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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Earth and space. The student models the cyclical movements of the Sun, Earth, and Moon and describes their effects.

The tilt of Earth's axis and position in orbit around the Sun determine the angle of incidence of sunlight on Earth's surface, causing changes in seasons. Diagrams like the one below may help students understand why locations in the Northern Hemisphere have weather that is different than locations in the Southern Hemisphere. For example, in June the Earth’s tilt exposes the Northern Hemisphere to more direct sunlight, causing summer weather. The Southern Hemisphere has less direct exposure to sunlight, causing winter weather in June. In December, the Earth has revolved to the opposite side of the Sun. The Northern Hemisphere is now exposed to less direct sunlight, causing winter weather. The Southern Hemisphere is now exposed to more direct sunlight, causing summer weather.

Diagram of the Earth tilted to the right with a North pole and South pole line drawn diagonal and tiled to the right. Arrows show the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. At the top, March Equinox (Spring –N) (Fall –S). To the left, June Solstice (Summer – N) (Winter – S). At the bottom, September Equinox (Fall – N) (Spring – S). To the right, December Solstice (Winter – N) (Summer – S).

Colivine, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

sequence of recurring events or phenomena; a course or series of events or operations that recur regularly and usually lead back to the starting point

move in a curved path around the central mass of a system

one of the four quarters into which a year is commonly divided; a period associated with some phase or activity of agriculture; the period normally characterized by a particular kind of weather

Research

Corin, Elysa, and Todd Boyette. “Including Students in a Model of the Earth, Moon, and Sun System." Science Scope 37, no. 9 (Summer 2014): 30–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43691520.

Summary: In part four of the article, "Including Students in a Model of the Earth, Moon, and Sun System," the movement of the Earth around the sun is directly connected to the change in seasons.