UNIT 3 LESSON 1
EARTH’S DAYS, YEARS, AND SEASONS
SPINNING IN CIRCLES
ROTATION
1. Definition: the spinning of a body on its
___________________.
2. ___________________ is one full spin on Earth’s
axis.
(PGS. 140-149)
REVOLUTION
1. Definition: the motion of a body that travels
around another _______________ in space.
2. Earth’s ___________________ is one full
revolution around the sun.
3. A year is _________________ days on Earth.
3. There are _______________ hours in a day.
ORBIT (Definition is on pg. 62.)
Why do we have a leap year?
(Hint: Look at the fraction in the number of days in
Earth’s year.)
1. Definition: the ______________ that a body follows
as it travels around another body in space.
2. Earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle; it is an
__________________. (Not in book.)
TILT-A-WHIRL
TILT OF EARTH’S AXIS
1. Earth’s axis it tilted at a _______________ angle.
2. If axis is tilted ___________________ the sun, Earth
has summer (longer amount of daylight).
TEMPERATURE
1. When the North Pole is tilted __________________
the sun the Earth receives more of the Sun’s heat and
the temperature is _____________________.
2. When the North Pole is tilted __________________,
from the sun the Earth receives less of the Sun’s heat
and the temperature is _____________________.
Earth in the winter, axis IS tilted away from the sun.
3. If the axis is tilted ________________ from the sun,
Earth has winter (shorter amounts of daylight.)
Draw a picture of the Earth in the summer. The axis
will tilt away from the sun.
SEASONS CHANGE…
WHAT CAUSES SEASONS?
SEPTEMBER EQUINOX and MARCH EQUINOX
1. The _____________________ of the axis
When the earth is in these positions, sunlight shines
2. The Earth’s _______________________ around the
Sun.
_______________________ on both Poles.
DECEMBER SOLSTICE OR WINTER SOLSTICE
1. The North Pole leans ________________ from the
Sun.
September equinox is also called Autumnal Equinox
March equinox is also called Vernal Equinox
2. The North Pole is in _________________ darkness.
3. The South pole is in _________________ sunlight.
JUNE SOLSTICE OR SUMMER SOLSTICE
1. The North Pole leans _______________ the sun.
2. The North Pole is in ________________ sunlight.
3. The South Poke is in ________________darkness.
(Not in the book.)
1. Tropic of Cancer – 23.5°N
Receives direct rays of the sun on the
___________________ ____________________.
2. Tropic of Capricorn – 23.5°S
Receives direct rays of the sun on the
_____________________ ___________________.
3. Equator - 0°
Receives direct rays of the sun on the
____________________________.
Draw arrows from the words on the right to the
latitude line on the Earth they correspond to. Next
to each word write its latitude.