Part I: What Time Is It? A Model of Day and Night Find a place in a circle around the lamp where no one is between you and the lamp. Once you face the lamp, answer questions 1-3 below. 1. If the sticker represents the location of your school, is the Sun rising, overhead, or setting on your school? 2. What time of day would it be at the school? 3. Draw a diagram to show the location of the Sun in relation to your school. Then make a ¼ turn to your left so that your right ear is pointed at the lamp, answer questions 4-6 below. 4. Where is the Sun in relation to your school now? 5. What time of day would it be at the school? 6. Draw a diagram to show the location of the Sun in relation to your school. 1
Part I: What Time Is It? A Model of Day and Night, continued After making a ¼ turn to your left so that your back is facing the lamp, answer questions 7-10 below. 7. Where is the Sun in relation to your school now? 8. What time is it? 9. If your head represents Earth, where would it be noon? 10. Draw a diagram of where the Sun is in relation to your school. After making a ¼ turn to your left so that your left ear is pointed toward the lamp, answer questions 11-13. 11. Where is the Sun in relation to your school now? 12. What is the time of day? 13. Draw a diagram of where the Sun is in relation to your school. 14. What motion, rotation, or revolution, causes day and night? How long is the process? 2
Part II: The Seasonal Tilt and Whirl Use this guide to help you move around the room. At each position, record your observations in the chart below. Remember you are moving counterclockwise (left). C B A H G 1. Predict what the positions marked with an X represent. D F E 2. Fill in the data chart as you move to each position. Identify the season in the Northern Hemisphere. Position A Description of Light on Globe Season in Northern Hemisphere B C D E F G H 3
Part II: The Seasonal Tilt and Whirl, continued 3. At position C, how was the amount of light different in the two hemispheres? 4. Position C shows Earth in the month of June. What season would it be in June in the Southern Hemisphere? 5. At Position G, how was the amount of light different in the two hemispheres? 6. What month is Earth in at Position G? How do you know? 7. Position A and Position E have Earth receiving equal amounts of sunlight in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. What seasons occur at these points? Why? 8. What do the locations marked with an X represent? 9. At which location does the South Pole receive 24 hours of daylight? 10. At which location does the North Pole receive 24 hours of darkness? 11. What two things cause seasons on Earth? 4
Part III: The Sun s Warming Power 1. Label the illuminated rays with perpendicular rays as Direct Rays and the illuminated rays with slanted rays circle as Indirect Rays. 2. Approximately, how many squares are in the Direct Rays illuminated rays? 3. At any given second, how much energy does each square receive when directly illuminated? 4. Approximately, how many squares are in the Indirect Rays illuminated shape? 5. At any given second, how much energy does each square receive when indirectly illuminated? 6. Both illuminated shapes receive the same total amount of energy but the individual squares receive different amounts of energy when comparing direct to indirect rays. Do direct or indirect rays deliver more energy to a square? 7. Which illuminated shape models a situation where a cone of ice cream would melt the fastest, the direct rays or indirect rays. 8. Which illuminated shape models the most concentrated heat energy, the direct rays or the indirect rays? 9. Based on this demonstration, do you think when do you expect that the Sun s rays are more direct, in the summer or the winter? 5
Reflections and Conclusions 1. What is the difference between rotation and revolution? Give examples of each type. 2. What contributes to change of seasons on Earth? 3. How can modeling the movement of Earth help us understand the reason for the seasons? 6