Planetary Systems Unit
Part 1: Earth in Space
Name______________________
Period _____
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Key Learning:
Objects in our Solar System orbit the Sun, have distinctive
physical characteristics, and move in orderly and predictable motions.
Unit Essential Question:
How do the objects in our
Solar System interact with each other?
Concept: Earth in Space
Concept: The Earth, Moon.
Concept: The Solar System
and Sun System
Lesson Essential Questions:
Lesson Essential Questions:
Lesson Essential Questions:
1. How do we know the
Earth is round?
2. What causes day and
night?
3. What causes the
seasons on Earth?
1. How do the positions of
the moon and Sun influence
tides on Earth?
2. Why does the
appearance of the moon
change?
3. Why do the positions of
the sun, earth and moon
cause eclipses some months
but not every month?
4. How are solar eclipses
different from lunar
eclipses?
1. How do we write our
galactic address?
2. How do scale models
help us represent our
Solar System?
3. How is life in space
different from Earth?
4. Why is Earth the only
planet known to contain
life in our Solar System?
Vocabulary:
Rotation
Vocabulary:
Spring Tide
Neap Tide
Waxing
Waning
Gibbous
Crescent
Quarter Moon
Full Moon
New Moon
Lunar Eclipse
Solar Eclipse
Vocabulary:
Galactic Address
Gravity factor
Weight
Habitable
Axis
Revolution
Angle of Insolation
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Warm Ups
1. How do you know the earth is round? (1 point)
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2. Complete the following statements as best as you can: (1 point)
a) If it is night time where we are on Earth, then it is day time _________________
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b) Exactly _______ of the Earth is always illuminated by the sun.
3. In the northern hemisphere, why do we have higher temperatures in the summer and
lower temperatures in the winter? (1 point)
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4. Draw a picture of the Earth during summer time in its revolution around the Sun. Be sure to draw
in the axis and the equator to help you out. (2 points)
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What Do You Know?
Directions: Read the following statements and decide whether they are true or false. Then list
any facts, evidence, or data that support or disprove the statement. Then, answer the question at
the end. (20 points)
Statement
The Earth orbits the Sun.
T or F
Support: Evidence, Data or Observations
The size of an object
appears to change as the
observer moves closer to or
farther away from the
object.
The changes in the
appearance of the Moon are
called eclipses.
The Earth orbits the Moon.
The only objects in the sky
include the Sun, Moon and
stars.
The Moon’s shape is that of
a sphere.
The appearance of bodies in
the sky varies with the
actual size and distance
from the Earth.
The appearance of the
Moon changes as it moves
through its orbit.
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Half the Earth is always
illuminated by the Sun,
causing day and night
The Sun and Moon appear to
move slowly across the sky
every day.
Half the Moon is always
illuminated by the Sun.
The Sun can only be seen in
the daytime.
The apparent path of the
Sun is from west to east.
The appearance of the Moon
changes in a cycle that lasts
about a week.
The Moon can sometimes be
seen sometimes at night and
sometimes be seen during
the day.
The pattern of day and night
repeats every 24 hours.
Technology is not necessary
to study distant planets.
The shape of the Earth is
similar to a sphere
What are the two largest objects in our Solar System? (2 points)
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Round Earth, Flat Earth
Directions: Watch the simulation and demonstration and answer the questions (10 points)
1. Draw what the ship looked like at the end of each simulation. (4 points)
Flat
Round
2. Mr. Herlihy will demonstrate what the shadows of tall objects look like on a round Earth
and what they would look like on a flat Earth. Describe the differences. (4 points)
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3. Briefly describe an experiment you could perform to further prove to your classmates
that the Earth is round. (2 points)
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Night
And
Day
Directions: After the class activity, complete the worksheet below. Use what you
learned in the activity and the word bank below. (10 points)
Noon
Midnight
Breakfast
Sunset
Sunrise
Afternoon
Shade the part of the Earth that is experiencing night. Then on the line to the right,
use the word band to tell me what part of the day the person on the Earth (indicated
by the arrow) is experiencing. (8 points)
Does the moon have night and day? (2 points)
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Yes
or
No
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A Worksheet For All Seasons
Dirtections: You will be performing a similar activity to yesterday, but this time we will be
discussing seasons. After the activity, complete the worksheet below. (15 points)
Below is a diagram with Earth at different points in its revolution. Label each Earth with
the appropriate season that begins at that point, its “official astronomical title,” and the
date at which it begins. Then, draw an Earth to represent where it is in the revolution
around the Sun on your birthday! (12 points)
Season: ________________
Season: ________________
Astronomical Title:
______________________________
Astronomical Title:
______________________________
Date it Begins: __________________
Date it Begins: __________________
Season: ________________
Astronomical Title:
Season: ________________
______________________________
Astronomical Title:
Date it Begins: __________________
______________________________
Date it Begins: __________________
What is the reason we experience seasons on Earth? (2 points)
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If it is summer in the northern hemisphere, then it is ______________ in the southern hemisphere. (1 point)
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Investigation #1: Light Concentration and the Seasons
Directions: Complete the following investigation with your group. Remember, everyone
must participate and be involved or you will lose points. (30 points)
GOALS:


In this lab activity, you will …
Use a flashlight, projector and grid paper to do a mathematical analysis of
decreasing energy values.
