Winter and Summer Sunlight

Start with something students can look at or think about: a photo, a short video, a jar on the windowsill, or a question like "what do you already know about seasonal sunlight?" Then let them work through the first item together as a class, then finish the rest independently or with a partner, keeping a word bank or anchor chart in view so the vocabulary stays available. When you review, ask students how they knew, and let them point to the part of the diagram or reading that told them. These seasonal sunlight worksheets work well as a lead in before an investigation, as a way to capture what students noticed afterward, or as review before an assessment.

These seasonal sunlight worksheets for 1st grade give students a clear, visual way to work through one of the big ideas in earth sun and moon. Students label diagrams, sort and classify examples, read short explanations, and answer questions that ask them to say why, not just what. Each page keeps the science vocabulary front and center so students leave with the words they need to talk about seasonal sunlight accurately. Working through seasonal sunlight on paper gives 1st grade students something concrete to hold onto before, during, or after the hands on part of a lesson.

Yes, both. We made it for 1st Grade earth, sun and moon, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with seasonal sunlight. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

First graders learn that Earth's tilt causes different amounts of sunlight to reach us at different times of year, creating the seasons. They explore why summer has longer days and more direct sunlight, making it warmer, and why winter days are shorter and cooler.

Seasonal sunlight is typically introduced during a Grade 1 earth science unit on seasons or the sun and sky. Teachers connect it to students' lived experiences of summer vacations, winter holidays, and the changing length of their school days throughout the year.

Compare your family's morning and evening routine in summer versus winter and ask your child why it's light outside at different times. Use the worksheet activities to connect those observations to what they're learning about Earth's tilt and the sun.

5 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

These are written for 1st Grade students, roughly ages 6-7. Many teachers also use them a grade up for review or a grade down as an extension, so use the preview to judge the fit for a particular child.

Yes. Each one shows the NGSS code it covers on its own page, so you can check the alignment yourself rather than taking our word for it.

Yes. Nothing here assumes a classroom of 25, so they work the same one-to-one at the kitchen table as they do in a 1st Grade classroom, a literacy centre, or a tutoring session.