1. Science Focus Lesson Week 1
Elementary Science
Science
Focus Lesson
Week 1
Polk County Public Schools
Linda Vendur, Senior Coordinator

2. Week 1 – SC.E.1.2.1 How does Earth’s tilt affect the Earth?
Benchmark: The student knows that the tilt of the Earth on its own axis as it rotates and revolves around the sun cause changes in season, length of day, and energy available.
Essential Question:
How does Earth’s tilt affect the Earth?
Vocabulary:
revolve southern hemisphere
axis northern hemisphere
tilt rotate

3. Click on link
Click on the link to go to the website. Once there, click on the pictures on the left side for an a close-up look.

4. SC.E.1.2.1 Effect of Earth’s Tilt
Different amounts of sunlight reach different parts of Earth during the year.
Earth is tilted on its axis and revolves around the sun.
Different seasons in different parts of Earth
Seasons are opposite in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
Tilted 23 ½ degrees
Revolution is 365 ¼ days (1 year)
Make sure students understand that due to Earth’s tilt different amounts of sunlight reach different parts of the Earth.
We have longer days and more direct light in summer, making more energy from the sun available. We have shorter days and indirect light in winter, making less energy from the sun available. Make sure students understand what is meant by direct and indirect rays from the sun.
Longer and shorter days
Indirect and direct light
Cause and Effect Relationship

5. Summarizing In your Science notebook write what you learned today.
Today I learned…

6. What would be the season in the Northern Hemisphere? Why?
Sun’s Rays
The Northern hemisphere will be having winter because it is tilted away from the sun. Since it is tilted away from the sun it is receiving indirect sunlight which means it is getting less energy, therefore it is colder.
The Southern hemisphere will be having summer because it is tilted toward the sun. Since it is tilted toward the sun it is receiving direct sunlight which means it is getting more energy, therefore it is warmer.
Common Misconception:
Many students think we have summer when the Earth is closer to the sun. This is wrong!!! The Earth’s orbit is only slightly elliptical (it’s exaggerated in textbook drawings) and the distance from the sun does not change enough to affect Earth’s seasons.
Some students think that the tilt causes the season because the hemisphere tilted toward the Earth is closer and therefore hotter. This is wrong…while the hemisphere titled toward the sun is warmer, it’s because it is receiving more direct rays and for longer periods of time (longer days). S
What would be the season in the Southern Hemisphere? Why?

7. How would you group these words? Explain how they are related.
Revolve
Day and Night
Seasons
Tilt
24 HOURS
Word Splash
Teacher may need to model if students have not done a Word Splash before.
There can be may ways to sort the words. Have students justify how they sorted words.
Purpose of activity is to be sure students associate…
Seasons with Tilt, revolve, 365 1/4 days
Day and Night with rotate, 24 hours
365 ¼ DAYS
Rotate

8. Summarizing Draw a picture in your Science notebook
to show the position of the sun and the Earth when the northern hemisphere is having winter.

9. A. There is a day and a night. B. There are 365 days in each year.
Keisha knows that Earth rotates on its axis. What evidence indicates Earth is rotating on its axis?
A. There is a day and a night.
B. There are 365 days in each year.
C. There are four phases of the Moon.
D. There are different seasons of the year.

10. “A” is the correct answer!
Keisha knows that Earth rotates on its axis. What evidence indicates Earth is rotating on its axis? A. There is a day and a night. When you see “rotating” in the question that is a clue that the answer will have to do with day and night. B. There are 365 days in each year. C. There are four phases of the Moon. D. There are different seasons of the year.

11. In regions near the North and South Poles, the Sun does not set for several months in the summer. These areas, such as the northern parts of Alaska and Norway, are called the “land of the midnight Sun,” because the Sun remains visible for 24 hours a day.
Why is the Sun visible for so many hours during the day? Explain your answer.

12. 0, 1 or 2 Score your answer
Sample of Correct and Complete Response
Earth tilts as it moves around the Sun. If the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun, it will be sunny all the time at the North Pole. The South Pole will be dark all the time because it is tilted away from the sun.

13. Summarizing Answer the Essential Question in your Science notebook.
How does the Earth’s tilt
affect the Earth?
Possible answer: The tilt of the Earth causes the different seasons on Earth. Because of Earth’s tilt different amounts of sunlight reach different parts of the Earth. When tilted toward the sun, we have summer due to the longer days and more direct light, making more energy from the sun available. When tilted away from the sun, we have winter due to the shorter days and indirect light, making less energy from the sun available.

14. Check Your Understanding
Which of the following happens because of the tilt of Earth’s axis?
A. day and night
B. solar eclipse
C. lunar eclipse’
D. seasons

15. During the month of December, it is very warm in the Southern Hemisphere. Which of the following explains why the Southern Hemisphere receives more energy from the sun during December than it receives during other months?
Earth is rotating on its axis.
Earth’s Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun.
Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun.
The Earth is rotating on its axis.

16. On March 20 or March 21 each year, the Northern Hemisphere has twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness. Which of the following explains why this happens?
Earth revolves around the sun.
Earth is the center of the solar system.
Earth rotates on a tilted axis.
Earth moves closer to the sun.

17. 4. Ashley’s science group is doing a report on the Sun’s energy and Earth. Ashley is asked to explain to the class why it is cold at the North and South Poles and hot at the equator. How could she explain this using a globe of the Earth and a flashlight?
69% of students earned a 0 on this item. 23% earned 1 point and 4% earned 2 points.

18. Check Your Answers D. Seasons
B. Earth’s Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun.
C. Earth rotates on a tilted axis.
See next slide for answer

19. 0, 1 or 2 Score your answer
An explanation similar to the following scored 2 points.
She could explain by shining a flashlight at a globe near the equator. The flashlight will be the Sun’s ray. Not much light will reach the poles so not much heat will reach the poles either. Therefore it is colder at the poles than at the Equator.
Note: Point out to students that when doing this activity a 3-dimensional model is being used to explain the answer.

20. Summarizing Write in your Science notebook… 3 reasons we have seasons
2 words that describe Earth’s movement
1 cause of day and night
3 – tilt of the Earth on its axis (See slide 4)
indirect and direct sunlight
longer and shorter days
2 - rotate and revolve
1 – rotation of Earth