Moon
Earth and Space
Two kinds of spinning around
Teaching Guidance
for 5-11
11-14
Rotating and orbiting
When describing the motion of the Earth, be very careful to distinguish between:
- The spin or rotation of the Earth, on its own axis.
- The orbiting of the Earth around the Sun.
Pupils tend to confuse these terms and may talk about the Earth spinning around the Sun once in a year
. You will need to emphasise the difference in meaning of spin and orbit in your teaching.
Teacher Tip: Are we looking at spinning or orbiting here?