Grade 4 Earth, Moon & Sun worksheet
from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
How to explain it
- Earth spins on its axis once a day. That gives us day and night.
- Earth orbits the sun once a year. Its tilted axis causes the seasons.
- The moon reflects sunlight. Main phases: new, first quarter, full, third quarter.
- The moon's pull causes the ocean tides.
Example: Which of the four main moon phases comes after the full moon? Order: new moon → first quarter → full moon → third quarter. After the full moon comes the third quarter. Answer: third quarter
Question 1
Put the waxing moon in order, from new moon to full moon.
- 🌒waxing crescent
- 🌑new moon
- 🌓first quarter
- 🌕full moon
- 🌔waxing gibbous
new moon → waxing crescent → first quarter → waxing gibbous → full moon
Hint: Waxing means growing: the lit part gets bigger each night, from a thin crescent to a half to more than half (gibbous), then full.
Question 2
Why does the moon shine?
🌕- It is on fire
- It reflects light from city lights on Earth
- It makes its own light
- It reflects light from the sun
It reflects light from the sun
Hint: The moon is made of rock. It shines because sunlight bounces off it.
Question 3
Why do we have day and night?
🌍- Earth moves closer to and farther from the sun
- The moon blocks the sun every night
- Earth spins (rotates) on its axis
- The sun travels around Earth
Earth spins (rotates) on its axis
Hint: As Earth spins, your side turns toward the sun (day) and then away from it (night).
Question 4
In most places along the ocean, about how many high tides happen each day?
🌊- two
- one each year
- one each week
- ten
two
Hint: Most coasts get two high tides and two low tides about every day.
Question 5
Is it caused by Earth spinning or Earth orbiting the sun? Tap an item, then tap its basket.
Sort into: 🔄 Earth spinning (rotation) · ☀️ Earth orbiting the sun (revolution)
- ⭐stars seem to move across the night sky
- 🌅the sun seems to rise in the east
- 🐦birds migrating every autumn
- 🍂the four seasons
- 🌃day and night
- 🌌different star patterns in winter and summer
🔄 Earth spinning (rotation): stars seem to move across the night sky, the sun seems to rise in the east, day and night · ☀️ Earth orbiting the sun (revolution): birds migrating every autumn, the four seasons, different star patterns in winter and summer
Hint: One spin (rotation) takes a day, so it causes daily patterns. One trip around the sun (revolution) takes a year, so it causes yearly patterns.
Question 6
Put the moon's phases in order, starting with the new moon.
- 🌑new moon
- 🌓first quarter
- 🌗third quarter
- 🌕full moon
new moon → first quarter → full moon → third quarter
Hint: After the new moon, the lit part grows to a half (first quarter), then to full, then shrinks to the other half (third quarter).
Question 7
What is a safe way to watch a solar eclipse?
- 🔭binoculars
- 👀a quick stare at the sun
- 😎regular sunglasses
- 🕶️special eclipse glasses or a pinhole viewer
🕶️ special eclipse glasses or a pinhole viewer
Hint: Never look straight at the sun. It can badly hurt your eyes, even during an eclipse.
Question 8
An owl hunts at night and sleeps during the day. An animal like this is…
🦉- hibernating
- nocturnal
- migrating
- endangered
nocturnal
Hint: Nocturnal animals are active at night. Day and night are caused by Earth's spin.
Question 9
During a solar eclipse, what blocks the sun's light from reaching part of Earth?
- 🌍Earth's shadow
- ☁️a cloud
- 🪐another planet
- 🌑the moon
🌑 the moon
Hint: In a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and Earth.
Question 10
Why do we always see the same side of the moon?
🌕- The moon spins once for each trip around Earth
- Earth blocks the other side
- The moon doesn't spin at all
- The other side is always dark
The moon spins once for each trip around Earth
Hint: The moon's spin and its orbit take the same amount of time, so one side always faces us.
Answer key
- 1. new moon → waxing crescent → first quarter → waxing gibbous → full moon
- 2. It reflects light from the sun
- 3. Earth spins (rotates) on its axis
- 4. two
- 5. 🔄 Earth spinning (rotation): stars seem to move across the night sky, the sun seems to rise in the east, day and night · ☀️ Earth orbiting the sun (revolution): birds migrating every autumn, the four seasons, different star patterns in winter and summer
- 6. new moon → first quarter → full moon → third quarter
- 7. 🕶️ special eclipse glasses or a pinhole viewer
- 8. nocturnal
- 9. 🌑 the moon
- 10. The moon spins once for each trip around Earth
Want more than 10 questions?
In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback.