Name _________________________

Date __________________________

Tis the Seasons to be Chilly

Do Now:
(Circle One)
Why do you think we have seasons?
1. When Earth is closer to the sun, it’s warmer. When Earth is further away from the sun,
it’s colder.
2. Earth makes its own orbital path that changes every couple of years.
3. The Earth is tilted relative to the Sun.

What do you think Earth’s climate conditions have been like over the past 1 million years?
1. The Earth has (overall) been warming for the past million years
2. Earth has undergone cooler and warmer periods over the past million years, and has
experienced recent warming.
3. The Earth has been slowly cooling, and has recently undergone drastic warming.

Introduction:
Earth’s seasons gives it life and character.
What would a fall day be like in
Brattleboro without all of the reds,
yellows, and oranges? What would the
winter be like without all of the snow
days? The biggest factor influencing the
seasons on Earth is the directness of
sunlight that a given spot receives at
different points during the year. Your
challenge today will be to figure out the
two primary reasons why this direct
sunlight (also called solar radiation)
fluctuates. After you understand how this influences the seasons in a given year, you will briefly
investigate how this has influenced Earth’s climate over longer periods of time. Your challenge
is to, using two sheets of paper, a marker, foam balls, and a flashlight, is to prove that the
amount of direct sunlight that reaches Brattleboro, Vermont changes throughout the year,
and how this is possible.

1. Your pairs have been given two sheets of white paper and a flashlight. Shine your light
on the paper and use this as a starting point. From this starting point, find two ways to
change the concentration (or directness) of light hitting your paper. Use each piece of
paper for one light change.

2. Create a small model of the Earth using the foam ball you have been given. Mark the
North Pole, South Pole, and Equator for reference points, and mark (roughly) where
Brattleboro would be located.

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3. Now, apply what you just did to a 3-D model of the Sun and Earth. Using one of the two
methods you came up with for changing the light on paper, simulate multiple full
revolutions around the Sun using your model Earth and change the way the light hits it
without moving the Sun. Experiment with it for a bit, then answer the following
questions.

Method used ____________________________________

a. How is the light hitting the Earth distributed using this method? Does it always
reach the Earth in the same way or does it change? Describe or draw below:

b. Based on the simulated sunlight, where can you assume the highest temperatures
are occurring? Does this stay the same or change? Draw or explain below:

c. Does this seem like it could be causing seasons to occur? Why or why not?
Describe or draw below:

d. Does this method explain why it is summer in the Brattleboro at the same time
that it is winter in Argentina? Why or why not? Describe or draw below:

4. Using the other method you came up with, simulate multiple full rotations around the
Sun using your model Earth.

Method used _______________________________________

a. How is the light hitting the Earth distributed using this method? Describe or draw
below:

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 b. Based on the simulated sunlight, where can you assume the highest temperatures
are occurring? Draw or explain below:

c. Does this seem like it could be causing seasons to occur? Why or why not?
Describe or draw below:

d. Does this method explain why it is summer in the Brattleboro at the same time
that it is winter in Argentina? Why or why not? Describe or draw below:

5.

This graph shows warmer periods and cold periods of glaciation, when large portions of
the northern hemisphere were covered in sheets of ice. Given what you’ve just learned, what do
you think may have caused these extended periods of glaciation?

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Exit Ticket:
Given what you have just learned, explain why the Earth has seasons in a few sentences.
______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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Lesson plan:

Learning goals:
Understanding that the Earth is tilted, that orbital distance and axial tilt affect direct sunlight, that
tilt is responsible for the seasons, and that these two factors largely influenced Ice Ages.

Anticipation Guide:
Why do you think we have seasons?
4. When Earth is closer to the sun, it’s warmer. When Earth is further away from the sun,
it’s colder.
5. Earth makes its own orbital path that changes every couple of years.
6. The Earth is tilted relative to the Sun.

What do you think Earth’s climate conditions have been like over the past 1 million years?
4. The Earth has (overall) been warming for the past million years
5. Earth has undergone cooler and warmer periods over the past million years, and has
experienced recent warming.
6. The Earth has been slowly cooling, and has recently undergone drastic warming.

Introduction and Challenge Statement:

Earth’s seasons gives it life and character. What would a fall day be like in Brattleboro without
all of the reds, yellows, and oranges? What would the winter be like without all of the snow
days? The biggest factor influencing the seasons on Earth is the directness of sunlight that a
given spot receives at different points during the year. Your challenge today will be to figure out
the two primary reasons why this direct sunlight (also called solar radiation) fluctuates. After
you understand how this influences the seasons in a given year, you will briefly investigate how
this has influenced Earth’s climate over longer periods of time. Your challenge is to, using two
sheets of paper, a marker, foam balls, and a flashlight, is to prove that the amount of direct
sunlight that reaches Brattleboro, Vermont changes throughout the year, and how this is
possible.

Context Setting:
To understand how certain factors have influenced broad scale climates, student should be able
to figure out what those factors are through experimentation. This lesson gives students the
opportunity to play with a model of sunlight and the Earth, which allows them to determine that
axial tilt is an important factor in causing the seasons they experience every year, and that tilt and
orbital distance play a larger role in long term climate by connecting these factors to Ice Age
data.

Materials:
- 11 flashlights
- 11 foam balls
- 11 markers
- 22 sheets of paper

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Grouping:
Pairs

Exit Ticket:
Given what you have just learned, explain why the Earth has seasons in a few sentences.

Instructional Strategies:
Class Agenda:
- Do Now - 5 minutes
- Make the Sun Shine! - 53 minutes
- Paper test - 6 minutes
- Make your model - 7 minutes
- Run some tests! - 23 minutes
- Chill out! - 7 minutes
- Debrief - 10 minutes
- Exit Ticket - 7 minutes

Hints:
1. How can you get light to hit the northern hemisphere more directly than the southern
hemisphere (and vice versa)?

2. If these two factors influence climate in a regular way over short time scales (i.e. tilt
causing seasons in your lifetimes), then what could account for these climate changes
over longer periods of time?

Formative Assessment Plan:

The beginning of this exercise should be fairly straightforward for the students, as the
only ways to manipulate the light hitting the paper without moving the paper are to pull the light
back or bring it closer and to change the angle of the light hitting the paper. This may be a little
more difficult for students to accomplish or wrap their heads around with the 3 dimensional
model, so we will walk through the classroom and assist students with this process. We will give
students feedback on their model design to help them get at the root of this class, which is that
axial tilt and orbital shape play a part in the history of glaciation. We will also debrief towards
the end of the lesson to make sure all students are on the same page.

Summative Assessment Plan:

At the beginning of this lesson, many students may not know what causes the seasons, as
a common misconception is that the distance between the Earth and the Sun causes them.
Through the guiding questions and model design of this lesson, students should walk away
knowing that the Earth is tilted, and that this tilt causes the seasons to occur. They should also
walk away having seen evidence that both tilt and distance affect global climate and glaciation
by connecting the glacier data during the lesson and seeing all of the data combined in the exit
ticket.