New York State Academy for Teaching and Learning
Learning Experience/
Information Form
Please complete the following and return this form with the learning experience.
Personal Information:
Name: Delores E. Anderson
E-mail: Anderson@localnet.com
Current Teaching Position:
Grade level(s)
6
School District Name:
Subject(s):
Buffalo Public Schools
School Name:
Campus West
School Address:
1300 Elmwood Ave.
Street
Buffalo, New York 14222
City
School Phone:
(716)
Earth Science
State
Zip
878-6412
Title of Learning Experience: A Year Viewed From Space
Standard area(s): Only list the standard area(s) addressed through your learning experience assessment plan.
MST (Math, Science and Technology)
Standard 1 – Analysis, Inquiry, Design
Standard 4 – The Physical Setting
Underline the performance indicator level being assessed through this learning experience:
Elementary/Beginning Level
Intermediate
Commencement
Alternate/Students with Disabilities
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 1
LEARNING CONTEXT
Purpose/Rationale for Learning Experience:
The purpose of this learning experience is for students to investigate the effects of the revolution of the
Earth around the Sun and the Earth’s tilt on seasonal changes in the Northern Hemisphere. Students use
a computer simulation to observe Earth as it revolves around the Sun and record data for the different
seasons. They use their observations to develop an explanation for the Earth’s year and seasons.
This experience is part of a unit of study The Earth In Space. The Earth in Space unit includes activities
that:
 Exploration of the day-night cycle and Earth’s rotation around its axis.
 Investigate the causes of the Earth’s year and seasons.
 Investigate the reason for the phases of the Moon.
 Investigate the relationship of the solar and lunar cycles to different calendars

Analyze data about a fictional planet and use the data to predict the day length, year
length, extent of seasonal variation, and tides for the planet.
Examples of questions related to this content found on the New York State Grade 8 Intermediate Level
Science Test are found in the Appendix on pages 23-27
Goal:
Identify the relationship of the Earth’s revolution, tilt, hours of daylight and latitude as they relate to
seasons.
Objective(s):
 Identify Earth’s distance from Sun in Mar., June, Sept., Dec.
 Discover affects of distance from Sun does not cause seasons.
 Compare and contrast data showing average temperature and daylight length for Melbourne,
Australia and Chicago, Illinois.
 Explain the affects of Earth’s tilt for seasons and daylight length.
Enduring Understanding(s):
 The tilt of the Earth as it revolves around the sun is the cause of seasons.
 Earth’s orbit is nearly a circle and it has a regular and predictable motion.
 The distance of Earth from the Sun does vary, but too slightly (<5%) to cause the degree of
temperature variation from season to season. Earth is 6 million km closer to the Sun during the
Northern Hemisphere’s winter, rather than in its summer.
Essential Question(s):
If we didn’t have calendars, how would we know that a year has past?
Guiding Questions:
 What is a year?
 What happens to Earth in a year’s time?
 What do you notice about the average temperatures and length of daylight hours in Melbourne,
Australia and Chicago, Illinois in December and June?
 What role does the proximity to oceans have?
 Why does Melbourne have summer when Chicago has winter?
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 2
Congruency Table
Instructional Level: Intermediate
Grade Level: 6
National Science Education Standard:
o Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry:
o Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
o Students should base their explanations on what they observed, and
as they develop cognitive skills, they should be able to differentiate
explanation from description – providing causes for effects and
establishing relationships based on evidence and logical argument.
This standard requires a subject matter knowledge base so the
students can effectively conduct investigations, because developing
explanations established connections between the content within
which students develop new knowledge.
o Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science:
o Develop an understanding of earth and the solar system as a set of closely
coupled systems.
o Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable
motion. Those motions explain such phenomenon as the day, the
year, the phases of the moon, and eclipses.
o The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth’s
surface, such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the
water cycle. Seasons result from variations in the amount of the
sun’s energy hitting the surface due to the tilt of the earth’s rotation
on its axis and the length of the day.
NYS Standards/Performance Indicators:
MST (Math, Science and Technology)
o Standard 1 – Analysis, Inquiry, Design
o Key Idea 3: The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when
analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into
phenomena.
 S3.2 Interpret the organized data to answer the research question or
hypothesis and to gain insight into the problem.
 S3.2d formulates and defends explanations and conclusions as
they relate to scientific phenomena.
o Standard 4: The Physical Setting
o Key Idea 1: The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles
of relative motion and perspective.
 PI 1.1 Explain daily, monthly and seasonal changes on Earth.
 Major Understandings: 1.1c The Sun and the planets that
revolve around it are the major bodies in the solar system. Other
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 3



