5 th Grade PSI. The Earth's Place in the Universe. The Universe. Slide 1 / 104. Slide 2 / 104. Slide 4 / 104. Slide 3 / 104.

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1 Slide 1 / 104 Slide 2 / 104 New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning Progressive Science Initiative This material is made freely available at and is intended for the non-commercial use of students and teache These materials may not be used for any commercial purpo without the written permission of the owners. NJCTL mainta its website for the convenience of teachers who wish to mak their work available to other teachers, participate in virtual professional learning community, and/or provide access to course materials to parents, students and others. We, at the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) are proud founders and supporters of NJCTL, an independent non-profit organization. NJEA embraces NJCTL s mission of empowering teachers to lead school improvement for the benefit of all students. Click to go to website: Slide 3 / th Grade PSI The Earth's Place in the Universe Slide 4 / 104 Table of Contents Click on the topic to go to that section The Universe The Sun The Earth The Universe Observable Patterns Return to Table of Contents Slide 5 / 104 The Universe Slide 6 / 104 The Universe When you hear the word "universe", what images come to mind? What is included in the universe? The Universe includes living things, planets, stars, and galaxies.

2 A galaxy is a collection of stars, gas, and dust bound together by gravity. The Universe contains billions of galaxies, each containing millions or even billions of stars. Slide 7 / 104 Galaxies Slide 8 / 104 Types of Galaxies There are three main types of galaxies. Look at the pictures below. How would you categorize these galaxies. Click in the green boxes to see their current names. Elliptical Irregular Spiral Slide 9 / 104 The Milky Way If you travel away from the big city lights and you look up into the night sky, you will see a bright band in the sky. The ancient Greeks saw this band and called it the milky circle. The Romans changed the name to "Via Lactea", the milky road, or as we now call it the "Milky Way." The Milky Way is our galaxy. Slide 10 / 104 The Milky Way The Milky Way is shaped like a huge whirlpool. Outside the main spiral are about 200 ball-shaped clusters of stars. We live in one of the arms of this large spiral galaxy. The Sun and its planets (including Earth) lie in this quiet part of the galaxy, about half way out from the center. Our Solar System is here Slide 11 / 104 Hubble Ultra Deep Field How many other galaxies are out there? Turns out, more than we thought... Slide 12 / The universe contains which of the following? A Planets B Stars C Galaxies D All of the above Click above to watch a video about Hubble Ultra Deep Field.

3 Slide 13 / Which force holds a galaxy together? Slide 14 / Who helped to name the Milky Way? A Gravity B Intertia C Magnetism D None of the above A Ancient Romans B Ancient Greeks C Cavemen D Both A and B Slide 15 / 104 Slide 16 / What type of galaxy is the Milky Way? A Elliptical B Irregular C Spiral D Linear The Sun Return to Table of Contents Slide 17 / 104 Is there anything odd about this picture? Does this look more familiar? Slide 18 / 104

4 3 Slide 19 / 104 The Sun Slide 20 / 104 Our Sun - "Sol" Both pictures are correct! The sun is a star. Our Sun is not unique in the universe. It is a common, medium-sized yellow star which scientists have named Sol, after the ancient Roman name. This is why our system of planets is called the Solar System. If the sun is a medium sized star, why does it look so big and bright? Slide 21 / 104 Is the Sun the Biggest Star? Slide 22 / 104 This is what stars look like in the sky. Here is the Sun in the sky. Note Note It certainly looks bigger than all the other stars. Can we always trust what we see? Slide 23 / 104 Slide 24 / 104 Street lights Think Much Bigger! These streetlights are all the same size. Use the ruler and measure them. From this perspective, do they look the same size? Just as the street lights seemed to change size with distance, so do stars. These stars are all the same size. Which one is farthest away? 1 2 Explain. Sun

