The Real Reasons for Seasons

Teri Estrada

Introduction

Developed in partnership with NASA, and written by Alan Gould, Carolyn Willard, and Stephen Pompea, The Real Reasons for the Seasons: Sun Earth Connections is a comprehensive exploration of the reasons for Earth’s seasons. The guide is intended for middle school students (grades 6-8). Students will “take a Trip to the Sun, determine the real shape of the Earth’s orbit, evaluate actual data on world temperature and hours of sunlight in different locations, and model how the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth affects its concentration.” Throughout the eight activities students continue to develop their science and mathematics content while developing “abilities essential in scientific investigation.” Taught in its entirety, the guide takes about two weeks to teach; while individual activities can be taught in one to two days. Estimated instructional times are contingent upon the length of each class and the amount of pre-teaching required making the investigation beneficial for all students.

University of California Regents. (2009). http://lhsgems.org/GEMSSeasons.html