Printed on 3/27/2014 1 Lesson 211: EARTH'S SEASONS Students learn the complex geometry and planetary motions that cause Earth to have four distinct seasons. Fundamental Questions Attempting to give thorough and reasonable answers to the following questions will help you gauge your level of understanding this lesson. Students that can confidently answer these questions have mastered the concepts of this lesson. 1. When is Earth happier, at aphelion or at perihelion? 2. To what extent does gravity affect our seasons? 3. For each season, describe how Earth would appear to an observer living on the sun. 4. How are constellations and seasons related? 5. How would changing the tilt of Earth’s axis to 0 degrees impact our seasons? 6. How would changing the tilt of Earth’s axis to 90 degrees impact our seasons? 7. How would seasons work if the solar system were geocentric? 8. How would seasons be different if the Earth was shaped like cube? 9. How would seasons be different if the Earth was shaped like cylinder? 10. How would seasons be different if the Earth did not rotate? 11. How are the seasons different from the weather? 12. How are the seasons different from climate? Lesson Objectives At the end of this lesson, students should have mastered the objectives listed below. 1. Students understand and can describe how Earth’s orientation and motions cause day/night and seasons. 2. Students understand how the constellations, especially the Zodiac, relate to the seasons. 3. Students appreciate the complexity of seasons and the subtleties of earth's motions. 4. Students can describe the causes of seasons on Earth and other planets. 5. Students can draw, label, and describe a diagram that shows the important geographical features of the Earth. 6. Students can define all important lines of latitude on a globe of the Earth. 7. Students can name the angle that Earth's axis is tilted and can describe how this angle causes unequal days and nights. 8. Students can draw, label, and describe the important features of Earth's orbit around the Sun. 9. Students can describe how Foucault's Pendulum "proves" that the Earth rotates. 10. Students understand and can explain why all celestial objects rise in the East and set in the West. 11. Students recognize that Earth's revolution and rotation are counter-clockwise when viewed from above the North Pole. 12. Students can explain how insolation and our atmosphere cause parts of Earth to receive varying degrees of solar radiation. 13. Students can use basic geometry to identify where sunlight is most intense based on the latitudes of locations. 14. Students can state names, characteristics, and dates of the first days of each season for any location on Earth. 15. Students can explain why summer is colder than winter and why the equinoxes are neutral. 16. Students can explain why the poles and the equator experience seasons differently than all other locations. 17. Students can state the names, periods, and descriptions of the Milankovitch Cycles. 18. Students can model seasons on hypothetical Earth's that have various degrees of tilt. Important Terms The following terms are some of the vocabulary that students should be familiar with in order to fully master this lesson. 1. Analemma 2. Antarctic Circle 3. Aphelion 4. Apparent Solar Time 5. Apsidal precession 6. Arctic Circle 7. Astronomical Unit 8. Autumnal Equinox 9. Axial precession 10. Celestial Sphere 11. Circle of Illumination 12. Climate 13. Constellations 14. Day vs. Night 15. Eccentricity 16. Ecliptic 17. Ellipse 18. Elliptical orbits 19. Equator 20. Foci 21. Focus 22. Foucault’s Pendulum 23. Geocentric 24. Gravity 25. Heliocentric 26. Inclination 27. Insolation 28. Latitude 29. Leap year 30. Longitude 31. Major Axis 32. Mean Solar Time 33. Milankovitch cycles 34. North Pole 35. Obliquity 36. Orbital Period 37. Orbital Plane 38. Perihelion 39. Plane of the ecliptic 40. Precession 41. Revolution 42. Rotation 43. Rotational Axis 44. Seasons 45. South Pole 46. Summer Solstice 47. Tropic of Cancer 48. Tropic of Capricorn 49. Vernal Equinox 50. Weather 51. Winter Solstice 52. Zenith 53. Zodiac
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Printed on 3/27/2014
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Lesson 211:
EARTH'S SEASONS Students learn the complex geometry and planetary m otions that cause Earth to have four distinct seaso ns. Fundamental Questions Attempting to give thorough and reasonable answers to the following questions will help you gauge your level of understanding this lesson. Students that can confidently answer these questions have mastered the concepts of this lesson.
1. When is Earth happier, at aphelion or at perihelion? 2. To what extent does gravity affect our seasons? 3. For each season, describe how Earth would appear to
an observer living on the sun. 4. How are constellations and seasons related? 5. How would changing the tilt of Earth’s axis to 0 degrees
impact our seasons? 6. How would changing the tilt of Earth’s axis to 90
degrees impact our seasons?
7. How would seasons work if the solar system were geocentric?
8. How would seasons be different if the Earth was shaped like cube?
9. How would seasons be different if the Earth was shaped like cylinder?
10. How would seasons be different if the Earth did not rotate?
11. How are the seasons different from the weather? 12. How are the seasons different from climate?
Lesson Objectives At the end of this lesson, students should have mastered the objectives listed below.