5 Slide 25 / 104 Slide 26 / 104 The sun appears so much larger and brighter than the other stars we usually see in the sky because we are so close to it. The Sun 5 The sun is A a small yellow star. B a medium yellow star. C a large yellow star. The sun is not the brightest star but it is the closest one to us. Slide 27 / Same size objects viewed from the same distance look the same size. Slide 28 / Same size objects viewed from different distance appear different sizes. Yes No Yes No Slide 29 / 104 Distance Distance is measured in a variety of units, depending on what is being measured. What would be an appropriate unit of measure for the examples below? (Think metric!) Slide 30 / 104 Distance What would happen if you measured the distance between your house and the grocery store in centimeters? Distance from your fingers to your shoulder Distance from you to the front of the classroom Distance between your house and the grocery store centimeters meters kilometers

6 Slide 31 / 104 Distance The same idea holds true if we try to measure distance between objects in the universe using units of measure used here on Earth. The universe is a much larger entity so we must use a different unit of measure. Slide 32 / 104 Light-years We measure distances to the Moon, planets and stars in light-years. A light-year is the distance that light can travel in 1 year. How far is that? Light travels about 10 trillion km in one year, or close to 6 trillion miles! This is a picture of the Milky Way as viewed from the mountains in West Virginia. The next nearest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri, about 4.2 light-years away. (Notice it looks larger and brighter than the stars around it. Why is that?) Slide 33 / A light-year is a unit of time. True False Slide 34 / This is a picture of the crab supernova. If the distance between the Earth and the crab supernova is 40,000 trillion km, how many light-years is this? (Remember: light can travel 10 trillion km in one year.) A 400,000 B 40,000 C 4,000 D 400 Slide 35 / 104 Slide 36 / 104 Earth's Rotation The Earth rotates on its axis. The axis is an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole. The Earth How many days does it take for Earth to complete a rotation? 1 Day Return to Table of Contents

7 Slide 37 / 104 Earth's Revolution The path of the Earth around the Sun is called the orbit. The Earth revolves around the sun. Slide 38 / 104 The Tilt of Earth Earth is tilted on its axis at 23.5 degrees. As the Earth revolves around the sun, this tilt causes the sun to be located at different heights in the sky. Sun How many days does it take for the Earth to revolve around the sun? days In winter, the North Pole tilts away from the sun. In summer it tilts toward the Sun. This change in the sun's angle causes the seasons. Slide 39 / 104 Critical Thinking Slide 40 / 104 The Earth and Moon Due to Earth's tilt, the sun hits Earth at a different angle every day. Calculate how many degrees the sun shifts per day. Use the following information: There are 360 degrees in a circle. There are days in a year. The Moon revolves around the Earth, about once per month. Hint Your answer should be written in degrees per day, or degrees divided by days. This picture, taken from space, shows the sun illuminating the Earth and moon. Where would the Sun be in this photo? Put this star where the Sun should be. Slide 41 / 104 The Earth and Moon The Moon also rotates. This rotation is very slow. One rotation takes the same amount of time as its revolution around the Earth. Because of this, the same side of the Moon is facing the Earth at all times. 10 The Earth rotates on its A axis. B axia. C equator. Slide 42 / 104 D orbit.

8 Slide 43 / A is one spin around an axis. Slide 44 / A is one lap around an orbit. A orbit B rotation C revolution D degree A axis B rotation C revolution D degree Slide 45 / How long does one revolution of the Earth around the sun take? A 1 day B 1 month C 1 season D 1 year Slide 46 / What causes the seasons? A The tilt of the Earth as it revolves around the sun B The tilt of the sun as the Earth revolves around it C The tilt of the Earth as it rotates around its axis D The tilt of the moon as it revolves around the Earth Slide 47 / In winter, the North Pole is tilted the sun. A away from B towards Slide 48 / The moon always looks the same because it does not move. True False

