Free 7th Grade Relationship Of Tilting Of The Earth To The Length Of Daytime Lesson Plan (Science)

Topic: The Tilt of the Earth and its Relationship to the Length of Daytime

Objectives & Outcomes

• Understand how the tilt of the Earth affects the length of daytime and amount of energy that the planet receives from the sun.

Materials

• Earth model or globe
• Sun model or picture
• String or thread
• Scissors
• Cardboard or construction paper
• Pencil
• Rulers or measuring tape

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever seen a picture of the Earth from space, such as on a television show or on the Internet. Ask them if they know why the Earth appears to be round, even though it is actually flat.
• Ask students if they know how the tilt of the Earth affects the length of daytime and the amount of energy that the planet receives from the sun.

Direct Instruction

• Show students the tilted Earth model and explain that the tilt of the Earth is the angle at which it is tilted relative to its orbit around the sun.
• Explain that the tilt of the Earth causes the difference in the length of daytime and the amount of energy that the planet receives from the sun.
• Explain that during the summer, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, the days are longer and the sun is higher in the sky, which means that more energy is received.
• Explain that during the winter, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, the days are shorter and the sun is lower in the sky, which means that less energy is received.
• Use the second tilted Earth model to illustrate the concept to the class.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of cards with images of different locations on Earth, such as the desert and the Arctic tundra.
• Ask the groups to sort the cards into two piles, one with places that receive more energy during the summer and one with places that receive less energy during the summer.
• Ask the groups to explain their reasoning and check for understanding.
• Have a class discussion about the differences in the amount of energy received during the summer in the different locations.

Independent Practice

• Have students work in pairs to build a model of the Earth that can be tilted.
• Give students a piece of cardboard and sticks or skewers to use as the base of their model.
• Have students use clay or rocks to represent the continents, and glue or tape to attached the clay or rocks to the base.
• Have students use a pen or marker to draw a line across the base, representing the equator.
• Have students use a pen or marker to draw a second line across the base, representing the axis of rotation (the line of latitude on which the North Pole is located).
• Have students use the clay or rocks to represent the position of the continents on the base, and use the pen or marker to draw lines showing their positions relative to the equator and axis of rotation.
• Have students use the base and clay or rocks to tilt the model, and observe how the positions of the continents change as the model tilts.
• Have students use their observations to explain how the tilt of the model affects the length of daytime and the amount of energy that the model receives from the sun.

Closure

• Ask students to share their observations and explanations with the class.
• Ask students to summarize the relationship between the tilt of the Earth and the length of daytime and the amount of energy that the planet receives from the sun.
• Ask students to share any questions or comments that they have about the lesson.

Assessment

• Observe students as they work in pairs to create their models of the Earth.
• Collect and review the models for accuracy and completeness.
• Administer a quiz that includes multiple choice questions and a fill-in-the-blank question to assess students' understanding of the relationship between the tilt of the Earth and the length of daytime and the amount of energy that the planet receives from the sun.