Background Lessons for Journey North Seeing the Light Exploring the Sun's Role in the Living System (Back to Lessoon)   National Science Education Standards Science as Inquiry Use data to conduct a reasonable explanation. (K-4) Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence. (5-8) Life Science All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Others eat animals that eat plants. (K-4) For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight. Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis. That energy then passes from organism to organism in food webs. (5-8) Earth and Space Science The sun provides light and heat necessary to maintain the temperature of the earth. (K-4) The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth's surface, such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle. Seasons result from variations in the amount of sun's energy hitting the surface, due to the tilt of the earth's rotation on its axis and the length of the day. (5-8) Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2024 Journey North. All rights reserved.