Earth and Moon Review

A student observes and documents the average length of daytime from sunrise to sunset for six months of the year in Atlanta, Georgia.

Which of the following explanations BEST explains the difference in the data between the months?

• Days are longer and nights are shorter in summer. Days are shorter and nights are longer in winter.  The change in the length of days and nights is caused by the Earth’s tilt and seasons.

• Days are shorter and nights are longer in summer. Days are shorter and nights are shorter in winter.  The change in the length of days and nights is caused by the Earth’s tilt and seasons.

• Days are longer and nights are shorter in summer. Days are shorter and nights are longer in winter.  The change in the length of days and nights is caused by the speed of Earth’s rotation.

• Days are shorter and nights are longer in summer. Days are shorter and nights are shorter in winter.  The change in the length of days and nights is caused by the speed of Earth’s rotation.

A student is creating a model of the Earth and the Sun to explain why the length of day and night change throughout the year. What would be the most important feature to add to the model and why?

• The Earth should make a perfect circle around the Sun so the Sun’s light hits all surfaces equally.

• The Earth should make an elliptical orbit around the Sun so that the Sun is at different distances throughout the year.

• The Earth should be tilted on its axis as it goes around the Sun so that the amount of light hitting the Earth varies depending on the tilt.

• The Earth should be placed upright on its axis as it goes around the Sun so that it shows the Earth slowing its rotation.

When the Moon is in the position shown, how would the Moon look to an observer on the North Pole?   

• View A

• View B

• View C

• View D

Which students model is correct?

• Marcus

• Asia

• Tamika

• Damon

Which of the following revisions should the student make to the model?

• The student should remove the Earth since the Earth has no relationship with the phases of the moon.

• The student needs to change the order of the arrows because the cycle goes in the opposite order.

• The student needs to add a Sun to the model to show how the moon illuminates from the rays from the sun.

• The student should swap the locations of the full moon and new moon to show how the quickly moon phases change.

What does the model below correctly show about the phases of the moon?

• It shows how each phase appears when viewed from earth

• It shows that the moon is actually always half illuminated in every phase

• It shows the reason that the moon is visible during the day and during the night

• It shows that the cycle of moon phases takes exactly one day

. A student wonders why it is colder in the winter than in the summer. Which of the following explanations BEST explains these temperature differences?

• There are less daylight hours and there are less direct rays from the sun.

• There are less daylight hours and there are more direct rays from the sun.

• There are more daylight hours and there are less direct rays from the sun.

• There are more daylight hours and there are more direct rays from the sun.

Which explanation is supported by this model?

• The Earth has the same exact hours of day and night. It is summer.

• The Southern Hemisphere has shorter days and longer nights. It is winter.

• The Southern Hemisphere has longer days and shorter nights. It is summer.

• The Northern Hemisphere has longer days and shorter nights. It is winter.

A student wrote the argument below to explain why we experience different seasons on Earth:

We experience seasons on Earth because the Earth is tilted on its axis.  The Hemisphere experiencing summer is tilted toward the sun and receives more direct sunlight.  The Hemisphere experiencing winter is tilted away from the sun and receives more indirect sunlight.

 Which of the following is a way that the student’s argument can be improved?

• The student should not say that direct and indirect sunlight cause the seasons.

• The student should not say that the tilt of the Earth causes the seasons.

• The student should add the Earth’s orbit around the sun to the argument.

• The student should add the Earth’s distance from the sun to the argument.

A student creates a model of the Earth and Sun to show how night and day change throughout the year. The student takes a globe and a large yellow ball. The student picks up the globe and walks around the large yellow ball while spinning to show night and day. What should the student also include in their model demonstration?

• The student needs to also show how the Earth tilts to explain that night is when the Earth is tilted away from the Sun and day is when the Earth is tilted towards the Sun.

• The student needs to also show how the Earth tilts to explain different lengths of sunlight and darkness the Earth will receive. 

• The student will spin fast one day and slow the next day to show how different days have different lengths of sunshine.

• The student will spin faster at the east side of the Sun to show more sunlight when the Earth spins faster.