Earth/Sun System: Seasons

Earth/Sun System: Seasons

MS.ESS.1.1: Students can identify the impact of the Earth and Sun relationship.

Poll

Which Season is your favorite?

• Winter

• Spring

• Summer

• Fall

Direct vs. Indirect Light

• The way light travel and how it hits the surface of our planet impacts the seasons.

• LIght travels in straight lines and it is more radiant and its effects stronger when the line hits a surface in a straight angle.

• Also, the effects of the radiation from the sunlight diminish when it hits the surface in an angle.  

Multiple Choice

What is the elliptical line circling the Sun represent?

• Rotation

• Revolution

• Orbit of the Earth

• Orbit of the Sun

Seasons: How does the Earth-Sun System affect seasons?

• The distance between Earth and the sun stays relatively constant throughout the Earth’s orbit. 

• Solar energy travels in a straight line from the sun and hits different parts of the curved Earth at different angles — more directly at the equator and less directly at the poles. 

• The Earth’s rotation axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane around the sun. Earth maintains the same relative orientation in space, with its North Pole pointed toward the North Star throughout its orbit.

Multiple Choice

Refer to the diagram. Why are our (Norther Hemisphere) summer months the warmest?

• Closer to the Sun

• Further from the Sun

• Tilted toward the Sun

• Tilted away from the sun

Multiple Choice

1. What angle is Earth’s axis tilted at?

• 20 degrees

• 21.5 degrees

• 23 degrees

• 23.5 degrees

How does the tilt of the Earth impact our seasons?

• Because the Earth’s axis is tilted, the most direct and intense solar energy occurs over the summer months, and the least direct and intense solar energy occurs over the winter months. 

• The change in season at a given place on Earth is directly related to the orientation of the tilted Earth and the position of Earth in its orbit around the sun because of the change in the directness and intensity of the solar energy at that place over the course of the year. 

Multiple Choice

According to the diagram, when does fall officially begin?

• June 22

• Sept. 23

• Dec. 22

• March 21

Multiple Choice

Refer to the diagram: When is the Earth the furthest from the Sun and what is the distance?

• January, 147 million km

• July, 152 million km

Seasons Overview: Note taking

• Get your Science NB out! Date and topic on the page.

• Take notes during the following video.

• 3 to 5 facts, 2-4 big ideas, and at least 2 questions.

Open Ended

3-2-1 Response: 3 facts, 2 big ideas, 1 question