9 Slide 49 / 104 Slide 50 / The Moon does not revolve around the Sun. (Think!) True False Observable Patterns Return to Table of Contents Slide 51 / 104 Observable Patterns Due to the positions and movement of the Earth and Moon around the Sun, we can see patterns on a regular basis. Slide 52 / 104 Pattern 1 - Day and Night Earlier, you put the Sun on this photo. What are the people on Earth experiencing when they are at position A? B? Sun The moon is missing from this animation. How many times will the moon orbit the Earth during one of Earth's revolutions? A B Slide 53 / 104 Slide 54 / 104 Pattern 1 - Day and Night As the Earth rotates, only the side facing the Sun is in daylight. 18 What causes the pattern of day and night? A The Earth's rotation around the sun. Day Night B The Earth's rotation around its axis. C The Earth's revolution around the sun. D The Earth's revolution around its axis. Notice how the lights turn on as countries enter the night side of the Earth.

10 Slide 55 / The Sun does not shine when it is night time. True False Slide 56 / 104 Pattern 2 The next pattern we will look at is the answer to the following riddle: I follow you around in the light, I say good bye to you in the night? Who am I? Slide 57 / 104 Slide 58 / 104 Answer: Your shadow! A shadow is the absence of light. When an object blocks light, it creates a shadow. Slide 59 / 104 Have you ever noticed that your shadow is longest in the early morning and in the late afternoon? Slide 60 / 104 Add the shadows or suns to the pictures in the place where they belong. Did you get shorter? Did you grow? No? Then what happened? Think about these questions as you complete the following exercises.

11 Answers Slide 61 / 104 Add the arrow's shadow from the sun at. Slide 62 / pm Your experiences may have made this a simple task. Did you know there is a pattern of shadows everyday? Choose from these shadows. Slide 63 / 104 Slide 64 / 104 Answer 12 pm Add the arrow's shadow from the sun at. 12 pm Choose from these shadows. Slide 65 / 104 Slide 66 / 104 Answer 12 pm Add the arrow's shadow from the sun at 12 pm. 12 pm Choose from these shadows.

12 Slide 67 / 104 Slide 68 / 104 Answer 12 pm Add the arrow's shadow 12 pm from the sun at. Choose from these shadows. Slide 69 / 104 Slide 70 / 104 Answer 12 pm Add the arrow's shadow from the sun at. 12 pm Choose from these shadows. Slide 71 / 104 Slide 72 / pm In small groups, think about the shadows in the previous exercises. What features of the shadows changed during the day? length direction How did the shadow at compare to the shadow at? Same length but opposite direction. At what time(s) were shadows the longest? The shortest? Longest at and and shortest at noon.

13 Slide 73 / 104 Based on your observations about shadows, write a statement that describes the pattern of shadows. Slide 74 / Shadows form when an object blocks light. True False Click above to watch a shadow dance by the Pilobolus Dance Company. Think about how the dance was choreographed in order to make each shadow. Slide 75 / During the day, shadows change in response to what? A The sun's brightness B The earth's revolution C The sun's angle Slide 76 / The position of a shadow always follows a line beyond the line drawn from the Sun to the object. True False D The earth's tilt Slide 77 / At what time would a shadow be the longest? A 8 am B noon C D Slide 78 / If you are standing at the same location, how would your shadow differ from 7 am to 5 pm? A It would be the same length but facing the opposite direction. B It would be shorter but facing the opposite direction. C It would be longer but facing the opposite direction. D it would be shorter but facing the same direction.

14 Slide 79 / 104 Pattern 3 - Moon Phases Slide 80 / 104 Pattern 3 - Moon Phases The Moon seems to change its appearance. This is a very reliable pattern called the Moon Phases. As the Moon revolves around the Earth, the side of the Moon visible to us is not always fully lit by the Sun. Watch the time stamp - how many days does a full cycle take? 28 days. Notice the moons on the orbit. They are always 1/2 lit by the sun. On Earth, we can only see the portion of the moon that is lit by the sun. Slide 81 / 104 Pattern 3 - Moon Phases Slide 82 / 104 Pattern 3 - Moon Phases Position 1 is a "New Moon." This is when the moon is between Earth and the sun. The moon looks dark to us. From positions 1-5, we see more of the Moon, which is called "waxing." Position 5 is a "Full Moon." We see the entire 1/2 that is lit by the sun. From positions 5-8 we see less of the Moon, which is called "waning." Source: Nasa.gov Click here to watch a video about the moon's phases. Remember: The moon is always 1/2 lit by the sun. It looks different to us because of the angle between where the moon is in its orbit and where we are on Earth. Slide 83 / The Moon changes size during a month. Slide 84 / The Moon phase that is the brightest is True False A New Moon B Full Moon C Quarter Moon D Crescent Moon

