The Reason for the Seasons: How the Earth and Sun Interact to Create Seasons

• This interactive simulation depicts Earth's orbit around the Sun to demonstrate the changing seasons.
• Students can manipulate the simulation with various controls and change the view, add rotation, add or change the speed of the orbit, or see where the Earth is in its orbit during a specific month.

Positives

• The few simple controls will help students not to be overwhelmed.
• The map view clearly shows students where the sun's energy is most concentrated at different points in the year.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should know the sun's role in the seasons and how the Earth orbits around the Sun.
• Walk students through the controls before having them do any independent exploration.

Differentiation

• Discuss how the Earth's orbit and rotation affect the climate of different regions. Extend the discussion to evaluate how those climates are changing.
• Creative writing classes can have students imagine their year with a different orbit and rotation. How are the seasons different?
• Math students can analyze the data on the side of the simulation and toggle on or off the insolation curve, which provides the data for the amount of energy from the Sun at different latitudes.
• Students in social studies classes can research and discuss how different groups in the past have interpreted and used knowledge about the Earth's rotation and orbit to influence their calendars and culture.
• Have students identify the solstices and equinoxes using the simulator.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.