Instructional Task



Utilize a computer
simulation to locate
information to show
the tilt of the Earth’s
axis and the revolution
of Earth around the
Sun cause seasons on
Earth.
Label diagrams
showing the tilt of the
Earth on its axis as it
revolves around the
Sun determines
seasons.
Label diagrams
showing the length of
daylight varies
depending on latitude
and seasons.
members include comets, moons, and asteroids. Earth’s orbit is
nearly circular.
1.1e Most objects in the solar system have a regular and
predictable motion. These motions explain such phenomena as a
day, a year, and phases of the Moon, eclipses, ties, meteor
showers, and comets.
1.1h The apparent motions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars
across the sky can be explained by Earth’s rotation and revolution.
Earth’s rotation causes the length of one day to be approximately
24 hours. This rotation also causes the Sun and Moon to appear to
rise along the eastern horizon and to set along the western horizon.
Earth’s revolution around the Sun defines the length of the year as
365 ¼ days.
1.1i The tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation and the revolution of Earth
around the Sun cause seasons on Earth. The length of daylight
varies depending on latitude and season.
Learning Objectives




A Year Viewed From Space
Identify Earth’s
distance from Sun in
Mar., June, Sept., Dec.
Discover affects of
distance from Sun do
not cause seasons
Compare and
Contrast data
showing average
temperature and
daylight length for
Melbourne, Australia
and Chicago, Illinois.
Explain affects of
Earth’s tilt for seasons
and daylight length.
Student Work


Labeled diagrams
o Distance
from Earth to
Sun
o Temperature
and hours of
daylight
Analysis questions
Assessment Tool



Communication
Skills Rubric
Understanding
Concepts Rubric
Analyzing Skills
Rubric
Page 4
Overview of what students need to know/ be able to do in order to succeedPrior to Learning Experience:








Classroom rules – see appendix pg. 22
Students have learned the rubric system
Basic knowledge of computer skills
Complete “My Ideas About the Day, Year, Season and Moon Phases: Before”
(Appendix pg. 31)
Length of day on Earth is 24 hours.
The rotation of a planet around its axis explains the length of a planet’s day.
The length of the day and the height of the Sun in the sky vary as the seasons change.
Apparent motion of the Sun.
During and After the Learning Experience:




Use computer simulation.
Transfer information to diagrams.
Analyze information.
Apply knowledge to other planets and objects in space
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 5
Key Subject-Specific Vocabulary:
Apparent motion: How the earth turns on its axis and revolves around the sun while, to us who
live on it, Earth seems to remain at rest and the Sun seems to move.
Axis: The imaginary line around which an object spins or rotates. Earth rotates around an axis
that runs straight through Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Celestial: Relating to, involving, or observed in the sky or outer space.
Elliptical: Oval, resembling an egg in shape.
Equator: An imaginary circle that divides Earth into two halves called the Northern
Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
Hemisphere: One half a sphere. The half of the Earth that is north of the Equator is the
Northern Hemisphere; the half of the Earth that is south of the Equator is the Southern
Hemisphere.
Horizon: The line in the farthest distance where the land or sea seems to meet the sky.
Latitude: The distance of a location in degrees north and south of the equator. The latitude of
the Equator is 0o.
Orbit: To travel around another object in an elliptical path (verb). The path an object follows
as it revolves around another object (noun).
Phenomena: An event related to how the world and universe work.
Revolution: A complete circle made by a planet around a Sun or a moon around a planet.
Revolve: To travel around another object in a circular or elliptical path.
Rotate, rotation: To turn or spin around an axis.
Tropic of Cancer: An imaginary line parallel to the Equator approximately 23.5o north latitude.
Tropic of Capricorn: An imaginary line parallel to the Equator approximately 23.5o south
latitude.
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 6
ASSESSMENT PLAN
The materials used for instruction in this unit were developed by SEPUP (Science Education for
Public Understanding Program). SEPUP materials provide a research based assessment system
developed in cooperation with the Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research (BEAR)
Group in the University of California Graduate School of Education. Research results have
shown that students in classrooms who use the assessment system score better on post
assessments than students who do not use the system (Wilson and Sloan, 2001).
Diagnostic assessment at the beginning of the unit:
 Each student completed an activity sheet “My Ideas About the Day, Year, Seasons and the
Phases of the Moon: Before” See Appendix pg. 31
Formative assessment following the completion of:
 Earth’s Year Viewed from Space: Top View, Earth’s Year Viewed from Space: Side View:
Chicago, Illinois.
 Earth’s Year Viewed from Space: Side View: Melbourne, Australia. The student work was
assessed using master copy of data and was scored on percent correct.
 Earth’s Year Viewed from Space: Top View
 Analysis Questions (NOTE: The SEPUP rubric used to score student work is indicated at
the end of each question. A copy of the rubrics is found on pgs. 9 - 11) :
 1. What motion of Earth causes the yearly cycle of the seasons? (CS) (NYS
4.1.1c, 4.1.1i).
 2. Why does a year on Earth have 365 ¼ days? (CS) (NYS 4.1.1e, 4.1.1h).
 3. In which month(s) is Earth:
o Closest to the Sun? (CS) (NYS 4.1.1c).
o Furthest from the Sun? (CS) (NYS 4.1.1c).
 4. Based on what you have observed about the distance from Earth to the Sun,
does the distance from Earth to the Sun determine the seasons? Explain the
evidence for your answer. (AD) (NYS 1.S32,d, NYS 4.1.1c, NYS 4.1.1i).
 5. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted toward the Sun? (CS)
(NYS4.1.1i).
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 7


6. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted away from the Sun?
(CS) (PI 1.1i).
7. Explain how the tilt of the Earth affects the seasons and daylight. (UC) (NYS
1.S3.2d, NYS 4.1.1i,).
Summative assessment given at the end of the unit:
 A unit project.
 A written test.
 Completing “My Ideas About the Day, Year, Seasons and the Phases of the Moon: After.
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 8
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 9
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 10
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 11
STUDENT WORK
Grade Level and General Ability of Students:
The grade level is 6th grade.
General Ability:
Total population 77
General Education Students: 57
ELL 11
504
3
Sp. Ed. 6
Diagnostic Results:
All students performed at a Level 1 – Beginning learners in the diagnostic assessment using the
SEPUP UC (Understanding Concepts) scoring guide. This result is not unexpected due to the
misconceptions generally held by students in content related to the seasons. (See Appendix pg.
28 for a list of common misconceptions) Some of these misconceptions are highlighted in an
interview of Ivy League graduates and high school students who are asked to explain what
causes the seasons in the DVD A Private Universe. The DVD was produce by the HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Formative Results:
All students were successful in accurately completing the diagrams with data from the computer
simulation.
Question/Results*
Level 1
Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
1) What motion of Earth causes the yearly cycle
4 (ELL)
4 (ELL) 69
of the seasons?
2) Why does a year on Earth have 365 ¼ days?
4 (ELL)
4 (ELL) 64
5
3a) In which month(s) is Earth:
4 (ELL)
4 (ELL) 63
6
Closest to the Sun?
3b) In which month(s) is Earth:
4 (ELL)
4 (ELL) 63
6
Furthest from the Sun?
4) Based on what you have observed about the
4 (ELL)
4 (ELL) 62
7
distance from Earth to the Sun, does the distance
from Earth to the Sun determine the seasons?
Explain the evidence for your answer.
5) In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most 4 (ELL)
4 (ELL) 67
2
tilted toward the Sun?
6) In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most 4 (ELL)
4 (ELL) 67
2
tilted away from the Sun?
7) Explain how the tilt of the Earth affects the
4 (ELL)
6
57
10
seasons and daylight.
*Scored using SEPUP Scoring Guides: CS (Communicating Skills, AD (Analyzing Data), or
UC (Understanding Concepts).
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 12
PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set:
Discuss students’ ideas about what causes a year.
Ask students to look over their completed copy of Student Sheet 71.1a, “My Ideas About the
Day, Year, Seasons, and Moon Phases: Before”. Have them discuss the responses they wrote
down to the question on what causes a year and what causes the seasons. Additional questions
to ask are: What is a year? What happens to Earth in a year’s time? Even if we didn’t have
calendars, how would we know that a year has passed? What did you learn in the last activity
about what happens to the angle of the Sun and length of daylight over a year? Give students a
chance to voice their ideas, record on computer and display on screen.
Students are likely to propose that Earth is closed to the Sun in summer than in winter. The
evidence they find in the first part of this activity should help them change this misconception.
A few students may know something about the role the Earth’s tilt in determining the seasons.
Leave this question open – return to it after students complete the activity.
Discuss how the passage of the year has always been notable to humans in many areas of the
world in view of the significant impact of the seasons on climate and on the availability of food
and water. Early in history people in many cultures figured out when to plant crops by studying
the changing time of the sunrise and sunset and the patterns of the stars
Modeling:
Model Earth’s rotation, evolution, and tilt. Use a globe or the Earth beach ball to introduce
some of the terms used in this activity. Point out the equator, and explain that it is an imaginary
line that people have designated to divide Earth into two halves called the Northern Hemisphere
and Southern Hemisphere. Also point out the North and South Poles.
Explain that the term latitude refers to how far a city is north or south of the equator. Point out
the locations and latitudes (rounded to the nearest degree) of the cities used in the simulation:
Anchorage, Alaska (latitude 61°N) is an example of a very northern city; Chicago, Illinois
(latitude 42°N) is a mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere city and similar in latitude to Buffalo,
NY; Quito, Ecuador (latitude 0°) is near the equator; and Melbourne, Australia (latitude 38°S)
and is a mid-latitude Southern Hemisphere city.
As students learned in the last activity, Earth rotates around its axis once during each day-night
cycle. Now introduce the concept that Earth also moves around, or revolves around, the Sun,
and explain that one complete turn around the Sun is called a revolution. Earth’s orbit is the
path it follows as it revolves. Model this by moving the globe around a light bulb or other object
(a student) that represents the Sun. Then model both rotation and revolution at once.
Throughout this activity encourage students to use the terms rotate and revolve as much as
possible to describe the motions of Earth.
Raise the point that Earth’s axis is tilted. The best way is to use a standard tilted globe that
shows the correct orientation of the axis of Earth relative to the plane of its orbit (23.5° from a
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 13
vertical line perpendicular to Earth’s orbit). You can also use the beach ball globe to
demonstrate Earth’s tilt.
Guided Practice:
Let students know they will be using an interactive computer simulation to explore another
planetary characteristic, the year length. Beforehand use the screen-shot of the Seasons
Interactive Simulation in the Student Book to orient them to what they will see. (See Appendix
pg. 35)
Step 1 of the Procedure directs them to an introductory page of the simulation. This page
reiterates for them the position of the equator and shows the locations of the four cities that
appear in the interactive simulation. It also defines the optional terms Tropic of Cancer and
Tropic of Capricorn. These are considered optional because there are so many terms in this
activity and students can grasp the main ideas of the unit without them.
Be sure to tell students that the size of the Sun and Earth in this simulation are not to scale. The
Sun is march larger (its diameter is more than 100 times that of Earth). Also point out that the
top view shows the orbit as nearly circular, while the side view shows it stretched out into a
more eccentric ellipse. The top view is much closer to the correct view. The side view stretches