1. Students understand and can describe how Earth’s orientation and motions cause day/night and seasons. 2. Students understand how the constellations, especially the Zodiac, relate to the seasons. 3. Students appreciate the complexity of seasons and the subtleties of earth's motions. 4. Students can describe the causes of seasons on Earth and other planets. 5. Students can draw, label, and describe a diagram that shows the important geographical features of the Earth. 6. Students can define all important lines of latitude on a globe of the Earth. 7. Students can name the angle that Earth's axis is tilted and can describe how this angle causes unequal days and nights. 8. Students can draw, label, and describe the important features of Earth's orbit around the Sun. 9. Students can describe how Foucault's Pendulum "proves" that the Earth rotates. 10. Students understand and can explain why all celestial objects rise in the East and set in the West. 11. Students recognize that Earth's revolution and rotation are counter-clockwise when viewed from above the North Pole. 12. Students can explain how insolation and our atmosphere cause parts of Earth to receive varying degrees of solar radiation. 13. Students can use basic geometry to identify where sunlight is most intense based on the latitudes of locations. 14. Students can state names, characteristics, and dates of the first days of each season for any location on Earth. 15. Students can explain why summer is colder than winter and why the equinoxes are neutral. 16. Students can explain why the poles and the equator experience seasons differently than all other locations. 17. Students can state the names, periods, and descriptions of the Milankovitch Cycles. 18. Students can model seasons on hypothetical Earth's that have various degrees of tilt.
Important Terms The following terms are some of the vocabulary that students should be familiar with in order to fully master this lesson.
1. Analemma 2. Antarctic Circle 3. Aphelion 4. Apparent Solar Time 5. Apsidal precession 6. Arctic Circle 7. Astronomical Unit 8. Autumnal Equinox 9. Axial precession 10. Celestial Sphere 11. Circle of Illumination 12. Climate 13. Constellations 14. Day vs. Night 15. Eccentricity 16. Ecliptic 17. Ellipse 18. Elliptical orbits
19. Equator 20. Foci 21. Focus 22. Foucault’s Pendulum 23. Geocentric 24. Gravity 25. Heliocentric 26. Inclination 27. Insolation 28. Latitude 29. Leap year 30. Longitude 31. Major Axis 32. Mean Solar Time 33. Milankovitch cycles 34. North Pole 35. Obliquity 36. Orbital Period
37. Orbital Plane 38. Perihelion 39. Plane of the ecliptic 40. Precession 41. Revolution 42. Rotation 43. Rotational Axis 44. Seasons 45. South Pole 46. Summer Solstice 47. Tropic of Cancer 48. Tropic of Capricorn 49. Vernal Equinox 50. Weather 51. Winter Solstice 52. Zenith 53. Zodiac
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Assessment Questions The following are examples of questions that students should be able to answer. These or similar questions are likely to appear on the exam.
1. What are the three main causes of seasons? 2. Describe the significance of the Tropic of Cancer,
the Tropic of Capricorn, the Equator, the Arctic Circle, and the Antarctic Circle and state their latitudes.
3. What is the tilt of Earth's axis? 4. How is the angle of Earth's tilt measured? 5. Draw a model of a Foucault's Pendulum and
describe how it works. 6. What is the difference between aphelion and
perihelion? 7. What direction does the rotate and revolve if
viewed from above the South Pole? 8. Draw an ellipse and label all of its features. 9. How are revolution and rotation different? 10. How would changing the tilt of Earth’s axis impact
our seasons? 11. For each season, describe how Earth would
appear to an observer living on the sun. 12. Name and describe 5 ways that the Earth moves. 13. * Explain why the position of the Sun at 8:27 AM
will vary throughout the year. 14. Draw an illustration of what the Earth looks like
on the Vernal Equinox and Autumnal Equinox if you are observing it from the vantage point of the sun. What is the main difference between them?
15. How would seasons be different if the tilt of the axis increased by another 26°?
16. How would seasons be different if the tilt of the axis increased to 90°?
17. How would seasons be different if the the Earth’s axis was not tilted?
18. What are Milankovitch Cycles and why are they important to seasons?
19. Compare and contrast weather, climate, and seasons.
20. Propose a mechanism that could cause seasons on Earth if Earth were flat and the solar system was geocentric.
21. Why doesn't the Earth's aphelion coincide with the Summer Solstice?
22. At what latitude is the Tropic of Cancer? 23. Describe what the Earth and Sun relationship is
like on about December 21 each year. 24. At what point in Earth's orbit is Earth moving
fastest? 25. What is the average speed that Earth moves
around the Sun? 26. What is the average distance between Earth and
the Sun? 27. How fast does Earth rotate at the equator? 28. How many atmosphere thicknesses must sunlight
travel through to reach the surface of the South Pole on the Vernal Equinox?
29. About how many atmosphere thicknesses must sunlight travel through to reach the surface of the North Pole on the Summer Solstice?
30. About how many atmosphere thicknesses must sunlight travel through to reach the surface of Stoneham on the Summer Solstice?
Related Web Sites The following are some web sites that are related to this lesson. You are encouraged to check out these sites to obtain additional information.