Differences Between Rotation and Revolution

Are your students learning how to practise differentiating between Earth’s rotation and revolution? As we know, there are different things that Earth’s rotation is responsible for, such as causing day and night. On the other hand, Earth’s revolution is why we have different seasons. Teach Starter has a cut-and-paste science activity ready for you to use with your students when learning about this topic!

To complete this activity, students should cut out the 8 cards on the bottom half of the page. Then, they should sort the cards based on whether they depict Earth’s revolution or rotation. They will then glue the cards to the correct column to show their answer.

An answer key is included with your download to make marking fast and easy!

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

In addition to independent student work time, use this worksheet as an activity for:

• Guided science groups
• Lesson warm-up
• Lesson wrap-up
• Fast finishers
• Homework assignment

If there are students who are early finishers, encourage them to create an infographic showcasing the different information about rotation and revolution.

For students who may need a bit of guidance, invite them to reference previous assignments, posters or anchor charts. Additionally, this activity can be completed in a 1-on-1 setting or with a small group of students.

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This resource was created by Bellamy Taylor-Pines, a Teach Starter Collaborator.

Take a look at our matching Rotation vs. Revolution Posters below:

teaching resource

Rotation vs. Revolution Poster Set

Display information in your classroom about the differences between rotation and revolution with this poster set.