out the orbit to make it easier to see Earth. This kind of view contributes to the misconception
that the distance from Earth to the Sun is the variable that determines the seasons. Make sure
that students understand that the top view is more accurate. Note that students will explore size
and distance of planets in the solar system in future lessons.
Independent Practice:
Students investigate the simulation (Examples of the simulation screen can be seen in the
Appendix on pages 36-39). Distribute Student Sheet 76.1, Earth’s Year Viewed From Space:
Top View (Appendix pg. 33). Students complete Procedure Steps 1-7 (Part A) of the activity.
(Note: Due to space constraints, copies of the procedures are printed for students to use instead
of taking text book to lab. See appendix pg. 29-30).
As they watch the simulation, circulate among the students, asking them what they are seeing.
Refer them back to their initial ideas in the activity, and ask if they have seen any evidence for
or against those ideas. Be sure they confront the observation that Earth is closer to the Sun
during our (Northern Hemisphere) winter and that this refutes the idea that distance from the Sun
determines the seasons. This may be difficult for students to grasp.
Distribute 2 copies of Student Sheet 76.2, Earth’s Year Viewed From Space: Side View
(Appendix pg. 34) and explain to students how they will use sketches of Earth like those at the
top of the page to show Earth as each season in the Northern Hemisphere. Suggest that they
look specifically at the tilt of Earth as they stop the simulation in each of the four months
designated. Indicate that they should label one Chicago and the other Melbourne. If any
students have extra time, encourage them to explore additional months as well. Then have
students continue to Part B of the activity.
To check for their understanding of the effect of Earth’s tilt, stop before Step 13 and have
students vote on whether they think that changing the tilt to 0° will: a) have no effect, b) make
the seasons less extreme, or c) make the seasons more extreme in Chicago/Buffalo.
A Year Viewed From Space
Page 14
For Step 13, students should find that at 0° tilt, there is little or no seasonal variation for
Chicago/Buffalo.
For Step 11, they should observe that the daylight period in Melbourne in December is 14 hours
and 46 minutes, while in June it is 9 hours and 33 minutes. They should find that there the
average temperature in December is 63°F, 17°C, while in June it is 50°F, 10°C. From this they
should describe these seasons as reversed from those in Chicago/Buffalo. This is the
important point for them to notice now. They may also notice that winter and summer are
milder in Melbourne. (Although there are other variables that affect weather, they may be able
to reason that one factor is the greater distance of Chicago from the equator. Another is
Chicago’s distance from an ocean, while the ocean has a moderating effect on temperatures in
coastal Melbourne.) Ask them to review their diagrams and speculate why Melbourne would
have winter in June and summer in December. That will help to see if they can reason that the
orientation of Earth’s axis causes the Southern Hemisphere to tilt away from the Sun in June and
toward the Sun in December.
Closure:
Discuss Earth’s revolution around the Sun and its role in determining the length of Earth’s year
and seasons.
Allow students time to discuss ad answer Analysis Questions 1-3. Circulate around the room
and provide hints as needed. Be sure they have observed the Northern Hemisphere’s tilt toward
the Sun at the beginning of its summer in June and away from the Sun in the beginning of its
winter in December.
When they have had a chance to think about the ideas on their own, hold a class discussion on
the seasons before asking them to complete the remaining questions. Have students discuss how
the tilt of the Earth leads to warm summers and cold winters in many places. Review the idea
that the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are reversed from those in the Northern
Hemisphere. Explain that when one of these hemispheres of Earth is tilted toward the Sunk that
half of Earth receives more direct sunlight (closer to vertical) and is in the Sun for a longer
period of time, both of which leads to warmer temperatures. Students will explore these
concepts in further activities.
Remind students of the explanations for the seasons that they offered before doing the activity
and ask them to describe how their ideas have changed. The idea that seasons are determined by
distance from the Sun is still logical based on our experience on Earth – the closer you get to a
hot object, the warmer you get. But the actual evidence shows that distance from the Sun as an
explanation for the seasons is just not correct. The distance factor also does not explain why it is
summer in the Southern Hemisphere when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere. For these
reasons, distance from the Sun as an explanation for the seasons is no longer plausible. A good
explanation for any natural phenomenon, such as the changes of the seasons, must make sense,
and it must explain most, if not all, aspects of the phenomenon.
A Year Viewed From Space
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RESOURCES AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR INSTRUCTION
Resources:
A Private Universe: A DVD produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
National Committee on Science Standards and Assessments, National Research Council
Sepuplhs.org
Hapkiewicz, A. (1999). Naïve Ideas in Earth Science. MSTA Journal, 44(2) (Fall’99), pp.2630. http://www.msta-mich.org
Hapkiewicz, A. (1992). Finding a List of Science Misconceptions. MSTA Newsletter,
38(Winter’92), pp.11-14.
Supplies
Globe
Computer
Activity sheets
Lab notebook
Flashlight
Textbook Issues and Earth Science
Student Materials (For each student)
Computer with internet access
Activity sheets: 2 Earth’s Year Viewed from Space: Side View
1 Earth’s Year Viewed from Space: Side View
1 My Ideas About the Day, Year, Seasons and Moon Phases: Before
Lab Procedures Sheet
Lab Notebook
Textbook Issues and Earth Science
A Year Viewed From Space
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MODIFICATION TABLE
This set of activities is part of a SEPUP unit entitled “Earth In Space”. To ensure that science is
accessible to students of different abilities, learning styles and cultural backgrounds SEPUP
incorporates flexible approaches that address students’ varying learning needs. This flexibility
is integral and is embedded in the lessons and pedagogy. Below is a table combining many of
the methods as outlined in the unit teacher’s guide “Strategies for Diverse Learners’ section.
While the students groups identified are often separated as strategies are identified, I have
grouped the together because I believe that the need for the strategies varies among and within
groups.
Student Group
Students with
Learning
Disabilities
English
Language
Learners

