Year 7 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 8
Foundation Worksheet
Learning Goals
Fill the gap
Choose the correct word from the word bank. Each word is used at most once. Two words are not needed: cross them out.
Day and night are caused by the Earth on its axis. One full turn takes about . The half of the Earth facing the Sun has . The Earth turns toward the , so the Sun only to move across the sky. One of the Sun takes about and gives us a year. The seasons are caused by the of the Earth’s axis.
True or false? Fix the false ones
Circle T or F. If a statement is false, correct it on the line.
1. The Sun really travels across our sky each day while the Earth stays still.
Correct it:
2. Day and night are caused by the Earth rotating on its axis once every 24 hours.
Correct it:
3. When the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, it is summer in Australia.
Correct it:
4. The seasons are caused by the Earth moving closer to and further from the Sun.
Correct it:
5. The Earth spins about 365 times during one orbit of the Sun.
Correct it:
Sort it: what causes it?
Write each event in the box for its cause. The boxes do not all hold the same number of items.
Rotation
Orbit
Tilt
1. The Sun is shining on the Earth from the left. Draw the Earth, shade its night half, and label day, night and the axis. Add an arrow to show that the Earth spins.
Read the data: watching the Sun
Scenario: a day on the school oval
On an autumn day in Sydney, a Year 7 class stood in the same spot on the oval and recorded where the Sun was at different times. They never looked straight at the Sun.
| Time | Where the Sun was |
|---|---|
| 7:30 am | Low, just above the eastern horizon |
| 10:00 am | Higher, in the eastern part of the sky |
| 1:00 pm | At its highest point of the day |
| 4:00 pm | Lower, in the western part of the sky |
| 6:45 pm | Low, just above the western horizon |
| 8:00 pm | Not in the sky: it was dark |
Source: sample class observations.
2. Describe the pattern in Table 1, from morning to night.
3. Sam says: “Table 1 proves the Sun travels around the Earth every day.” Explain what is really happening. Use the word rotation.
4. Explain why Australia has summer around December and winter around June. Say why the Earth’s distance from the Sun cannot be the reason.
Fill the gap
rotating; 24 hours; daytime; east; appears; orbit; 365.25 days; tilt. Not used: west, distance.
True or false
1. False: the Earth rotates; the Sun only appears to move. 2. True. 3. True. 4. False: the seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis. 5. True.
Sort it: what causes it?
Rotation (3): the Sun seems to rise in the east; the Sun seems to set in the west; day, then night, every 24 hours. Orbit (2): a year between birthdays; a leap day every four years. Tilt (3): summer days are longer; summer in Sydney, winter in London; hot Decembers, cold Junes in Australia.
Question 1
Right half shaded as night, left half day, facing the Sun (1); day and night labelled (1); axis drawn through the centre and labelled, with a curved arrow showing the spin (1). [3 marks]
Read the data: watching the Sun
2. The Sun rises low in the east and climbs to its highest point about 1 pm (1), then sinks in the west and is gone by 8 pm (1). [2 marks]
3. Sam is wrong: the Earth is rotating on its axis toward the east (1). Sydney is carried from the night side into the sunlit side and back again (1), so the Sun only appears to move across the sky (1). [3 marks]
Question 4
Marking guide: 1 the Earth’s axis is tilted (about 23.5°) and points the same way all year; 1 in December the Southern Hemisphere leans toward the Sun, in June away; 1 toward the Sun: more direct sunlight and longer days, so summer; 1 away: slanted sunlight and shorter days, so winter; 1 distance ruled out: on any day the whole Earth is the same distance from the Sun, yet the Northern Hemisphere has the opposite season. [5 marks]
Model answer: The Earth’s axis is tilted and points the same way all year. In December the Southern Hemisphere leans toward the Sun, so sunlight hits Australia more directly and days are longer: summer. In June it leans away, so the light is slanted and days are short: winter. Distance cannot be the reason: the whole Earth is the same distance from the Sun on any day, yet London has winter when Sydney has summer.
Common error: saying the Earth is closer to the Sun in summer.