4. What verb is used to describe Earth s

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1 Name: Date: 1 Read the text and then answer the questions. No matter where on Earth you live, you have day and night. That happens because of a movement of Earth called rotation. Earth rotates, or turns, on an imaginary line called an axis. Imagine a line that starts at the North Pole and goes straight through Earth to the South Pole. That is Earth s axis. About every 24 hours, Earth rotates around that axis. To get an idea of how the Earth rotates, try this. Spin a basketball around, and you will see that it spins around in a circle. The basketball is rotating around its axis, just as Earth rotates around its axis. You see daylight when your part of Earth is facing the sun. You see darkness when Earth has turned so that your part of Earth faces away from the sun. 1. What is this text mostly about? A the North Pole B what it is like at night C how Earth turns on its axis D basketball 2. According to the facts in this text, when do people see daylight? A when part of Earth is facing the sun B when people see darkness C when part of Earth is facing away from the sun D when people see the South Pole 4. What verb is used to describe Earth s movement around its axis? A the South Pole B an axis C rotation D darkness 5. What does the phrase to get an idea mean in this text? A to visualize something B to speak something C to try something D to learn something / 5 3. Which word is a synonym for rotate? A imaginary B the North Pole C axis D turn Shell Education # Days of Reading for Sixth Grade 195

2 2 Name: Date: Read the text and then answer the questions. Our Earth does not just rotate on its axis. It also revolves, or turns, around the sun. Earth revolves around the sun because of the sun s gravity. That gravity pulls Earth toward the sun. But Earth is far away from the sun it is about 93 million miles away. So Earth s revolutions do not happen quickly. Each revolution of Earth around the sun takes about 365 days, or one year. The path that Earth takes around the sun is called its orbit. You might think of that path as a circle, but actually, it isn t a perfect circle. Earth s orbit is oval, much like the shape of an egg. Earth rotates and revolves, but you do not feel that motion because you rotate and revolve with the planet. / 5 1. What is this text mostly about? A how Earth was formed B how Earth moves around the sun C what an axis is D where the planets are located 2. Why do we not feel Earth s motion? A because we are not moving B because Earth does not move C because Earth takes many years to revolve around the sun D because we are moving at the same speed as Earth 4. Which verb means the same as turns? A revolves B axis C pulls D gravity 5. Which word means the force that pulls Earth toward the sun? A gravity B axis C rotation D revolution 3. Which word is defined as Earth s path around the sun? A axis B rotation C orbit D gravity 196 # Days of Reading for Sixth Grade Shell Education

3 Name: Date: 3 Read the text and then answer the questions. Our Earth has seasons because of the tilt of Earth s axis. Remember that Earth rotates on its axis, and that is why we have day and night. But that axis does not go straight up and down; it is slightly tilted. So as Earth revolves around the sun, different parts of Earth are tilted toward the sun and get more sunlight. For example, in June, July, and August, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun. So people who live there have longer days and warmer weather it is summer there. But people in the Southern Hemisphere have winter at that time. During December, January, and February, the opposite happens the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun. So it gets longer days and warmer weather. Those are summer months there. But people in the Northern Hemisphere have winter at that time. 1. According to this text, what causes seasons? A the Southern Hemisphere B Earth s revolution C the Northern Hemisphere D the tilt of Earth s axis 2. What is true about December, January, and February? A It is summer in the Southern Hemisphere. B It is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. C There is more sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere. D There is no sunlight at all anywhere on Earth. 3. What is the definition of tilted? A straight B slanted C tiny D important 4. Which of the following words is used as a verb in the text? A sunlight B people C tilted D warmer 5. What meaning do both revolution and rotation share? A warms B grows C turns D cools / 5 Shell Education # Days of Reading for Sixth Grade 197

4 S 4 5 Name: Date: Earth is not the only planet in the solar system that moves. All of the planets do that. The sun s gravity is very strong, so it pulls all of the planets toward it. That is why all of the planets revolve around the sun. And each planet rotates on its own axis, too. But there are many differences in the way the planets rotate and revolve. The Planets Get Moving Each planet takes a different amount of time to travel around the sun. The chart tells you how long it takes each planet to do that. Look at the amount of time each planet the Solar System needs to go around the sun. Do you notice any pattern in those times? Here is a hint: Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, and Neptune is the most distant planet. The closer a planet is to the sun, the less time it takes to travel around the sun. Each planet also takes a different amount of time to rotate on its axis. The chart shows you that information. Here are a few interesting things about the planets. Uranus and Venus are the only two planets that rotate backward. Every other planet, including Earth, rotates in the other direction. Also, Uranus does not have a vertical axis the way Earth does. Its axis is horizontal. So it rotates on its side! Venus has the slowest rotation. A rotation takes longer than a revolution does. Why don t Venus and Uranus move the way the other planets do? Many scientists have a theory about that. They think that a large asteroid might have hit those planets millions of years ago. A hit like that could change a planet s rotation. Then, the planet might rotate in the other direction. It could also make a planet rotate on its side. Planet Revolution in Earth Time Rotation Mercury 88 days 59 days Venus 225 days 243 days Earth 365 days 24 hours Mars 687 days 26 hours Jupiter 12 years 10 hours Saturn 29 years 10 hours Uranus 84 years 18 hours Neptune 164 years 19 hours 198 # Days of Reading for Sixth Grade Shell Education

5 Name: Date: 4 Read The Planets Get Moving and then answer the questions. 1. The chart shows which planets have the same rotation time? A Jupiter and Venus B Earth and Venus C Saturn and Mercury D Jupiter and Saturn 2. Which of these planets has the shortest rotation time? A Jupiter B Venus C Mercury D Uranus 5. What is a reason for reading this text? A to learn how the planets move B to decide to become a scientist C to read a personal story D to learn how asteroids are formed 6. Why does Neptune take longer to go around the sun than Earth does? A It is farther from the sun than Earth. B It is much larger than Earth. C It is closer to the sun than Earth. D It is much smaller than Earth. 3. If there were a planet closer to the sun than Mercury, it would likely A be much bigger than Mercury. B take more time to travel around the sun than Mercury does. C be the same size as Mercury. D take less time to travel around the sun than Mercury does. 4. Why do scientists think Venus and Uranus move differently than the other planets do? A They are the largest planets in our solar system. B They are both very small planets. C They may have been hit by an asteroid. D They are very close together. 7. How are all the planets in the solar system alike? A They all revolve around the sun. B They rotate on a horizontal axis. C They all rotate at the same speed. D They all have a vertical axis. 8. What does it mean for a planet to be farther from the sun? A It takes a planet longer to travel around the sun. B It takes a planet a shorter time to travel around the sun. C It takes a planet the same time as closer planets to travel around the sun. D The planet is unable to travel around the sun. 6. Y N 7. Y N 8. Y N / 8 Shell Education # Days of Reading for Sixth Grade 199

6 / 4 5 Name: Date: Reread The Planets Get Moving. Then, read the prompt and respond on the lines below. What do you think it would be like if Earth were as far away from the sun as Jupiter is? What would happen to its revolution? Would its rotation change? Explain your answer. 200 # Days of Reading for Sixth Grade Shell Education