the same side. This is a pattern. That means it happens the same way again and again.

Time of DayWhere Is the Sun?How Bright?
☀️ MorningLow on one sideGetting brighter
🌞 Noon (Midday)High up in the skyVery bright
🌅 AfternoonLow on the other sideGetting less bright
🌙 NightWe cannot see itDark outside

Section 5

Do You See the Pattern? 🔄

Scientists love to find patterns. A pattern is when something happens the same way again and again. Can you spot the pattern with the sun?

The sun rises every morning. It goes across the sky. It sets every evening. Then it gets dark. The next day, it happens all over again! That is a pattern.

Patterns are everywhere! Let's look at some other patterns we know.

What HappensThe Pattern
☀️ The sun in the skyRises, goes up, goes down, sets — every day!
🌙 Day and nightLight, then dark, then light again — every day!
🌦️ The seasonsWarm, cold, warm, cold — every year!

Section 6

People Use the Sun! 🌍

People have watched the sun for a very long time. They use the sun's pattern to help them!

1

Telling Time

Long ago, people used the sun to know what time it was. When the sun was high, it was the middle of the day. A sundial uses shadows from the sun to tell time!
2

Finding Your Way

The sun always rises on the same side. People use this to know which way is which. It helps them find their way if they are lost!
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🛠️ Design Challenge

Make a Shadow Stick!

Can you design a way to track the sun? Try this: Stick a pencil in a ball of clay outside on a sunny day. Check the shadow in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon. The shadow moves because the sun moves! Draw the shadow each time.

Section 7

Key Vocabulary 📖

WordDefinition
SunriseWhen the sun comes up in the morning and the sky gets bright.
SunsetWhen the sun goes down in the evening and it starts to get dark.
PatternWhen something happens the same way again and again.
ObserveTo look at something very carefully.
RecordTo draw or write down what you see so you can remember it.

Key Vocabulary

Section 8

Show What You Know! ✏️

Question 1: Warm-Up

A class drew pictures of where the sun was at breakfast time, lunch time, and dinner time. At lunch time, where was the sun in their pictures?
  • A. Low near the ground on one side of the sky
  • B. High up in the sky
  • C. Below the ground where you cannot see it
Show answer
The correct answer is B. Around lunch time, the sun appears high up in the sky because it is the middle of the day. Choice A is wrong because the sun is low on one side of the sky in the early morning, not at midday. Choice C is wrong because at lunch time the sun is still visible in the sky — it does not go below the ground until nighttime.

Question 2: On Track

Mia looked out her window early in the morning and saw the sun low in the sky. She looked again after school and the sun was low on the OTHER side of the sky. What does this tell us about how the sun appears to move?
  • A. The sun appears to move across the sky from one side to the other during the day.
  • B. The sun stays in the same spot all day long.
  • C. The sun bounces up and down in the sky during the day.
Show answer
The correct answer is A. Mia's observations show that the sun appears to travel across the sky from one side to the other during the day. Choice B is wrong because Mia clearly saw the sun in two different positions, so it did not stay in the same spot. Choice C is wrong because the sun does not bounce up and down — it follows a steady path across the sky.

Question 3: On Track

Leo's teacher asked him to record where the sun is three times during one school day. Which set of tools or actions would BEST help Leo keep a record of the sun's position?
  • A. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the air
  • B. Draw a picture of where the sun is in the sky each time he observes it
  • C. Count the number of clouds he sees each time
Show answer
The correct answer is B. Drawing a picture of the sun's position at different times is a great way to record and compare where the sun appears in the sky. Choice A is wrong because a thermometer measures temperature, not the sun's position. Choice C is wrong because counting clouds does not tell us anything about where the sun is located in the sky.

Question 4: Challenge

A group of students recorded the sun's position every day for a whole week. They noticed the sun followed a similar path across the sky each day. What pattern did they find?
  • A. The sun appears in a completely different part of the sky every day with no pattern.
  • B. The sun only appears in the sky on some days but not others.
  • C. Each day the sun appears to rise on one side, move high in the sky, and set on the other side in a repeating pattern.
Show answer
The correct answer is C. The students' records show that the sun follows a repeating daily pattern — it appears to rise on one side of the sky, move high overhead, and then set on the other side. This happens every day! Choice A is wrong because the students noticed the sun followed a SIMILAR path each day, which means there IS a pattern. Choice B is wrong because the sun appears in the sky every day, not just on some days.

Section 9

What's Next? 🔮

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🔮 What's Next?

Varsity Tutors • 1st Grade Science (NGSS) • Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles — Where Does the Sun Go?