Introduce the students to the rotation of the earth on its axis by giving each one a Styrofoam ball a little larger than the size of a softball, and a Pick-Up stick. Tell the students to push the Pick-Up stick through the center of the ball to represent the earth's imaginary axis. Have them draw a small circle on the ball around each end of the stick. Label one "Arctic Circle" and the other "Antarctic Circle." Tell them to draw a circle around the ball to represent the equator. Optionally, the students can draw the continents and mark their approximate locations. Explain axis, North Pole, South Pole, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Arctic Circle, the Antarctic Circle and Antarctica. Tell the students to tip the axis about 23 degrees and spin their "Earth" counterclockwise very slowly on its imaginary axis. The earth actually spins very fast to complete one rotation in 24 hours, but they are unaware of it.
The earth's rotation is what makes day and night. Give each student a flashlight to represent the sun and turn out the lights. Ask the students to turn on their flashlights and shine them one side of their Styrofoam globes. Tell them the light side of the earth is experiencing daytime, and the dark side is experiencing nighttime. They should tip the axis 23 degrees and slowly spin their Earth counterclockwise to observe that the area that was experiencing daytime is experiencing sunset and nighttime. The other side of the earth is experiencing sunrise and daytime. The counterclockwise rotation of the earth makes it appear that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but the sun is not actually moving. The students should understand rotation, clockwise and counterclockwise.
Explain that the temperatures in different parts of the earth depend partially on their proximity to the sun. Tell the students to hold their globes tilted at 23 degrees with the flashlights shining on a location. Ask them what areas on the globe are the hottest. Have them turn their globes so the location experiences night. Ask them what usually happens to the temperature during the night and how it is affected by the sun.
Explain time zones and the International Date Line. Show the students where the different U. S. time zones appear on a map or globe. Ask them to draw a line between the two poles in the position of the International Date Line. Tell the students to find their approximate location on the globe and find out what countries are on the opposite side of the earth. Based on the time of day it is, have them calculate the time for the countries on the opposite side. The students should understand International Date Line and time zone.