Earth in the Solar System
Aligned to MS-ESS1 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Gravity holds the solar system together, keeping planets orbiting the sun and moons orbiting planets. Earth's tilt and orbit cause seasons; the moon's orbit causes its phases.
Worked example
Earth orbits the sun once a year; because Earth is tilted, the hemisphere leaning toward the sun has summer while the other has winter.
Practice questions
- What force keeps planets in orbit?
- Explain why we have seasons.
- Why does the moon appear to change shape over a month?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
La Tierra en el Sistema Solar
La gravedad mantiene unido al Sistema Solar, haciendo que los planetas orbiten alrededor del sol y las lunas orbiten alrededor de los planetas. La inclinación y la órbita de la Tierra causan las estaciones del año; la órbita de la Luna causa sus fases.
Ejemplo: La Tierra orbita alrededor del sol una vez al año; debido a que la Tierra está inclinada, el hemisferio que se inclina hacia el sol tiene verano mientras el otro tiene invierno.
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