Summary
Clarifies the difference between Earth's rotation on its axis (causing day and night) and its revolution around the sun (causing a year), correcting the common student misconception that seasons are caused by distance from the sun.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- What is the difference between rotation and revolution?
- What does Earth's rotation cause? How long does one rotation take?
- What does Earth's revolution cause? How long does one revolution take?
- If Earth's rotation were twice as fast, how would your day be different?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: rotation, revolution, axis, orbit, day, year.
Try it: Use a flashlight (sun) and a globe (Earth). Spin the globe slowly — that's rotation. Then walk the globe in a circle around the flashlight — that's revolution. Narrate what you observe.