Day/Night & Seasons Lesson

Day/Night and Seasons

8th grade

Ms. Hernandez

Objective

We will:

• Know the positions & movements of the Sun, Earth, and Moon

• Understand the passage of time and change in temperature

We will be able:

• to model and illustrate the cause of day/night and seasons by exploring the tilt of the earth, length of day, and temperature of several locations using a virtual lab.

Multiple Choice

What causes day and night?

• The spin of the Sun

• The spin of the Earth on its axis

• The orbit of the Sun around the Earth

• The orbit of Earth around the Sun

What causes Day and Night?

The reason we experience alternating night and day is that the Earth is spinning on it's axis, once every 24 hours.

The Earth's rotations causes night and day.

Axis:

an imaginary straight line through the earth that extend from

the North Pole to the South Pole and it is tilted 23.4 degrees.

Equator:

an imaginary line around the middle of the earth dividing it

into the Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere.

What Causes Seasons?

​Earth's tilted axis causes the seasons.

As the Earth travels around the sun, it creates a pattern throughout the year. At certain times of the year, you see the Northern Hemisphere lean towards the sun and the Southern Hemisphere lean away. At other times, the Southern Hemisphere lean towards the sun and the Northern Hemisphere leans away. This pattern is what makes seasons.

Solstice: (December and June)

Happens twice in a year, in which the sun reaches at it's

maximum and minimum. Longest and shortest days of the year.

Equinox: (Spring & Autumn)

there are two times of the year when the Earth's axis is

tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting

in a "nearly" equal amount of daylight and darkness .

minimum

Turn and Talk

​With a partner:

Discuss how the change of seasons connect to Social Studies.

Think of work, food, celebrations, etc.

​Vocabulary

We will:

• Model the four seasonal positions: December (winter), March (Spring), June (Summer), and September (Autumn).

• Model a year, one Earth revolution around the sun.

• Model Earth's rotation on axis.

*Role-Play

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SEPUP Seasons Interactive

https://sepuplhs.org/middle/iaes/students/simulations/sepup_seasons5.html

Have your 'Seasons Virtual Lab' worksheet and a pencil.

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Multiple Choice

The model shows sunlight reaching Earth.

Four points are shown on different parts of Earth.

Based on the position of Earth in the model,

which point is experiencing nighttime during a summer month?

• Point 1

• Point 2

• Point 3

• Point 4

Today we:

• Model and illustrated the cause of day/night and seasons

• Explore the tilt of the earth using an Interactive Animation Seasons website.

• Learned the positions & movements of the Sun, Earth, and Moon

• Understand the passage of time and change

​Closure

Poll

Rate your understanding

• 4

  I can teach someone else

• 3

  I understand the concept

• 2

  I still do not fully understand

• 1

  I don't get it