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Primary
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Science Education Center:tis the Season for a Reason

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
A professional development video exploring students misconception over the reason for Earth's season. This video addresses a way to help students understand how Earth's orbit contributes to the seasons. [11:56]
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Website
Oklahoma Mesonet

Oklahoma Climatological Survey: The Seasons

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out what the seasons are and how they change. Through the use of excellent graphics, content explores the Earth's orbit around the sun and how sunlight reaches the earth at equinox and the winter solstice.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Season

For Students 9th - 10th
Encyclopedia entry for the seasons. Click on each specific season for more information.
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Handout
NASA

Nasa: Space Place: What Causes the Seasons?

For Students 3rd - 7th
A fun resource that teaches students the reasons why Earth's four seasons happen they way they do.
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Website
NASA

Nasa Star Child: The Planet Earth

For Students 3rd - 8th
Facts about the Earth including its orbit, its atmosphere, and its landforms. Includes a discussion question on seasons, with facts about them, and the answer. A linked page covers similar material in a "Level 2" version, and has a...
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Website
NASA

Nasa Star Child: A Song for All Seasons

For Students 9th - 10th
After listening to excerpts from four of the violin concertos from "The Four Seasons" by Italian composer and violinist, Antonio Vivaldi, decide which excerpt was meant to go with which season, and also decide where the earth would be in...
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Lesson Plan
Illustrative Mathematics

Illustrative Mathematics: G Mg Tilt of Earth's Axis and the Four Seasons

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This task gives learners a chance to explore the effects of the Earth's tilt and rotation using a simple geometric model of Earth-Sun interaction that shows why the seasons occur. Aligns with G-MG.A.1.
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Interactive
PBS

Pbs: Why Do We Have Seasons?

For Students 5th - 8th
A student-directed tutorial showing all aspects of seasons, including Earth's tilt position in relation to the sun, photos of typical weather during that season, and some informational text to support the visuals.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Modeling Earth's Seasons by Rotation and Revolution

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this lesson, learners will discuss, define, and demonstrate the Earth's rotation and revolution around the sun in a counterclockwise position. They will be able to predict seasons based on the amount of light that hits the Earth.
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: The Sun and the Earth

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The students will understand the relationship between the Earth and the sun and how this relationship affects observable phenomena on Earth, such as the seasons. The activity will help students learn about these concepts and will...
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Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Fifth Grade Science: Earth Science: Earth's Motion in Space

For Students 5th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Discusses the motion of the Earth with its day and night cycle, the seasons, the Earth's orbit around the Sun, and its year-long cycle.
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Activity
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Plix: Seasons

For Students 7th - 9th
[Free Registration/Login Required] View how the axis of rotation causes Earth to have seasons on this site. Also test your knowledge on how the position of Earth and seasons relate with a short quiz.
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Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: What Causes the Seasons?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this activity, students' will explore how the tilt of the earth's axis results in different amounts of solar radiation at different times of the year, causing seasons. They will simulate the earth's warming using a light bulb that...
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Lesson Plan
The Wonder of Science

The Wonder of Science: Ms Ess1 1: Earth Sun Moon System

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Develop and use a model of the earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
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Unit Plan
E-learning for Kids

E Learning for Kids: Science: Atlantis: Defining Seasons All Over the World

For Students K - 1st
Discover the seasons together with the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Did you know it is summer on Atlantis when it is winter in Australia?
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Activity
Harvard University

Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground: The Earth's Orbit

For Students 3rd - 8th
Students perform many inquiry activities related to Earth's orbit. Included are recording daily temperatures, observing the sun's path over several weeks, tracking sunrise and sunset times, and angle of sunlight. Diagrams make lessons...
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Website
Geography 4 kids

Geography4 kids.com: Seasonal Wetlands

For Students 3rd - 8th
Identify the four types of seasonal wetlands found across the earth. There are fresh water and salt water marshes, bogs, and swamps.
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Article
Other

Earth Sky: Everything You Need to Know: December Solstice 2014

For Students 9th - 10th
Winter solstice, earliest sunset, latest sunrise. It seems that, in the Northern Hemisphere anyway, these three events should happen on the same day. Read this explanation of the changing of the seasons and learn why the winter solstice...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: A Matter of Degrees: Tilt of Earth's Axis Affects the Seasons

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this science fair project, use a globe and a heat lamp to investigate how the angle of the Sun affects global warming. This project includes the objective, background questions, a list of all the materials you'll need, and the...
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Website
University of Wisconsin

The Why Files: The Ultimate Heating Season

For Students 9th - 10th
This article talks discusses the climbing temperature and how it is affecting our lives here on earth. It examines El-Nina, global warming, and the greenhouse effect.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Seasons

For Teachers 9th - 10th
For this activity, students create a small model of the Earth using a styrofoam ball and a skewer. They then explore the relationship between the Earth and the Sun (a flashlight) to understand why it is hottest at the Equator, and why we...
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Activity
Math Is Fun

Math Is Fun: The Seasons

For Students 3rd - 8th
Learn about the four seasons, when they occur in the northern and southern hemispheres, and why the seasons change as the Earth rotates around the Sun.
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Handout
University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin: Reasons for the Seasons

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief explanation of the Earth's rotation around the Sun and how it relates to the amount of sunlight the Earth receives, and to the seasons. Includes two questions for students to respond to.
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Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Kids Science: Earth's Seasons

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about the science of the seasons - winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Why we have them due to the Earth's tilt.

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