Strategies
Computer
simulations


Discussion strategies
facilitate
communication.


Vocabulary is
introduced with
operational
definitions that
connect concepts to
learning experiences
Supportive
environment

Academically
Gifted
Students

A Year Viewed From Space

Rationale
The concepts explored in astronomy are
abstract and generally do not lend
themselves to concrete experiences.
Utilizing a computer simulation allows
students to gain experiences, collect
data and develop conclusion at an
independent pace.
Underdeveloped social/academic skills
can hinder the quality of a student’s
participation in groups and the learning
he or she could gain through interaction
with others. Providing a setting and
tools for successful group interaction
can help students build group
communication, literacy, listening and
speaking skills and therefore increase
their academic abilities.
By using new scientific terms in the
context of an activity and reapplying
the terms in different experiences in
subsequent activities, students develop
a deep understanding of the term and a
scientific perspective.
Cultivating a supportive learning
environment helps the students gain
confidence in their ability to acquire
and use English in class. When
conducting class discussions adequate
time for students to formulate responses
is given before students are called on.
Page 17

Scoring guides state
clear assessment
goals.


4-2-1 cooperative

groupings encourage
student interactions in
an unthreatening
environment.

Extension activities
encourage in-depth
inquiry into related
topics

By reviewing the SEPUP scoring
guides before they tackle an
assessment, students are guided to
identify a goal to work toward and a
way to focus their efforts. They also
challenge students to demonstrate their
depth of understanding. A Level 4
performance exceeds a correct answer
in a significant way and to achieve it
gifted and talented students must
provide additional analysis and make
connections among concept beyond
those required for a Level 3 response,
which is a compete-and-correct
compilation of material specifically
addressed in the activity
SEPUP’s 4-2-1 structure has students
work in pairs and foursomes (as well as
on their own) during activities to
encourage informal interaction among
classmates. The shifts in social
arrangements provide varied
opportunities for students to converse
and encourage English language
learners to discuss content information
with their peers.
Students can graph the daylight length
versus month for one of the cities
presented in the simulation and
compare it to graphs they did in the
previous lesson.
TIME REQUIRED
References:
National Committee on Science Standards and Assessments, National Research Council
Sepuplhs.org
A Private Universe: A DVD produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Planning:
2 hours
Implementation:
2 55 minute classes
Assessment (per student):
15 minutes
Schedule:
Unit length approximately 6 weeks
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REFLECTION
As I think back about this lesson I remember the difficulty I had teaching the concept prior to
having a computer simulation. I could get most students to regurgitate the fact that it was the tilt
of the Earth rather than distance that determined seasons, but they did not internalize it. Now
they do. Most people have the misconception that it is distance between the Sun and Earth that
causes seasons. When the students get to change the tilt to see what happens if there is no tilt
versus the effects of the tilt, they make the connection and change their misconception. This is
an even more important tool for the ELL students that I have. They feel successful in using the
program and collecting the data that it provides. The data is recorded on a diagram that also
reinforces the concept for them and allows them to form an understanding that they may not be
able to express in the depth of the English speaking counterparts, when interviewed it is evident
that they were able to learn and understand. If this had been a textbook only approach they
would not have experience this level of understanding due to their deficit in receptive language.
At the end of the unit I always show the student the DVD A Private Universe and pause when
the questions are asked and allow them to answer and then show them the answers that
HARVARD GRADUATES give, the smiles and laughter that occurs makes me feel like I have
succeeded in giving them a leaning context that allows them to develop mastery of this very
abstract concept. It doesn’t matter whether you are an adult or a middle school student, you
perceive students at Harvard to be the best of the best. When you are a middle school student in
the second poorest city in the nation and you can answer a question that a Harvard graduate
cannot it helps you to know that you really can reach any goal that you want to reach.
I am very pleased that this simulation is on the SEPUP web site because this site is a public
access site. Everyone is welcome to use this program and add this to their instructional tools to
help their students understand this very abstract and misunderstood concept.
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APPENDICIES - attachments
Page
1.) Classroom Floor Plan
21
2.) Classroom Rules and Procedures
22
3.) NY State Intermediate Science Assessment examples
23-27
4.) Astronomy Misconceptions
28
5.) Lab Procedures
29-30
6.) Blank Handouts
31-34
