Year 7 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 8
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Learning Goals
Because… chain
Fill in the missing steps. This chain explains why we see the Sun rise in the east each morning.
Overall conclusion:
Real-world context
On Christmas Day it can be over 30 degrees Celsius at Bondi Beach in Sydney, while at the very same time it is freezing in London. The two cities are the same distance from the Sun on that date. The difference is that Sydney is in the Southern Hemisphere and London is in the Northern Hemisphere. The Earth's axis is tilted by about 23.5 degrees and always points the same way as the Earth orbits the Sun, so the two hemispheres take turns leaning toward the Sun across the year.
(a) Sort each event below into its correct cause. Write rotation, orbit or tilt next to each one.
| Event on Earth | Cause |
|---|---|
| The Sun appears to rise in the east each morning | |
| One whole year passes from one birthday to the next | |
| Australia is hot in December and cold in June | |
| It is daytime in Perth while it is night in New Zealand |
(b) Explain why it is summer in Sydney but winter in London on the same December day. Make it clear why distance from the Sun cannot be the reason.
(c) Six months after a hot Sydney Christmas, in June, what season will Sydney have and what season will London have? Explain why they swap.
1. A student says "The Sun moves around the Earth once a day, that is why we get day and night." Explain what is wrong with this, and give the correct explanation.
2. Why can scientists predict the date that summer will begin in Australia years in advance? Use the word predictable in your answer.
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?