1. Earth &
Sun Notes 1

2. Cut lines (top sheet only!)
The Cause of Earth’s…
Day/Night
Year
Seasons
Grab a blank sheet of paper from the desk and fold it like this. Also, you will need scissors to cut it like the above model.
Cut lines (top sheet only!)

3. Is the Earth straight up/down?
NO!
The earth is tilted on its axis 23.5 degrees.
**Show Globe 3

4. Day & Night 4

5. How does the earth move? Rotation – one complete turn on earth’s axis.
Takes approximately 24 hrs. to make one
turn. (1 day) 5

6. How does the earth move?
Revolution – one complete orbit of the earth around the sun.
Takes approximately 365 ¼ days. (1 year)
So why do we have leap year?
Each ¼ of a day adds up each year and after 4 years there is a full day added to the calendar. 6

7. What causes day & night?
As earth rotates on its axis, it turns towards and away from the sun.
DAY TIME = your half of the earth is facing the sun.
NIGHTIME = your half of the earth is turned away from
the sun. 7

8. What causes the length of day and night?
The number of hours of daylight and the intensity of the sunlight both depend on how far north or south of the equator the place is.
This variation explains why temperatures vary over the course of the year and at different locations. 8

9. The Cause of Earth’s…
Day/Night
Year
Seasons
Rotation

10. The Cause of Earth’s…
Day/Night
Year
Seasons
Rotation

11. The Cause of Earth’s… Day/Night Year Seasons (Definition)
Rotation is the spinning of a body, in this case Earth, on its axis.
(Definition)
Earth spins/rotates counterclockwise.
(Key Statements)
It takes 24 hours for one rotation.
The side facing the Sun experiences day, and the side facing away from the Sun experiences night.

12. The Cause of Earth’s…
Day/Night
Year
Seasons
Revolution
Rotation

13. The Cause of Earth’s… Day/Night Year Seasons (Definition)
Rotation
One complete orbit around the sun
365 ¼ days (leap year)
(Definition)
(Key Statements)

14. Time Zones 14

15. Why are there time zones?
As earth moves, different parts of the earth receive sunlight at different times.
This is why there are different time zones around the world.
In the US, the east coast turns towards the sun first. 15

16. U.S. Time Zones Map
***Show with the Globe 16

17. Think, Pair, Share: How would you explain a sunset?
How much of the earth experiences daylight at any given time?
Why do some places on earth receive 6 months of daylight and then 6 months of nightime? 17

18. Seasons 18

19. Why are there seasons? It takes Earth 1 year to orbit around the sun.
As Earth orbits, it’s tilted at different angles towards or away from the sun.
Summer is warm because the Sun's rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer 19

20. The Cause of Earth’s… Day/Night Year Seasons NO! YES! Revolution
Rotation
Revolution
Tilt
NO!
YES!

21. The Cause of Earth’s… Day/Night Year Seasons (Definition)
Revolution
Not by rotation or how close to the sun
Summer is warm because the Sun's rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer
Opposite seasons in northern and southern hemispheres
Rotation
(Definition)
(Key Statements)

22. Why are there seasons?
Seasons Animation 22

23. Do we all have the same seasons at the same time on Earth?
The tilt of the Earth's axis also results in the seasons being ‘reversed' in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. (e.g.: winter in North America corresponds to summer in South America.) 23

24. Equinox
“Think Equal”
Sunlight hits the earth most directly at the equator as the earth orbits around the sun
Northern & Southern Hemisphere’s get the same amount of sunlight
Day & night each lasts 12 hrs
Occurs during spring & fall
March & Sept. 24

25. Solstice
When the tilt of the Earth's axis is directly towards or away from the Sun
Occurs during winter & summer
Dec. & June
Winter Solstice
Summer Solstice
-shortest day of the year
-1st day of winter
-longest day of the year
-1st day of summer 25

26. Day and Night Modeling:
Place your fingertips on the bottom and top of the pushpins. The pushpins represent the Earth’s axis.
One student in your group needs to be the sun and hold up the sun or flashlight for the group. Shine the light on earth.
Spin the earth using the pushpins to determine which direction the earth rotates. (Hint- make sure you rotate Earth so the sun appears first in the eastern half of the US and moves to the western US.) 26

27. Day and Night Modeling:
In what direction does the Earth rotate? How do you know?
What would happen if it rotated the other direction?
How long does it take the earth to make one rotation?
What is the axis?
Define rotation.
It takes ___________ hours for the Earth to make one complete rotation on its axis. 27

28. Seasons/ Revolution Modeling:
First investigate with the flashlight. Put your hand up against the light source. Feel that it is warm. Move your hand away just a little. Notice how the heat is less, but it is still warm. Move your hand further and nearer the light, tip it so it is at an angle.
Describe the differences you feel. 28

29. Seasons/ Revolution Modeling:
Hold the ball in one hand and tip it, so that the top of the stick is nearer you than the bottom. Hold it at arms length.
Place a chair between you and a window.
Start on the side opposite to the window, facing the chair AND the window.
Now walk around the chair, all the way, but keep facing the window. Don’t turn round (this means you will be walking backwards at some point, so be careful). The top of the ball should be facing towards the chair.
As you walk around, notice that the part of the ball facing the chair changes. First the Northern Hemisphere points to the chair (or Sun), then the tilt is sideways, with neither hemisphere pointing at the Sun, then the Southern hemisphere points at the Sun (when you are walking backwards) and finally neither hemisphere points at the Sun again. Then you are back to the beginning and the Northern hemisphere is pointing at the Sun again. 29

30. http://studyjams. scholastic

31. Think, Pair, Share:
How is it possible for us to be out on break and go to the beach and students in Australia to be out on break and go skiing? 31