7.) Computer Screens
35-39
8.) Teacher Exemplar
40-41
9.) Samples of Student Work (Distinguished, Proficient, and Developing)
42-46
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CLASSROOM FLOOR PLAN
Buy SmartDraw!- purchased copies print this
document without a watermark .
Visit www.smartdraw.com or call 1-800-768-3729.
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CLASSROOM GOALS – A305
VIRTUE
We have the
virtue of
being
trustworthy:
VALUES
We value respect:
GOALS
1. Use appropriate language
and volume.
2. Have only one person
speak at a time.
3. Walk quietly in the halls.
We value
cooperation:
4. Follow all directions given
orally or in writing.
5. Take turns with materials.
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SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM 8TH GRADE NYS SCIENCE ASSESSMENT
2001-2010
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Some Common Misconception About Astronomy
Hapkiewicz, A. (1992). Finding a List of Science Misconceptions. MSTA Newsletter, 38(Winter’92), pp.11-14.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Stars and constellations appear in the same place in the sky every night.
The sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west every day.
The sun is always directly overhead or directly south at twelve o’clock noon.
The tip of a shadow always moves along an east-west line.
Changing distance between the earth and the sun causes seasonal changes (with the two
closer in summer and father apart in winter).
6. The earth is the center of the solar system and is the largest object in the solar system.
All stars are the same distance from the earth.
7. The moon can only be seen during the night, and its shape always appears the same.
8. The moon does not rotate on its axis as it revolves around the earth.
9. The phases of the moon are caused by shadows cast on its surface by other objects in the
solar system, particularly the earth or the sun.
10. The solar system and galaxies are very “crowded.” (Objects are relatively close
together.)
11. The surface of the sun does not have any visible features.
12. Because all stars are the same size, the brightness of a star depends only on its distance
from earth.
13. Stars are evenly distributed through a galaxy or throughout the universe.
14. All the stars in a particular constellation are near each other.
15. The constellations form patterns obviously resembling people, animals, or other objects.
Hapkiewicz, A. (1999). Naïve Ideas in Earth Science. MSTA Journal, 44(2) (Fall’99), pp.26-30.
http://www.msta-mich.org
1.
2.
3.
4.
Moon and sun are about the same size. Stars are smaller than sun or moon.
The earth is the center of the solar system and is the largest object in the solar system.
Night occurs when sun covered by clouds, moon, or atmosphere.
Astronomical movements explain day and night: Sun goes around earth. Earth goes
around sun. Sun moves up and down.
5. The sun is always directly overhead or directly south at noon.
6. The sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west every day.
7. The moon can only be seen during the night, and its shape always appears the same.
8. The phases of the moon are caused by shadows cast on its surface by other objects in the
solar system, particularly the earth and the sun.
9. All stars are the same size, the brightness of a star depends on its distance from earth.
10. One side of the moon is always dark
11. Stars and constellations appear in the same place in the sky every night.
12. Seasons are caused by changing distance between the earth and sun (the two are closer in
the summer and further apart in the winter).
13. Days are shortest in the winter.
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Lab Procedures
Part A: Analyzing Data on the Distance from Earth to the Sun.
1. Open the Seasons Interactive Simulation and review the introduction. Find each of the
following on the screen:




North America and the United States
The Northern Hemisphere
The equator
The Southern Hemisphere
2. Begin the simulation by clicking in the box on the upper right of the screen that says,
CONTINUE TO INTERACTIVE. Find Earth and the Sun. Remember, the size of Earth
and the Sun, and the distance between Earth and the Sun, are not to scale.
3.
Look at the EARTH TOP VIEW. Notice how the distance from Earth to the Sun is
displayed in millions of kilometers at the bottom right corner.
4. Set the month to December, beginning of winter. Record the distance from Earth to the
Sun in the appropriate space on Student Sheet 76.1, Earth’s Year Viewed form Space:
Top View.”
5. What do you think the distance from Earth to the Sun will be at the start of spring
(March), of summer (June) and of fall (September)? Record your predictions in your
science notebook.
6. Repeat Step 4 for March, June and September to find out if your predictions are correct.
Record the distance on the worksheet.
Part B: Analyzing Data on Earth’s Tilt and the Seasons
7. Compare Student Sheet 76.2, Earth’s Year Viewed from Space: Side View with the side
view of the Sun and Earth at the top of your computer screen.
8. On the simulation, set the month for December, and click on the SHOW CITY button
for Chicago:
9.
Label your sheet Chicago. Look at the top view and side view of Earth, and record each
of the following on Student Sheet 76.2 for December in Chicago:

The position of Earth and direction of its tilt
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

