Seasons
Why do we have seasons?
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feb. 13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's Get Started!
- Coat/Jacket - we will be outside some of today!
- SS
- Create a new entry in SS called "Seasons" and today is 2-13-2014
- Write your answer in your SS to this question: "Why do we have seasons?"
Building Our Background Knowledge:
Teams will use a computer interactive to build their background knowledge and create a vocabulary list of important terms and their meaning.
- Access Edmodo folder called "Seasons Climate & Weather"
- Select "Interactive: Earth in Motion"
- Work with the interactive and create a vocabulary list of key terms & what you think they mean.
After 10 minutes: We will share our new found knowledge!
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feb. 14 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please sit with your lab partner from yesterday! Open your SS to yesterday's lab!
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Investigation: How the angle of sunlight strikes the Earth?
Problem Question:
How does the angle of sunlight striking the Earth vary?
Investigation Type? Descriptive, Comparative, Investigative
Hypothesis:
Materials:
- SS
- Pencil
- Masking Tape (2 Small Pieces)
- Meter Stick
- Protractor
Procedure:
- Go outside! Dress Appropriately!
- Record date & time.
- Person 1 stands with back to the Sun.
- Person 2 uses masking tape to mark the location of Person 1 heels
- Person 2 uses masking tape to make the location of Person 1 shadow
- Person 2 uses meter stick to measure height of Person 1. Record.
- Both persons measure length of shadow
- Draw a scale diagram of the data collected
- Use a protractor to measure the angle of incidence on the diagram
- Submit your team's result to Mrs. Lansford
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feb. 18 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please continue to sit with your lab partner & have your SS ready to go!
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Modeling Sunlight Striking Earth
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Let's think about how the direction of sunlight changes throughout the day....?
How does the angle of sunlight affect temperature, seasons...?
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Investigation Analysis & Conclusion...
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Seasonal Effects
- What are some examples of seasonal changes in the environment?
- Do all locations on Earth experience the same kinds of seasons?
- How do seasonal changes affect plants & animals?
- What kind of data could you gather if you wanted to study seasonal changes?
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feb. 19 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vocab. Refresher: Season, Climate & Weather
- Season - one of 4 periods of the year (winter, spring, summer, fall) beginning astronomically with an equinox or solstice, but geographically at different dates in different climates.
- Climate - the average pattern for weather over a period of months, years, decades, or longer in a specific place.
- Weather - describes the atmospheric conditions at a specific place at a specific point in time (hours, days, weeks).
From Modeling to Diagramming...
Let's transform the "Modeling Sunlight" activity into a diagram that includes the North Star, Sun, and Earth in the 4 positions. Make sure to label to seasons for each of your Earths and to show the tilt of the axis. (5-7 minutes)
What do you think?
- What would happen to the seasons if the tilt were less than 23.5 degrees?
- What would happen if it were greater than 23.5 degrees?
- How would the change in direction of Earth's axis affect what we call the North Star?
- How might the change in direction of Earth's axis affect the seasons?