The sun, earth and moon system

This map shows the boundary of where night starts and day begins all over the world. The teacher or the student can interact with this map by changing the month of the year as well as the specific time. Shared by Academo.

Scope and Sequence connection: 8:3  The Sun, Earth and Moon System.

This "Tide-O-Matic" experiment from Exploratorium describes how to build a simple model to explore the influence of the sun and moon on our tides. In most places on the earth, where the ocean meets the land, there are two high tides and two low tides each day. This activity models the equilibrium theory of tides, showing why there are two tide cycles per day, why the heights of the tides change over the course of a month, and why the tides occur about an hour later each day.

Scope and Sequence connection: 8:3  The Sun, Earth and Moon System.

In this unit students study the Sun, the cause of seasons on earth, and the relationship between the Sun and Earth in space. Students learn about solar features, how they are studied and how the electromagnetic spectrum is used to study other objects in space. This guide is written in the format of an interactive notebook; students are encouraged to predict, explore (through labs and drawings) then sum up what they've learned. The lessons are structured to encourage inquiry; activities before teaching concepts and concepts before teaching vocabulary. Provided by NASA. 

Scope and Sequence connection: 8:3  The Sun, Earth and Moon System.

In small groups, students will build electromagnets, discover how electricity and magnetism are interrelated, and learn how these concepts relate to the Sun. Shared by NASA. Some materials are required.

Scope and Sequence connection: 8:2 Forces and Motion on Earth;  8:3 The Sun, Earth and Moon System.  

This series of short videos on the solar system is hosted by the NeoK12 website. 

NeoK12 hosts a variety of educational videos, animations and games for students from K-12th grade. They have been included in the American Library's Association list of "Great Websites for Kids."  Please note the videos are hosted in YouTube.

A video presentation about Stephen Hawking's theory of black holes and Richard Gott's theory of cosmic strings. It includes a discussion about time travel. Note, the video is hosted by YouTube.

Scope and Sequence connection: 8:3 The Sun, Earth and Moon System.

A short video about the construction of a scale model of our solar system, drawn in the desert. (7 min.) Shared by The Atlantic.

Scope and Sequence connection: 8: 3 The Sun, Earth and Moon System.