The number of daylight hours
The average temperature
10. Repeat step 10 three more times: once for March, once for June, once for September.
11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 on your second student sheet and label it Melbourne. On the
SHOW CITY BUTTON change it from Chicago to Melbourne.
12. What do you think the number of daylight hours and average temperature for Chicago
would be in December March, June, and September if Earth were not tilted? Record
your ideas in your science notebook.
13. Change the tile to 0°, and then describe what happens to daylight hours and temperature
in Chicago as you change the moths of the yea and Earth revolves around the Sun in your
science notebook.
Extension: If you have recorded all data, return the tilt to 23.5° and explore the average
hours of daylight and average temperature for Chicago and Melbourne during other
months of the year. Record your observations in your notebook.
Change the SHOW CITY to Anchorage, Alaska or Quito, Ecuador and observe the
average hours of daylight and the average temperatures as the Earth revolves around the
sun. Record your observations.
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Name: _________________________________
Date: ________________________
My Ideas About the Day, Year, Seasons, and Moon Phases
Before
Day
What changes happen in the sky every 24
hours?
Year
What is a year?
What changes happen in the Sun’s position in
the sky over a year?
What causes these changes?
What causes these changes?
Seasons
What changes happen in the seasons every
year?
Moon Phases
What changes take place in the visible shape of
the Moon?
How long does it take for these changes to take
place?
What causes these changes?
What causes these changes?
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Name: _________________________________
Date: ________________________
My Ideas About the Day, Year, Seasons, and Moon Phases
After
Day
What changes happen in the sky every 24
hours?
Year
What is a year?
What changes happen in the Sun’s position in
the sky over a year?
What causes these changes?
What causes these changes?
Seasons
What changes happen in the seasons every
year?
Moon Phases
What changes take place in the visible shape of
the Moon?
How long does it take for these changes to take
place?
What causes these changes?
What causes these changes?
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TEACHER EXEMPLAR
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
1. What motion of the Earth causes the yearly cycle of the seasons? (CS Assessment)
Level 3 Response: Earth’s orbiting (or revolving) around the sun causes a year.
2. Why does a year on Earth have 365 1/4 days? (CS Assessment)
Level 3 Response: The Earth has 365 ¼ days in a year because the Earth rotates slightly more
than 365 times during one revolution around the Sun (or year).
3. In which months is Earth: a. closest to the Sun? (CS Assessment)
Level 3 Response: Of the months investigated, Earth is closest to the Sun in December, when
the distance is approximately 147 million km. (NOTE: The actual closest distance occurs in
early January.)
b. farthest from the Sun? (CS Assessment)
Level 3 Response: Of the months investigated, it is farthest away in June, at 152 million km.
(NOTE: The actual farthest distance occurs in early July.)
4. Based on what you have observed about the distance from Earth to the Sun, does the distance
from Earth to the Sun determine the seasons? Explain the evidence for your answer. (AD
ASSESSMENT)
Level 3 Response: The distance from Earth to the Sun does not determine the seasons. The
Northern Hemisphere’s summer starts in June, when Earth is about 5 million km farther from the
Sun than in December. If distance determined the seasons, we would have summer in December
and winter in June. Also, if distance determined seasons, all parts of Earth would experience the
same seasons at the same time and the seasons in the Northern and Southern hemispheres would
not be reversed.
5. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted toward the Sun? (CS Assessment)
Level 3 Response: The Northern Hemisphere is most tilted toward the Sun in June.
6. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted away from the Sun? (CS Assessment)
Level 3 Response: The Northern Hemisphere is most tilted away from the sun in December.
7. Explain how the tilt of Earth affects the seasons and daylight hours. (UC Assessment)
Level 3 Response: When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, it receives the Sun’s
rays more directly (making it warmer), and the Sun is above the horizon for a longer period of
time each day (which also makes the day longer and helps to make it warmer). When it is tilted
away from the Sun, it receives less direct Sun and the day is shorter, so the temperature is cooler.
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Student 1
An ELL student at the “on your way” level - beginning
NOTE: DURING INSTRUCTION ALL ELL STUDENTS WORK WITH A PEER PARTNER.
TO BE SURE THAT THE INFORMATION WAS THEIR OWN AND NOT A RESULT OF
THE COOPERATIVE WORK DONE, I INTERVIEWED THE STUDENTS AND
RECORDED THEIR LIMITED LANGUAGE ANSWERS. THEIR RECEPTIVE
LANGUAGE ABILITY IS HIGHER THAN THEIR EXPRESSIVE. THESE STUDENTS
HAD LITTLE OR NO EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE PRIOR TO ATTENDING SCHOOL
IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY.
1. What motion of the Earth causes the yearly cycle of seasons?
Go around
2. Why does a year on Earth have 365 ¼ days?
Go around
3a. In which month(s) is Earth:
Closest to the Sun?
Points to diagram showing December
3b. In which month(s) is Earth:
Furthest from the Sun?
Points to diagram showing June
4. Based on what you have observed about the distance from Earth to the Sun, does the
distance from Earth to the Sun determine the seasons? Explain the evidence for your answer.
Not close
5. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted toward the Sun?
Points to diagram showing June
6. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted away from the Sun?
Points to diagram showing December
7. Explain how the tilt of the Earth affects the seasons and daylight.
Points to diagram showing June and says hot, points to diagram showing December and says
cold.
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Student 2
An ELL student at the “almost there” level - developing
NOTE: DURING INSTRUCTION ALL ELL STUDENTS WORK WITH A PEER PARTNER.
THEIR RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE ABILITY IS HIGHER THAN THEIR EXPRESSIVE, BUT
THE ANSWERS ARE EXACTLY WHAT THEY WROTE. THESE STUDENTS HAD SOME
EDUCATION IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY BUT IT WAS LIMITED IN THEIR EXPOSURE
TO ENGLISH.
1. What motion of the Earth causes the yearly cycle of seasons?
Circles around Sun.
2. Why does a year on Earth have 365 ¼ days?
Moves around Sun.
3a. In which month(s) is Earth:
Closest to the Sun?
Closest December.
3b. In which month(s) is Earth:
Furthest from the Sun?
Furthest June.
4. Based on what you have observed about the distance from Earth to the Sun, does the
distance from the Earth to the Sun determine the seasons? Explain the evidence for your
answer.
Earth distance not much different. Picture shows close.
5. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted toward the Sun?
Tilted most June.
6. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted away from the Sun?
Tilted most December
7. Explain how the tilt of the Earth affects the seasons and daylight.
Tilted close hot and lots of light. Tilted not close cold and not light.
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Student 3
At the “complete and correct” level - proficient
1. What motion of the Earth causes the yearly cycle of seasons?
The motion of the Earth that causes the yearly cycle of seasons is its revolution around the Sun.
2. Why does a year on Earth have 365 ¼ days?
The Earth has a year that is 365 ¼ days because it takes a little more that 365 days to complete
one revolution.
3a. In which month(s) is Earth:
Closest to the Sun?
The Earth is closest to the Sun in December.
3b. In which month(s) is Earth:
Furthest from the Sun?
The Earth is furthest from the Sun in June.
4.Based on what you have observed about the distance from Earth to the Sun, does the
distance from Earth to the Sun determine the seasons? Explain the evidence for your answer.
The distance from the Earth to the Sun does not determine the seasons. My evidence is that the
Earth is closest to the Sun when we are cold in December and farthest away when we are warm
in June.
5. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted toward the Sun?
The Northern Hemisphere is tilted most toward the Sun in June.
6. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted away from the Sun?
The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun the most in December.
7. Explain how the tilt of the Earth affects the seasons and daylight.
The tilt of the Earth affects seasons and daylight because when Earth is tilted toward the Sun we
get more direct rays of the Sun for a longer time. This makes Earth warmer. When it is colder
we get less direct rays because we are tilted away from the Sun.
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At the “above and beyond” level - distinguished
1. What motion of the Earth causes the yearly cycle of seasons?
The yearly cycle of the seasons on Earth is caused by its revolution around the Sun.
2. Why does a year on Earth have 365 ¼ days?
The Earth has a year length of 365 ¼ days because it takes more than 365 days to travel around
the Sun. The extra ¼ days get put together for another day and we call that leap year.
3a. In which month(s) is Earth:
Closest to the Sun?
On the diagram the Earth is closest to the Sun in December, but I noticed it is actually it is
closest in January.
3b. In which month(s) is Earth:
Furthest from the Sun?
On the diagram the Earth is farther away from the Sun in June but I noticed it is really farther
away in July.
4.Based on what you have observed about the distance from Earth to the Sun, does the
distance from Earth to the Sun determine the seasons? Explain the evidence for your answer.
Seasons are not the result of the Earth’s Distance from the Sun. If distance were the cause we
would be warmer in December and colder in June. Also all of the Earth would be the same all
year around. When we took the tilt away from the Earth and recorded the temperatures and
daylight, they stayed the same all of the time. When we put the tilt back in the temperatures and
daylight length changed as the Earth traveled around the Sun. I noticed that the temperatures
and length of daylight in Chicago were like Buffalo when there was a tilt.
5. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted toward the Sun?
The Northern Hemisphere is most tilted toward the Sun in June.
6. In what month is the Northern Hemisphere most tilted away from the Sun?
The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun the most in December.
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7. Explain how the tilt of the Earth affects the seasons and daylight.
The tilt of the Earth is the reason we have seasons and how long our hours of light are. When
we moved the Earth around the Sun we saw the temperatures changed when there was a tilt.
When there was no tilt we did not see any change in the temperatures. Also when we moved the
Earth around the Sun with a tilt we saw the hours of daylight changed. In June we had the most
hours of daylight and warm temperatures in Chicago when there was a tilt. In December we had
cold temperatures and short hours of daylight in Chicago when it was tilted away from the Sun.
I also noticed that the warmest month was not June. The temperature in Chicago was warmer in
July instead of June. It was colder in January than December. I think that is because it takes
time to change temperatures.
NOTE: A DIAGRAM SIMILAR TO THE ONE BELOW WAS DRAWN WITH THE
STUDENTS RESPONSE.
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