Starter quiz
- Which of these statements correctly describes a year?
- the time it takes the Moon to orbit Earth
- the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun ✓
- the time it takes Earth to spin round on its axis once
- the time it takes for the Sun to spin round on its axis once
-
- Which of these statements does not show that Earth is a sphere?
- The shape of the Moon as it goes from new to full is a crescent. ✓
- Photos from space show a sphere.
- Travelling round the world will bring you back to the start.
- Earth creates a shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse.
-
- Put the seasons into the correct order that they arrive in the northern hemisphere, starting with the one in January.
- 1⇔winter
- 2⇔spring
- 3⇔summer
- 4⇔autumn
- If you continuously travel on Earth in one direction, you will end up back where you started. What does this provide evidence for?
- Earth is rocky.
- Earth is flat.
- Earth is a sphere. ✓
- Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees.
-
- Reptiles use the Sun's light to warm up. What is the best time of day to get warm from sunlight?
- morning
- midday ✓
- evening
- midnight
-
- A pupil takes a timelapse video of the stars in the night sky over several hours. What path do the stars seem to follow?
- The stars seem to follow arcs with the North star at the centre. ✓
- The stars seem to follow straight lines.
- The stars seem to stay in the same position.
- The stars move towards the North star.
-
Exit quiz
- Which two of these statements are features of summer?
- In summer, temperatures are warmer. ✓
- In summer, there are more hours of daylight each day. ✓
- In summer, the Sun is lower in the sky.
-
- Earth spins on an axis that is ______ at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
- 'tilted' ✓
- In June, it is summer in northern hemisphere countries like the UK. What season will it be in June in southern hemisphere countries like Chile, South African and New Zealand?
- spring
- summer
- autumn
- winter ✓
-
- Which statement about June in the northern hemisphere is correct?
- In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it has winter.
- In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it has summer.
- In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so it has summer. ✓
- In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so it has winter.
-
- Which statement about June in the southern hemisphere is correct?
- In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it has winter. ✓
- In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it has summer.
- In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so it has summer.
- In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so it has winter.
-
The picture shows Earth in June. Which three statements explain why it is summer in northern countries like the UK, but winter in southern countries like South Africa and Chile?- The northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. ✓
- The northern hemisphere is a bit closer to the Sun than the southern hemisphere.
- Countries in the northern hemisphere have more daylight hours in June. ✓
- The Sun's rays are less spread out in the UK than in southern countries. ✓
- The southern hemisphere is in darkness in June.
-
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Loading video...
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In summer there are more daylight hours, compared to winter, the Sun appears higher in the sky and it is warmer.
- When it is summer in northern hemisphere countries it is winter in southern hemisphere countries.
- Earth spins on an axis that is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
- In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, so has summer.
- In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, so has winter.
Common misconception
Earth moves closer to the Sun in the summer and further away in the winter.
Remind students that Earth's orbit is nearly a perfect circle with the Sun at the centre so Earth's distance to the Sun does not significantly change over a year, and also that not everywhere on Earth has a warmer season at the same time, or at all.
Keywords
Summer - Summer is the warmest season, when the Sun is highest in the sky and there are more hours of daylight.
Winter - Winter is the coldest season, when the Sun is lowest in the sky and there are fewer hours of daylight.
Hemisphere - A hemisphere is half a sphere.
Axis - The axis of a spinning object is the imaginary line around which it spins.
Tilt - Something is tilted if it is at an angle to the horizontal or vertical.
+