Earth, Moon and Sun Sizes, Read and Compare

Shine a flashlight on a ball or a globe in a dark room to show day and night and the lit half of the moon. Go outside in the morning and at noon and compare the length of your shadows.

Compare how wide Earth, the moon and the sun are and what each gives off on a chart. Wide tells how far it is from one side of something to the other. The directions on the page read: Read the passage. Then, turn the page and fill in the compare chart. On page 2: Fill in boxes 1 to 9 of the compare chart with words from the passage. Then, circle the letter of the best answer for question 10 and write the answers to questions 11 and 12 on the lines. The answer key covers the questions on page 2.

Yes, both. We made it for 3rd Grade Earth science, 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 Earth moon and sun. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

This topic teaches students that predictable patterns in the sky, day and night, seasons, and moon phases, result from the movements of Earth and the Moon relative to the Sun. Third graders learn the difference between rotation and revolution, explore the phases of the moon in sequence, and explain why we have seasons. It connects real-world observations to big-picture astronomical relationships.

Earth, Moon, and Sun is typically covered in Grade 3 earth and space science, often as a culminating unit that ties together prior learning about weather, seasons, and patterns. At ages 8-9, students can handle the abstract idea of objects in space moving in predictable patterns, especially when supported by physical models and diagrams. Moon phase observations over several weeks make excellent long-term science journal projects.

Track the moon together each night for a week and record the phase in a notebook, then check it against the moon phases sheet, it transforms a paper activity into a real observation project. The diagrams of Earth's rotation and revolution are strong visual supports for independent study. Relating the worksheet content to a sunset your child sees or the moon they spot at bedtime makes space science feel immediate and real.

9 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 3rd Grade students, roughly ages 8-9. 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.