15 Slide 85 / When the moon appears to be getting bigger, it is A waxing. B waning. Slide 86 / 104 The ancient Greeks looked at the sky and imagined pictures in the star formations. We call these constellations. Slide 87 / 104 Hide-and-Seek Star Activity Why do we only see the stars at night? Conduct this activity and discuss as a class. Then, click below to reveal the answer. Slide 88 / 104 Constellations were useful for ancient communities because most constellations are only visible in the night sky during certain months of the year. Ancient people were able to use the constellations as a calendar. For example, Orion becomes visible right before the start of winter. The reason we cannot see the stars during the day is because of the sun. The sun is the closest star to us and it is our source of light. It is just like the thousands of stars that we see in the night sky, except that the sun is much closer to us than any of the other stars. When the sun is shining during the day, the light it gives off is so bright, that it outshines all other stars. Spring Fall Summer Winter Source: Slide 89 / 104 Slide 90 / 104 Ancient communities did not have modern technology, such as GPS. Constellations were used for navigation. For example, by looking at the angle of Polaris (North Star) in the sky, you can determine your latitude. A constellation is a group of stars. Each point in a constellation is composed of an individual star. This is the constellation Orion, the hunter. Notice the three stars (Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka) that compose Orion's belt.

16 Slide 91 / 104 Slide 92 / 104 Here is Orion again with fewer lines drawn in. Can you still see it? How about now? Slide 93 / 104 Knowing one constellation can often help you to find other constellations or stars. Slide 94 / 104 If you sat and watched the stars all night, you would notice that they appear to move across the sky. This is similar to how the sun moves across the sky during the day. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (big and little bears). The Big Dipper can be used to find the North Star, or Polaris. Think back to why it appears that the sun moves across the sky. Why do you think it also appears that the stars are moving? The stars positions appear to change as the Earth rotates on its axis. Click here to watch a time lapse of the changing night sky. Slide 95 / 104 Slide 96 / 104 Let's think about why most constellations are only visible during some months. Pretend you are a mouse. You decide to take a walk around a track. x You are at the "x." There is a bear in the middle of the track that you can always see. There are various landmarks around the track (flowers, smiley faces etc.) that you see when you are near them, but not all the time.

17 Slide 97 / 104 Take this idea and apply it to Earth: We are tiny specks on this Earth model. As we go around our orbit, the stars we can see change. Like the mouse on the track. Slide 98 / 104 Relative to the Earth, the stars are fixed, or still in the sky. What we see changes over the course of a year in a regular, predictable way as the Earth revolves around the sun. Sun Earth Sun Earth Slide 99 / 104 Slide 100 / 104 The North Star is at the top of an imaginary dome over the whole orbit. We can always see it in the Northern Hemisphere. Think about the information on the previous slides. What three things determine what constellations you are able to see in the night sky? Ursa Major Earth's rotation Earth's revolution Location on Earth What about if you live in the Southern Hemisphere? Can you see the Big Dipper? Slide 101 / 104 Slide 102 / The positions of stars change every year. True False 29 Stars in the sky appear to change during the night because of A Earth's revolution. B varying brightness of the stars. C Earth's rotation. D your location on Earth.

18 Slide 103 / The constellations visible in the sky change from month to month because of Slide 104 / What factors contribute to what stars are visible to you at a specific time? (Choose all that apply.) A Earth's revolution. B the birth of new stars. C Earth's rotation. D your location on Earth. A The moon's rotation B Your location on Earth C Earth's revolution D Earth's rotation