People don't all get the same amount of sun at the same time of the year. Collaborative groups explore how the motion of Earth contributes to the idea in an inquiry-based STEM lesson. Learners first investigate how the rotation of Earth controls the length of days and then take a look at how Earth's orbit contributes to the four seasons. Finally, they use what they learn to predict the length and location of shadows at different latitudes during a specific time of the year.

Concepts

the four seasons, shadows, the moon, the sun, the earth's rotation, the earth's orbit

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

science

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Provide learners with vocabulary and definitions and have them write rewrite them in their own words
• Incorporate the exact latitude of the school as a location in the activity

Classroom Considerations

• Allow time to collect and prepare materials for the activity

Pros

• Includes detailed instructions with pictures to help plan for the lesson
• Uses modeling and hands-on investigation to study a complex topic

Cons

• None