Earth's Rotation and Seasons

Why do some places on Earth experience changes of the seasons?
 

• 1. Earth gets closer or farther from the Sun.

• 1. Earth rotates on a tilted axis as it orbits the Sun.

• 1. The appearance of the Moon changes over time.

• 1. Water on the Earth evaporates because of the Sun's energy.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Why does Earth have day and night?

• 1. Earth rotates on its axis

• 1. Earth revolves around the Sun.

• 1. Earth revolves around the Moon.

• 1. The Moon revolves around the Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Why are there more daylight hours in Georgia during the summer than during the winter?

• 1. There is no snow to reflect sunlight.

• 1. The northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun.

• 1. Sunlight makes growing plants give off more water vapor.

• 1. There is higher levels of rainfall and it absorbs energy from the Sun.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

If Earth did not tilt on its axis, what would happen?

• 1. Eclipses of the Moon would not be observed.

• 1. The days of the month would be equal.

• 1. The length of daylight would remain the same.

• 1. Tides would happen weekly instead of daily.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Earth would no longer have seasons if which of the following changes happened?

• 1. More moons orbited the Earth.

• 1. Earth no longer had a tilted axis.

• 1. Earth orbited the Sun more quickly.

• 1. Humans moved towards Earth's poles

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

In Georgia, there are two days during the year when the length of daylight is the same, 12 hours.  When do these days occur?

• 1. fall and spring

• 1. June and July

• 1. winter and summer

• 1. the hottest part of the year

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

A student is building a model of the Earth-Sun system to demonstrate why days are long in the summer and short in the winter. In this model, a sphere representing Earth will revolve around a sphere representing the Sun. The sphere representing Earth will also rotate on its axis.

Which property of the real Earth-Sun system is it most important for the student to model accurately in order to reproduce the relative lengths of day and night?

• 1. The relative lengths of the day and the year, because the length of a day is determined by the fraction of a year it represents.

• 1. Earth's tilt on its axis, because day length changes as the tilt of the axis relative to the position of the Sun changes throughout the year.

• 1. Variation in Earth's distance from the Sun, because day length changes as the distance between Earth and Sun changes throughout the year.

• 1. The relative sizes of Earth and the Sun, because the larger size of the Sun allows it to produce daylight on Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

A student wants to build a model that shows how Earth’s length of day and night changes throughout the year. What needs to be included in the model?

• 1. a group of different size balls to represent the various planets in the solar system

• 1. a black piece of paper with small pin holes to represent the night sky

• 1. a flashlight to represent the Sun

• 1. a basketball to represent Earth and a soccer ball to represent the Moon

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

A teacher challenged her 4th grade class to model the phases of the Moon using only a lamp and a baseball. She placed the lamp on a desk in the center of the room and turned off all of the other lights. She asked each student to come up with a way to model the phases of the Moon. Which setup would allow a student to observe a correct model of the phases of the Moon?

• 1. Stand a few feet away from the lamp. Hold the baseball out at arm's length. Move the baseball up, down, left, and right. Observe how the light illuminates the baseball as it moves.

• 1. Stand a few feet away from the lamp. Hold the baseball out at arm's length. Observe the portion of the baseball that is illuminated by the lamp. Slowly turn in place and observe how the light illuminates different portions of the baseball.

• 1. Stand a few feet away from the lamp. Hold the baseball out at arm's length. Observe the portion of the baseball that is illuminated by the lamp. Walk around the lamp while keeping the baseball at arm's length. Observe how the light illuminates the baseball.

• 1. Stand a few feet away from the lamp. Hold the baseball out at arm's length. Spin the baseball in place and observe how the light illuminates the baseball as it spins.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Brianne sees the Moon in the sky. The Moon is all dark. What does she know about the locations of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon?

• 1. The Sun is now closer to Earth than to the Moon.

• 1. The Moon is now closer to the Sun than to Earth.

• 1. The Sun is now between Earth and the Moon.

• 1. The Moon is now between Earth and the Sun.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1