SCIENCE · GRADES 6-8 · 40-50 MIN
Solar Study: Sun Path, Orientation & Windows lesson plan
Students orient the plan to north, model a simplified sun path with a lamp or the real sun, log which windows get light, and relocate one window.
At a glance
Time: 40-50 min
Grades: Grades 6-8
Subject: Science: Sun Path, Orientation & Windows
Grouping: Teams of 3-4.
Space: A plan with windows on at least three sides.
Teacher prep: 15 min printing + 25 min taping
Included: Teacher guide, student sheet, checks for understanding, exit ticket with answers
Open the printable lesson: teacher guide and student sheet →
Essential question
Which bedroom gets the sunrise — and how do you know before the house is built?
What students learn and show
Learn: The sun's apparent path (east to south to west in the northern midlatitudes) determines when windows get direct light.
Show: Use a light log to justify a window change for a stated goal.
Objectives
Orient the floor plan to true north and justify the orientation
Model the sun's daily east-to-west path across the plan physically
Determine which rooms receive morning vs. afternoon light through their windows
Propose and defend one window relocation for a stated goal (light, heat, or glare)
Before this lesson students should: Compass directions.
Materials and prep
The 1:1 print (outdoors, oriented with a compass, is ideal)
Compass (or phone compass)
A bright flashlight or lamp on a pole (the 'sun'), or the actual sun outdoors
Window tags
Light-log worksheets
Prep (about 15 min to print, 25 min to tape)
Declare and tape north (outdoors: align with a compass).
Tag every window.
Set up a lamp 'sun' or plan an outdoor session; state location and season.
Space: A plan with windows on at least three sides.
Grouping: Teams of 3-4.
Ways to run it: Painter's tape on the floor; 1:1 printed floor plan; real
Lesson procedure
Teacher model: 'Lamp at east: windows on the east wall get light. That is morning in our model.'
Guided practice: The class logs the first two sun positions together.
Orient: set or declare north with the compass. Walk the plan's edge naming the compass direction each wall faces.
Sunrise: the 'sun' stands at the east edge. Teams walk the plan and log which windows the light reaches and which rooms it enters. This is 7 a.m.
Track a simplified northern-midlatitude day: move the lamp through east, southeast, south, southwest and west; log which windows receive the modeled light. Compare the pattern only within the declared location and season. Real sun paths and shading vary.
Read the log: which bedroom gets the sunrise? Which room bakes all afternoon? Where would a plant thrive, and where would a TV glare?
Redesign one window: each team relocates (tapes) one window for a stated goal — morning light in a kitchen, less afternoon heat in a den — and defends it with their log.
Closer: architects run this exact study on every design. What did walking the sun teach that the flat plan hid?
Checks for understanding
Ask: In this simplified northern-midlatitude model, which windows often get the longest exposure? Look for: South-facing windows, within the model.
Ask: A bedroom's only window faces west. When does it get direct sun? Look for: Late afternoon and evening; trade-off: heat and glare.
Ask: State your window goal and the evidence from your log. Look for: A goal paired with logged light.
Exit ticket
You want morning light in the kitchen. Which wall should its window face, and why? Answer: East: the sun rises in the east.
Name one thing that can change real sunlight from this model. Answer: Season, latitude, trees or buildings, roof overhangs.
Scoring: Item 1: 2 points. Item 2: 1 point.
Common misconception
Students may think: The sun is always directly south at noon everywhere.
Address it: That holds in the northern midlatitudes; near the equator and in the southern hemisphere it differs.
Supports and extensions
Learning support: The moving-sun role is a structured, physical role; light logs use sun/shade stamps instead of sentences.
Multilingual learners: Compass directions and 'morning/afternoon' pre-taught at the north arrow; the log is check-marks, not prose.
Mobility and access: Students can move the lamp, record, or use a tabletop model with a flashlight; reasoning about direction stays the goal.
Extension: Winter vs. summer: the sun rides lower in winter. Re-walk the midday stop with the 'sun' held low — which rooms lose their light?
Transfer task: Decide the best window for a classroom plant using the same reasoning.
Spaced review: A month later: predict which side of the school is shaded at 3 p.m.
Standards connections
CCSS MP4 (domain-level practice)
Connections show which skills the activity practices. They are not a claim of full coverage; see the library for scope notes.
Why this approach
A National Academies consensus report arguing that spatial thinking is a teachable, underrecognized skill that belongs across the K-12 curriculum. Limit: A policy and synthesis report, not an experiment. It does not test this lesson.
Ready to teach it?
The printable version has the full teacher guide, a student recording sheet, prep steps and an exit ticket. Open the printable lesson →
Need the floor plan itself? Get a 1:1 print quote.
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