Where Does the Sun Go? | Varsity Tutors

Section 1

What's Happening? 🔍

🔍 Anchoring Phenomenon

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

The sun appears low in the morning, high at noon, and low again in the evening.

💭 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.

✦ KEY TAKEAWAY

Key Takeaway

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!

🔬 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.

1

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

2

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

3

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

4

CompareLook at your three pictures. Did the sun move? Which way did it go?

⚠️ Safety

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 Day	Where Is the Sun?	How Bright?
☀️ Morning	Low on one side	Getting brighter
🌞 Noon (Midday)	High up in the sky	Very bright
🌅 Afternoon	Low on the other side	Getting less bright
🌙 Night	We cannot see it	Dark outside

✦ KEY TAKEAWAY

Key Takeaway

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 Happens	The Pattern
☀️ The sun in the sky	Rises, goes up, goes down, sets — every day!
🌙 Day and night	Light, then dark, then light again — every day!
🌦️ The seasons	Warm, cold, warm, cold — every year!

✦ KEY TAKEAWAY

Key Takeaway

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!

🛠️ 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 📖

Key Vocabulary

Word	Definition
Sunrise	When the sun comes up in the morning and the sky gets bright.
Sunset	When the sun goes down in the evening and it starts to get dark.
Pattern	When something happens the same way again and again.
Observe	To look at something very carefully.
Record	To draw or write down what you see so you can remember it.

Section 8

Show What You Know! ✏️

1

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?

2

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?

3

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?

4

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?

Section 9

What's Next? 🔮

🔮 What's Next?