View From Earth – Unit Notes
Activity 1
Key Terms:
Cloud Cover
Precipitation
Severe Weather
Temperature
Thermometer
Weather
Wind
Wind Vane
Concepts:
By watching weather over a period of time, you can see patterns in temperature, wind direction, precipitation,
cloud cover, and sun position. Patterns will allow you to make predictions about what the weather will be from
day to day and over the seasons.
Meteorologists and other scientists use radar and other technology tools to study, track, predict, and report the
weather.
The sun changes its position in the sky as seasons change. During the summer in the northern hemisphere the
sun is directly overhead at noon. During the winter in the northern hemisphere the sun only reaches about 2/3’s
of the way up into the sky.
Activity 2
Key Terms:
Moon
Natural Satellite
Observation
Point of Reference
Concepts:
The moon is a natural satellite seen in our sky almost nightly.
Due to Earth’s counter-clockwise rotation, the moon appears to move across the sky from east to west.
Observing the moon during the day can be difficult. It may be cloudy or the moon may not be visible.
The moon rises and sets at a later time each day. Moon rise and set times can be found on-line.
Using a point on reference, students can see changes in the position of the moon.
Activity 3
Key Terms:
Apparent Movement
Day
Earth’s Axis
Night
Rotation
Spin
Sun
Concepts:
Due to the earth’s counter-clockwise rotation, the sun appears to move across the sky from east to west.
The Earth has day and night because we spin (rotate) on an axis. Sometimes our side of the Earth faces
towards the sun and we have daytime. Sometimes our side of the Earth faces away from the sun and we have
night time.
It takes 24 hours for the Earth to make one complete rotation (spin).
Activity 4
Key Terms:
Cycle
Month
Moon
Phase
Orbit
Reflect
Revolution
Visible Shape
Concepts:
The moon does not make its own light. The moon appears lit up because it reflects sunlight.
The moon orbits (revolves) around the Earth about once a month (every 29½ days). The moon spins (rotates)
about once a month (every 27.3 days). Because the moon revolves around the Earth and rotates once
on its axis both in about a month, the same side of the moon always faces the Earth.
The moon appears to change shape because the side of the moon reflecting sunlight gradually faces toward or
away from the earth. These shape changes are called moon phases. As the moon builds from the right side to a
full moon, we say it is waxing. As the moon gradually goes away (The right side is disappearing.) we say it is
waning. The cycle of the moon phases is: waxing crescent, 1st quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning
gibbous, third (or last) quarter, waning crescent, and new moon. This cycle repeats about once a month.
Activity 5
Key Term:
Earth
Concepts:
Large objects appear smaller when they are farther away.
Astronomers use binoculars and telescopes to make far away objects appear closer.
The sun is 400 times bigger than the moon. The sun is 400 times farther away from the Earth than the moon.
This causes the moon and sun to appear to be the same size in the sky.
Activity 6
Key Terms:
Diameter
Volume
Relative Distance
Relative Size
Concepts:
The moon’s diameter is ¼ of Earth’s diameter. Diameter is a line directly through the middle of a circle. You can
fit 50 moons inside the Earth.
The distance from the Earth to the moon is about 30 diameters of the Earth.
Activity 7
Key Terms:
Ability to Support Life
Breathable Atmosphere
Capable
Produce Light
Concepts:
The sun, moon, and Earth have similarities and differences that can be observed and measured. They can be
compared by size, shape, location, composition, (solid or gas), the ability to sustain life, and the ability to
produce its own light.
Comparing the Sun, Moon,
and Earth
Activity 8
Key Terms:
Year
Concepts:
The Moon spins once each time it orbits the Earth.
The moon orbits the Earth with the same side facing the Earth throughout its orbit.
The Earth spins (rotates) slightly more than 365 times each time it orbits the sun.
The Earth makes one complete turn each day.
It takes the earth one year to orbit around the sun. We revolve (orbit) around the sun counter-clockwise.
Activity 9
Key Terms:
Calendar
Week
Concepts:
It takes the Earth one day to spin (rotate) once. The Earth spins 7 times in one week.
It takes the moon about 1 month to orbit around the Earth. It also takes the moon about 1 month to spin around
once.
It takes the Earth 365 days to revolve (orbit) around the sun. 365 days is the same amount of time as 1 year, or
52 weeks, or 12 months, or 4 seasons.
Activity 10
Key Terms:
Season
Tilt
Concepts:
The Earth spins (rotates) on a tilted axis. The tilt is at a 23.5˚ angle.
During our summer the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun and receives direct sunlight, causing
warmer temperatures. The sun will be directly overhead at noon.
During our winter the northern hemisphere is pointed away from the sun and receives only indirect sunlight. This
causes colder temperatures and the sun to be lower in the sky.
Seasons are caused by orbiting the sun on a tilted axis.
Activity 11
Key Terms:
Ancient Life Forms
Modern Life Forms
Extinct
Rock Layers
Concepts:
Rock layers and fossils provide evidence of Earth’s past.
Paleontologists and geologists observe and compare rock layers and fossils with modern living things.
Ancient life forms (Life forms from many thousands of years ago.) are preserved in fossils. Changes that have
occurred in life forms over millions of years can be found by studying fossils. Fossils provide important evidence
to help determine what happened in earth’s history and when it happened.
Rocks layers also help paleontologists and geologists learn about the history of the Earth. Rock layers help
scientists tell the relative age of each layer and the relative age of the fossils included within the layers. The
bottom layer is usually the oldest and the top layer the youngest.
Activity 12
Key Term:
Fossil
Concepts:
Some fossils are created when plants and animals become petrified. Dead plants or animals become covered in
sand or mud in a body of water. The animal decays until only the bones are left. Then, either minerals fill up
every space in the bones or minerals replace small particles of the bone a little at a time. In petrified wood,
minerals replace particles or the wood a little at a time. Some fossils are formed by filling in spaces where
footprints were left or bodies decayed.
Paleontologists (scientists who study fossils and layers of the Earth) are able to compare the fossilized remains
of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago with plant and animals that continue to live on earth today.
Using this information, they can determine how plants and animals and the climate have changed over long
periods of time.
Activity 13
Concepts:
The visible shape of the moon follows a predictable pattern that is due to the position of the sun, moon, and
earth as the Earth orbits around the sun and the moon orbits around the Earth. The moon follows a pattern, or
cycle, from a new moon to a full moon and back to a new moon.
The moon does not generate its own light. The light from the moon is reflected light from the sun.
The moon does not actually change shape. From Earth, we may only see part of the lit half of the moon, all of
the lit half of the moon, or none of the lit half of the moon, depending on the position of the sun, moon, and Earth
As the earth spins on its axis, different portions of the lighted side of the moon are visible from Earth.
The moon cycle takes approximately one month and begins all over again.
Moon Phases
Activity 14
Key Terms:
Data
Evidence
Concepts:
Scientists use data collected over a long period of time to compare and find patterns in temperature, wind speed
and direction, cloud cover, and precipitation.
Students examine their data they collected to see if they can find trends and relationships that indicate a change
in the season, such as increasing or decreasing temperatures, and a change in precipitation, a change in the
direction of wind, and a change in the apparent position of the sun in the sky. Their data is used as evidence of
a pattern or trend in weather conditions signifying a season change.
Students learned to make clear concise claims based on evidence from class data and scientific reasoning that
refers to the weather related to the seasons and the tilt of the Earth.