Seasons

Seasons Video
CE13 Seasons


 * Unit of Study:** Changing Earth


 * Lesson Title:** Seasons

· How does the study of properties and patterns help us to understand the natural world? · How does the Earth change? How does the Earth remain the same? · How do models help us understand patterns and change?
 * Essential Question(s):**

4.3C Represent the natural world using models such as rivers, stream tables, or fossils and identify their limitations, including accuracy and size. 4.8C Collect and analyze data to identify sequences and predict patterns of change in shadows, tides, seasons, and the observable appearance of the Moon over time.
 * TEKS:**

Students will have a basic understanding about why the Earth has seasons and how the seasons occur in a predictable pattern. Students will use content-based vocabulary to give oral or written explanations about why the Earth has seasons and how they occur in recognizable patterns.
 * Learning Objective:**

Through questioning, the teacher will elicit students’ basic understandings of reason for the seasons. Students illustrate the revolution and tilt of the Earth in their Science Notebook and explain what causes the seasons.
 * Evidence:**

Students will do a quick write to the question, Why do we have seasons? and then share their responses with a partner.
 * Pre-assessment:**

Prior to beginning the lesson, review the terms rotation, revolution and the relationship of the Earth, Moon, and Sun in the Earth, Moon, and Sun system.
 * Procedure:**

//Don’t go too far in depth with this model, but give an introduction to the seasons and address misconceptions//. The first part of this lesson is a teacher demonstration. 1. Review with the students what they know about the Earth’s orbit. · Does the distance between the Earth and the Sun change very much during the year? //No. The Earth's orbit although elliptical, is nearly a perfect circle, and the difference between its closest point and its furthest point is relatively small.// · What would happen if the Earth moved significantly closer or farther from the Sun? //It would be hotter or colder everywhere on Earth at the same time//. · If the small change in distance between the Earth and Sun does not have an impact on the seasons, then why do we have seasons? //Tilt of Earth// 2. Make a model of Sun and Earth in which the light bulb is the Sun and the globe is the Earth. **Safety Warning: The light can get very hot.** Discuss with the class the locations of the North and South Pole, Equator, and different continents that are located in the Northern Hemisphere (Asia, Europe, North America) and those in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, South America). 3. Ask the students, Do you notice anything unusual or interesting about the model of the Earth (globe). What? Why is the model tilted? //Explain that the tilt of the Earth is the reason that the Earth has different seasons.// 4. Model the Earth (globe) revolving around the Sun (lamp base) by holding the globe and walking in a circle around the lamp base. Be sure to shift your body position to allow the globe to remain in the same tilted position and in contact with the light. Allow the students multiple opportunities to see the model of the Earth revolving around the Sun. Ask the students, What name is given to the path the Earth takes as it moves around the Sun? //Orbit.// 5. Orbit the Sun stopping at various intervals to observe the equator and continents in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere (North America and Australia) during the revolution. Compare what is happening to the North America and Australia. In what season are North America and Australia in? Are they the same? What about the South Pole? Are the seasons the same for everyone on the Earth? Why? Why not?
 * Seasons:**


 * ||  ||  Courtesy of NOAA  ||
 * ||  ||  Courtesy of NOAA  ||

6. Ask students, What have they observed using the model to explain how and why we have seasons? Have students view the video //The Earth’s Tilt on Its Axis: The Reason for the Seasons// found at []. As a class, discuss why we have seasons and what patterns can we observe and predict with the seasons. 7. The students will then illustrate the revolution and tilt of the Earth in their Science Notebook and explain what causes the seasons. Students need to be able to explain in ve**ry basic terms** why we have seasons.

· Allow students to model the revolution of the Earth and Sun system in small groups. · Allow students to write a story from the Earth’s point of view talking about the patterns and changes that it sees as it revolves around the Earth. · Model using Trippensee ™ (model of Sun, Moon, and Earth system) from the library. · Have the students role play the seasons with one partner playing the Sun and the other partner playing the Earth.
 * Considerations for differentiation:**

globe, 100 watt bulb and socket
 * Materials:**

//Tilt of the Earth and Earth’s Revolution around the Sun:// The tilt (23.5 degree angle) of the Earth and the revolution of the Earth around the Sun is the reason that the Earth has seasons.
 * Background Knowledge:**

//Earth’s distance from the Sun:// You can imagine that if the seasons were caused by the Earth's orbit, people in the northern hemisphere and people in the southern hemisphere would have the same seasons. For example, if winter occurred because the Earth was far away from the Sun, everyplace on the Earth would be cold at the same time.

But this is not what happens! Summer in the northern hemisphere occurs at the same time as winter in the south, and vice-versa. It turns out that the Earth's orbit although elliptical, is very close to being a perfect circle, and the difference between its closest point and its furthest point is very small. In fact, the Earth is farthest away from the Sun in June when it is summer in the northern hemisphere.


 * Source: ** http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/seasons1.html

More information about day and night and seasons can be found in the __Science Encyclopedia__, p. 163, 166-67, 193. This resource can be found in your campus library in the Science modules Teacher Edition section.

More information can be found at: [] [] [] []

AIMS: Earth Science Adapted from __The Reason for the Seasons,__ Activity 7
 * References:**