Name: ___________________ Class Period ______________ Date ____________________
SEASONS WEBQUEST
Click on the following link to answer the following questions:
http://www.astronomy.org/programs/seasons/
1. During which season is the earth closest to the sun, summer or winter? ______________
Scroll down to the Direct Energy vs. Indirect Energy picture of the flashlights.
2. Direct energy always produces _______________ shadows while indirect energy creates
___________________ shadows.
3. Why is this important to how warm we feel?
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Click on the following link to answer more questions.
http://vortex.plymouth.edu/sun/sun.html
Click on Why are there seasons?
1. Explain the difference between an equinox and a solstice:
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2. How many of each do we have each year? _____________
Name them:
Solstices:
Equinoxes:
a.
a.
b.
b.
Click on Rotation
1. In which direction does the Earth spin on its axis? __________________________
Click on Solstices
2. In which direction is the Northern Hemispere tilted during mid-Spring and summer?
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3. How does this effect the amount of daylight we have during this time?
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4. During what time of year does the North Pole experience 24 hours of sunlight?
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South pole? ____________________________________________________________
Click on Our Orbit
5. Draw and label the Earth’s position in relation to the sun during each of the 4 seasons:
Click on Temperatures
1. During what season does the Northern Hemisphere receive more concentrated energy
from the sun? (look at the flashlight example for a clue)
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2. During what season (time of year) does the Sun have to travel through more atmosphere?
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If you were having to explain the reasons for the seasons to a 5th grader who is convinced
that seasons come from being closer or further away from the Sun explain how you would
do it below: (Include at least 3 things you learned from these sites!)
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