This site contains an activity in which students work in small research groups to describe and explain seasonal phenomena. They begin by documenting and describing seasonal fluctuations in the maximum angular height of the Sun, average daily temperature, maximum shadow length, and amount of daylight in a 24 hour period. After examining local seasonal trends, students analyze data from a variety of ... Full description.

This activity will help clarify to students that the seasons are created by changes in the tilt of the earth as it revolves around the sun, not by changes in the earth's distance from the sun. Using a light and a globe or ball, they will walk around the light to simulate the earth's orbit around the sun, making sure to keep the 'earth' tilted toward a specific wall of the classroom. They will observe ... Full description.

Earth's orbit around the Sun, together with the tilt of its axis, results in periodic climate changes around the globe known as seasons. Different locations experience different types of climate changes. For example, some places have extreme seasonal changes in temperature, while others have little temperature change but may have rainy and dry seasons. This interactive feature explains why Earth experiences ... Full description.

This lesson will reinforce the concept that Earth's seasons result from a combination of its orbit around the Sun and the tilt of its axis, and help to dispel two popular misconceptions of what causes the seasons. Students will use class discussion, activities, multimedia interactives, and videos to understand that the Northern and Southern Hemispheres experience opposite seasons and that the Earth's ... Full description.

In this lesson plan students will learn about Stonehenge and read some ancient myths and stories explaining the seasons. They will pretend to be historians and use websites to find information about how ancient cultures kept track of and celebrated the seasons. They will then compile their findings into posters or illustrated reports. Full description.

In this lesson students explore the climate and seasons of Mars and compare them to Earth's. This is the first in a series of interactive student lessons from the Martian Sun Times. Full description.

In this activity, students examine graphs of solar radiation for various times of the year to see how the length of the day changes throughout the year. It can be used as a follow-up activity to the preceeding activity, 'The Seasons'. After examining the 12 graphs, which are presented in random order, they are asked which one represents which month of the year, and to explain their rationale. Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to have students develop a qualitative understanding of the characteristics and patterns of seasons and highlight the relationship of seasons to physical, biological and cultural markers. Students observe and record seasonal changes in their local study site. They establish that these phenomena follow annual cycles and conclude the activity by creating displays that ... Full description.

This lesson uses NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa to the solar declination. The student will access NASA data using the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server and import the data into Excel spreadsheet software. The student will identify the relationship between solar declination and the four seasons and relate seasonal solar radiation patterns to cloud formation. The four seasons ... Full description.

This unique source contains vast quantities of data relative to hurricanes and tropical storms. Some examples include Hurricane Season Tropical Cyclone Reports, the National Hurricane Centers (NHC), Tropical Cyclone Reports (containing comprehensive information on each storm, including synoptic history, meteorological statistics, casualties and damages, and the post-analysis best track for the Atlantic, ... Full description.