Science
Focus Lesson
Week 1
Polk County Public Schools
Linda Vendur, Senior Coordinator
Week 1 – SC.E.1.2.1
Benchmark: The student knows that the tilt of the
Earth on its own axis as it rotates and revolves
around the sun cause changes in season, length of
day, and energy available.
Essential Question:
How does Earth’s tilt affect the Earth?
Vocabulary:
revolve
axis
tilt
southern hemisphere
northern hemisphere
rotate
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/climate/cli_seasons.html
SC.E.1.2.1 Effect of Earth’s Tilt
Earth is
tilted on
its axis
and
revolves
around
the sun.
• Tilted 23 ½
degrees
•Revolution is
365 ¼ days (1
year)
Different
amounts of
sunlight
reach
different
parts of
Earth during
the year. • Longer and
Different
seasons in
different
parts of
Earth
shorter days
• Indirect and
direct light
Cause and Effect Relationship
• Seasons are
opposite in
the Northern
Hemisphere
and the
Southern
Hemisphere.
Summarizing
In your Science notebook write what you
learned today.
Today I learned…
What would be the season in the Northern
Hemisphere? Why?
N
Sun’s Rays
S
What would be the season in the
Southern Hemisphere? Why?
How would you group these words?
Explain how they are related.
Summarizing
Draw a picture in your Science notebook
to show the position of the sun and the
Earth when the northern hemisphere is
having winter.
Keisha knows that Earth rotates on its axis.
What evidence indicates Earth is rotating on
its axis?
A. There is a day and a night.
B. There are 365 days in each year.
C. There are four phases of the Moon.
D. There are different seasons of the year.
Keisha knows that Earth rotates on its axis. What
evidence indicates Earth is rotating on its axis?
A. There is a day and a night. When you see
“rotating” in the question that is a clue that the
answer will have to do with day and night.
B. There are 365 days in each year.
C. There are four phases of the Moon.
D. There are different seasons of the year.
In regions near the North and South Poles, the Sun
does not set for several months in the summer.
These areas, such as the northern parts of Alaska
and Norway, are called the “land of the midnight
Sun,” because the Sun remains visible for 24 hours
a day.
Why is the Sun visible for so many hours
during the day? Explain your answer.
0, 1 or 2 Score your answer
Sample of Correct and Complete Response
Earth tilts as it moves around the Sun. If
the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun,
it will be sunny all the time at the
North Pole. The South Pole will be
dark all the time because it is tilted
away from the sun.
Summarizing
Answer the Essential Question in your
Science notebook.
Essential Question:
How does the Earth’s tilt
affect the Earth?
Check Your Understanding
1. Which of the following happens because
of the tilt of Earth’s axis?
A.
B.
C.
D.
day and night
solar eclipse
lunar eclipse’
seasons
2. During the month of December, it is very warm
in the Southern Hemisphere. Which of the
following explains why the Southern Hemisphere
receives more energy from the sun during
December than it receives during other months?
A. Earth is rotating on its axis.
B. Earth’s Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward
the sun.
C. Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward
the sun.
D. The Earth is rotating on its axis.
3. On March 20 or March 21 each year, the
Northern Hemisphere has twelve hours of
daylight and twelve hours of darkness.
Which of the following explains why this
happens?
A. Earth revolves around the sun.
B. Earth is the center of the solar system.
C. Earth rotates on a tilted axis.
D. Earth moves closer to the sun.
4. Ashley’s science group is doing a report on the
Sun’s energy and Earth. Ashley is asked to explain
to the class why it is cold at the North and South
Poles and hot at the equator.
How could she explain this using a globe of the
Earth and a flashlight?
Check Your Answers
1. D. Seasons
2. B. Earth’s Southern Hemisphere is
tilted toward the sun.
3. C. Earth rotates on a tilted axis.
4. See next slide for answer
0, 1 or 2 Score your answer
An explanation similar to the following scored 2 points.
She could explain by shining a flashlight at a
globe near the equator. The flashlight will
be the Sun’s ray. Not much light will reach
the poles so not much heat will reach the
poles either. Therefore it is colder at the
poles than at the Equator.
Summarizing
Write in your Science notebook…
3 reasons we have seasons
2 words that describe Earth’s
movement
1 cause of day and night