Starter quiz
What is Earth shaped like?- a sphere ✓
- a square
- a flat disc
-
Which star does Earth orbit?- 'the Sun' ✓
- How many seasons are there in the UK?
- 2
- 3
- 4 ✓
- 5
-
- When it is night time in the UK, the Earth is facing ...
- towards the Sun.
- away from the Sun. ✓
- away from the moon.
-
- In which season does the UK experience the coldest temperatures?
- 'winter' ✓
- The position of the Earth's orbit gives us what?
- day
- night
- seasons ✓
-
Exit quiz
What is Earth tilted on?- its axis ✓
- its rotation
- its Equator
-
- How many hours does the Earth take to complete one rotation of its axis?
- 12 hours
- 24 hours ✓
- 36 hours
- 48 hours
-
- The Earth rotates on its axis. This takes 24 hours. What does this give us?
- summer
- day ✓
- winter
- night ✓
-
- How many days does it take the Earth to orbit the Sun?
- 346
- 356 ½
- 364
- 365 ¼ ✓
-
The Equator is an imaginary line that runs around the __________ of the Earth?- top
- bottom
- side
- centre ✓
-
- Places that are tilted towards the Sun experience __________ seasons.
- warmer ✓
- colder
- darker
- cloudier
-
Worksheet
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- We have seasons because Earth is tilted on its axis as it orbits the Sun each year.
- Each season has its own weather patterns and we can use weather data to talk about this.
- When the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, UK days have fewer hours of daylight, are colder, and it’s winter.
- When the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun, UK days have more hours of daylight, are warmer, and it’s summer.
Common misconception
Earth orbits the Sun and does not rotate on its axis at the same time.
Earth rotates on its axis, one full rotation is 24 hours. While it rotates on its axis it orbits the Sun. This takes 365 1/4 days, or one year.
Keywords
Axis - An axis is an imaginary straight line through Earth which rotates around it.
Orbit - An orbit is the regular route in space that one object takes around another, for example, the path Earth takes around the Sun.
Cycle - A cycle is something that happens from start to finish, usually before it starts again and repeats.
The sun - The Sun is a star around which Earth orbits. It is the source of light and heat for our planet.
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