Name
5.1 Act 4
Date
Core
Earth Rotates and it Orbits
1. Look at each image of Earth and …..
A
B
A. Describe the type of motion occurring for each image
a. Image A
The Earth is rotating or spinning on its axis. One rotation equals 1 day.
b. Image B
The Earth is revolving or traveling around the sun. One revolution equals 1 year.
2. How many times does Earth rotate around its axis during one orbit around the Sun?
365 or 365.25 days
3. The term “Orbital Period” is described as the time it takes one body to orbit another
body. So how long is Earth’s orbital period?
1 year or 365 days
©American Modeling Teachers Association 2014
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MSS Gr7 U5.1 Act 4
A
B
4. A. Which image of the sun at noon is from a summer month? How do you know?
Explain.
Path A is showing summer because it is higher in the sky which gives more
daylight hours and more direct sunlight
B. Which image is from winter? How do you know? Explain.
Path B is showing winter because it is lower in the sky which gives less daylight
hours and less direct sunlight.
5. A. If the sun appears higher at noon, will it spend more or less time in the sky during
the day?
If the sun is higher in the sky at noon it will spend more time in the sky as it has a
greater distance to travel from horizon to horizon.
B. If the sun appears higher at noon, will there be more or fewer daylight hours?
If the sun is higher in the sky at noon, there will be more daylight hours.
©American Modeling Teachers Association 2014
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MSS Gr7 U5.1 Act 4
C. How do think that will affect the sun’s ability to transfer energy to heat Earth’s
surface?
If there are more daylight hours, it provides longer periods of time for the sun to
transfer energy to Earth making it warmer.
D. Does your thinking match typical seasonal temperature changes?
Yes, more daylight and direct sun in the summer when we have higher
temperatures. In the winter we have less daylight hours and indirect sunlight and the
temperature is lower.
6. A. Label the image below with Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice, Autumnal Equinox,
and Vernal Equinox.
B. Also add some arrows to show the direction Earth rotates on its axis and direction it
Vernal Equinox
orbits the sun.
Winter Solstice
Summer
Solstice
Autumnal Equinox
©American Modeling Teachers Association 2014
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MSS Gr7 U5.1 Act 4