A YEAR VIEWED FROM SPACE

ByDelores AndersonJuly 12, 2010

FOCUS QUESTION Enduring Understanding:

There are 3 major components to the enduring understanding. Should the order be revised?

BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLSCampus West

GRADE LEVEL/ABILITY OF STUDENTS The grade level: 6th grade. Total population: 77 General Ability:

General Education Students: 57

ELL: 11 504: 3 Sp. Ed.: 6

TIME FRAME Planning:

2 hours Implementation:

2 55 minute classes Assessment (per student):

15 minutes Schedule:

Unit length approximately 6 weeks

OBJECTIVES 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.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION 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?

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS 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.

STUDENT TASKS1. At beginning of unit complete

diagnostic questionnaire.2. Class discussion of ideas of cause of

seasons and a year.

MISCONCEPTIONS All children’s conceptual frameworks develop from their

experiences and change as they mature.  However, frequently their intuitive understanding of the world around them does not agree with the scientific explanation.  It is important in planning instruction to know how these naïve conceptions differ from the scientific explanation, and why children construct these ideas.  Development of complex concepts takes place in many small steps.  Missing steps can make the correct explanation illusive or down right unattainable.  This makes high-quality, age appropriate instruction at each grade level vital to the development  of children’s understandings of key science concepts. Valarie Talsma 

HAPKIEWICZ, 1992, 1999 Changing distance between the

earth and the sun causes seasonal changes  (with the two closer in summer and father apart in winter).

MY IDEAS ABOUT THE DAY, YEAR, SEASONS, AND MOON PHASESBEFORE

Year SeasonsWhat is a year?    What changes happen in the Sun’s position in the sky over a year?     What causes these changes?

What changes happen in the seasons every year?       What causes these changes? 

STUDENT TASKS1. Observe teacher modeling of

terms rotation, revolution, axis.2. Use computer simulation to

collect data.3. Discuss information learned in

simulation.4. Complete analysis questions.

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).

ASSESSMENT DATA

1 2 3a 3b 4 5 6 70

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80 Student DataA Year Viewed From Space

Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4

Question Numbers

Num

ber

of S

tude

n

BEGINNING STUDENT WORK 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.

DEVELOPING STUDENT WORK 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 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.

PROFICIENT STUDENT WORK 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.

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.

DISTINGUISHED STUDENT WORK 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.

  

NY STATE STANDARDS Standard 4: The Physical Setting

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 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.

MODIFICATION TABLEModification Rationale Benefit

Vocabulary is introduced with operational definitions that connect concepts to learning experiences

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.

Students with Learning Disabilities  English Language Learners  Academically Gifted Students

REFLECTION

A Private Universe" was created and produced by Matthew H. Schneps and Philip M. Sadler, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics-1988.