Using clay, students will investigate the relationship visually by relating the
thickness of clay (energy) to the angle which it was received.
ACTIVITY OVERVIEW:
A synopsis of this lesson is as follows…
Students will shine a flashlight’s beam at 3 different angles (90, 60 and 30
degrees) to generate different areas of coverage associated with each angle. They will
quantify the areas of coverage associated with each angle. Students will quantify the
areas using grid paper and convert the relationships to a percentage which corresponds to
a “concentration” of Sunlight. In the second part of the investigation, students use clay as
a representation of radiant energy to visualize the amounts of energy each grid receives.
Problem: (2 points)
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Hypothesis: (2 points)
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Independent Variable: (1 point) __________________________________________
Dependent Variable: (1 point) ____________________________________________
Background Information: (2 points)
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Procedure:
1. Using a protractor, hold the flashlight over the 90 degree grid paper so it is at a
distance of 20 cm. See the diagram on the projection screen.
2. Trace the area directly highlighted by the flashlight’s beam onto the grid paper
labeled 90 Degrees. If there is a brighter circle, surrounded by a somewhat
dimmer circle, trace only the brightest part.
3. Shade in the area that is circled on the grid paper.
4. Count the number of grids that are shaded in (a grid more than ½ shaded counts as
1, a grid less than ½ counts as 0).
5. Place that number in the data table for 90 degrees
6. Write the number you recorded above in the column labeled # of grids at 90
degrees. There are 3 spots you should write this number. This number represents
the maximum energy that may be concentrated in a grid. Thus, doing the math will
give a result of 100% concentration.
7. Repeat this procedure for 60 and 30 degrees. Be sure to keep the end of the
flashlight 20 cm from the grid paper. Also, remember to shade only the brightest
part of the flashlight’s beam.
8. Record the data for the 60 and 30 degree angles in the data table below.
Data Table: (12 points)
Angle
#of grids
# of grids
90 º
% concentration
Part of Earth
represented
(poles, equator,
mid-latitudes)
90º
60º
30º
Calculations:
1. A 90 degree angle provides 100% energy concentration for an area. For each of the boxes in the
third column, put the number of grids you counted for the 90 degree angle.
2. Calculate the percentages for the 60 and 30 degree angles using the following equation:
Number of grids counted at 30 (and 60) degrees
Number of Grids counted at 90 degrees
X 100
=_______%
concentration
3. Complete the data table with your calculations for 60 and 30 degrees. Also, identify which areas
on the planet receive light at these angles.
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Analysis: (7 points)
1. Is there more light coming out of the flash light when at an angle? (1 point) ________
2. Why did we tilt the flash light so that it was at different angles? (i.e. what does it
represent when you think about the Earth and Sun)? (2 points)
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3. Why do polar regions on Earth have lower temperatures than the equator? (1 point)
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4. Describe the relationship between the angle of insolation and the % of light
concentration. (2 points)
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5. Predict what percent of light is concentrated at a 10 degree angle. (1 point) _______%
Summary: (3 points)
Write a summary of the investigation you just performed. Be sure to include the
set-up and procedure, any important conclusions you came to, and how it relates to our
study of Planetary Science.
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Summaries
1. List two reasons we know the Earth is round. (2 points)
a. ____________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________
2. If the Earth rotated in the opposite direction, what part of the sky would the Sun rise
from each morning? (1 point)
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3. If you moved from North America to South America, what would be different about the
seasons? (1 point)
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4. In Delaware, why is it neither extremely hot nor extremely cold (compared to the
equatorial and polar regions)? (1 point)
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End of Part 1
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