The Sun's Yearly Cycle Observing Sunlight Over 12 Months: Questions (Teacher's answer page) As you click through the slide show showing changes in sunlight by the month, ask students some or all of these questions about specific slides. Month 2: How did the light change? What questions do you have? What do you think will happen next? Answer: Students should have noticed that the angle of the line showing the intersection of sunlight and darkness has changed. Month 3: Do you think the Northern Hemisphere gets more or fewer hours of sunlight now than it did last month? How about the Southern Hemisphere? Explain your thinking. Answer: The North is getting fewer hours and the South is getting a greater number of hours of sunlight. The Northern Hemisphere has started to lean away from the sun, so it gets fewer hours. This is due to the Earth's tilt as it revolves around the sun. (Remember, each image was taken at the same time of day.) Month 4: In which season or month do you think this picture was taken? Why? Answer: December. The Northern Hemisphere is getting much less sun than the Southern Hemisphere. Month 5: What change did you notice? Explain how this helps you pinpoint when the last picture was taken? Answer: If students look carefully, they will notice that the shadow/sunlight line seems to change direction. (It will become much more pronounced in the next image.) The North experienced it's darkest (shortest day) in the last image, which is the winter solstice in December. In this image, the light has begun to return. Month 8: Do you think the Northern Hemisphere will have more or fewer hours of daylight next month? Explain your thinking. Answer: It will receive more hours. From the winter solstice to the summer solstice, the number of daylight hours increases. Month 10: What season do you think it is in the Northern Hemisphere? In the Southern Hemisphere? Explain your thinking. Answer: The North is receiving the maximum amount of sunlight, so it must be summer. If you click to the next frame, you will see it decrease in the Northern Hemisphere. It's opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, so it's winter there. Back to Month 1: We've gone through a whole year and are back to where we started! List what you learned about the yearly relationship of earth and the sun. What can you infer about the seasons? What did you already know that helped you explain what you saw? What questions do you have?

Ongoing Assessment Keep track of students' responses and questions. Revisit this them — along with this lesson — as their Journey North year progresses. How does their thinking change?

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