Earth Is Tilting

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Level: M
Word Count: 316
100th Word: spins (page 9)
Tips on Reading This
Book with Children:
1. Read the title.
Predictions – after reading the title have children
make predictions about the book.
2. Take a book walk.
Talk about the pictures in the book. Use the content words from the book as you take the picture walk.
Have children find one or two words they know as they do a picture walk.
3. Have children find words they recognize in the text.
4. Have children read the remaining text aloud.
5. Strategy Talk – use to assist children while reading.
• Get your mouth ready
• Look at the picture
• Think…does it make sense
• Think…does it look right
• Think…does it sound right
• Chunk it – by looking for a part you know
2-3
My
Science
Library
s
l
L eve
6. Read it again.
7. Complete the activities at the end of the book.
Earth is Tilting!
by Conrad J. Storad
Science Content Editor:
Kristi Lew
www.rourkeclassroom.com
Science content editor: Kristi Lew
A former high school teacher with a background in biochemistry and more than 10 years of experience in cytogenetic
laboratories, Kristi Lew specializes in taking complex scientific information and making it fun and interesting for
scientists and non-scientists alike. She is the author of more than 20 science books for children and teachers.
© 2012 Rourke Publishing LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission
in writing from the publisher.
www.rourkeclassroom.com
To Laurie. Dazzle the world with your kindness!
-- CJS
Photo credits: Cover © Sailorr, Cover logo frog © Eric Pohl, test tube © Sergey Lazarev; Table of Contents © Anton
Balazh, Michelangelus; Page 5 © Sailorr; Page 7 © Veniamin Kraskov, Aaron Amat; Page 8 © Veniamin Kraskov,
Aaron Amat; Page 9 © Ibooo7, Aaron Amat; Page 11 © somchaij; Page 13 © sebikus; Page 14 © Anton Balazh,
Michelangelus; Page 15 © Anton Balazh, Michelangelus; Page 17 © Orla; Page 19 © Ibooo7, sebikus; Page 20 ©
inginsh; Page 21 © MaszaS
Editor: Kelli Hicks
Cover and page design by Nicola Stratford, bdpublishing.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Storad, Conrad J.
Earth is tilting! / Conrad J. Storad.
p. cm. -- (My science library)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61741-750-4 (hard cover) (alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-61741-952-2 (Soft cover)
1. Earth--Rotation--Juvenile literature. 2. Earth--Orbit--Juvenile literature. 3. Seasons--Juvenile literature. I. Title.
QB633.S759 2012
525’.35--dc22
2011004757
Rourke Publishing
Printed in China,
Power Printing Company Ltd
Guangdong Province
042011
042011LP
www.rourkeclassroom.com - [email protected]
Post Office Box 643328 Vero Beach, Florida 32964
Table of Contents
Tilt and Spin
4
Day and Night
10
The Reason for Seasons
16
Show What You Know
22
Glossary23
Index24
Tilt and Spin
We live on planet Earth. It
seems like our Earth is holding
still, but we know that Earth is
a planet moving in space. But,
did you know that Earth
is tilted?
4
Earth
i
It rot s like a sp
at
in
from es becau ning top
se
.
a
and d spinning it forme
d
ust.
cloud
of ga
s
5
Earth leans a little to one side. Imagine
a straw pushed through the center of an
orange. The orange doesn’t tilt when the
straw is straight up.
6
7
Now tilt the straw at an angle. The
orange tilts in the same direction. The same
thing happens with Earth.
8
The straw represents Earth’s axis. The axis
is an imaginary line from the North Pole to
the South Pole. Earth spins around its
tilted axis.
North
Pole
South
Pole
9
Day and Night
Earth takes 24 hours to spin
one time. We call this period
of time one Earth day.
During one day, half of Earth
always faces toward the Sun
and the other half faces away
from the Sun.
10
The s
p
is cal inning m
ot
le
the c d rotatio ion of Ea
n
ycle
r
of da . It cause th
y and
s
night
.
11
It is daytime on the part of the Earth that
faces the Sun. It is nighttime on the part of
Earth that faces away from the Sun.
hat
t
e
n
ry li
a
n
i
side
g
a
y
a
m
i
d
alled
c
th’s
The
r
s
i
a
E
ide
es
divid e night s
th
from minator.
er
the t
12
Sun
Earth
terminator
13
Imagine you are on a spaceship looking
at Earth. When you look at Earth from the
side it spins from left to right.
14
When you look at Earth from the top it
spins counterclockwise.
15
The Reason
for Seasons
It takes one year for Earth
to complete a single orbit.
During this time Earth also
spins on its axis 365.25 times.
One year equals 365 days.
16
Earth
i
plane s the thir
d
t
star w s that orb of eight
it
e cal
l the Sol, the
Sun.
Earth
Sun
17
As it orbits the Sun, Earth’s tilt causes the
seasons. It is summer on the part of the
Earth tilted toward the Sun.
It is winter on the part tilted away from
the Sun.
The p
a
arou th our Ea
nd
rt
its or the Sun h travels
bit.
is cal
led
18
autumn
winter
summer
spring
Sun and Earth are not to scale in this illustration
19
In winter, days get shorter because less
direct sunlight reaches the part of Earth
tilted away from the Sun.
The t
e
when mperatur
e
l
shine ess direc gets cold
t
e
s on
the E sunlight r
arth.
20
In summer, days get longer because more
direct sunlight reaches the part of Earth
tilted toward the Sun.
Our planet never gets too hot or too cold
in one spot because Earth is tilting!
The t
e
when mperatur
e get
more
sh
shine
s on direct su otter
n
the E
arth. light
21
1. Name the imaginary line that runs
through the center of Earth from top to bottom. Why is it important?
2. How long does it take Earth to spin
one time? How long does it take to
complete one orbit around the Sun?
3. How does the tilt of Earth cause
22
the seasons?
Glossary
axis (AK-sis): an imaginary line through the middle of an object around which that object spins
counterclockwise (koun-tur-KLAHK-wize): in a direction opposite to the way the hands of a clock move
Earth (URTH): the third planet from the Sun, it is the planet where we live
orbit (OR-bit): the curved path followed by a moon or planet as it circles another planet or the Sun
Sun (SUHN): the star that the Earth and other planets revolve around and that gives us light and warmth
tilted (TILT-ed): leaned, tipped, or slanted to one side
23
Index
axis 9, 16
day(s) 10, 11, 12, 16, 20, 21
North Pole 9
orbit(s) 16, 17, 18
planet 4, 21
rotation 11
South Pole 9
Sun 10, 12, 13, 17, 18
Websites
www.sciencespot.net
www.science.nasa.gov/kids/
www.amazing-space.stsci.edu/
www.spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/
www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html
Photo by Tom Story
About the Author
Conrad J. Storad is the award-winning author of more
than 30 books for young readers. He writes about desert
animals, plants, creepy crawlers, and planets. Conrad
lives in Tempe, Arizona with his wife Laurie and their little
double dapple wiener dog, Sophia. They love to explore
Arizona’s deserts and mountains.
24
Comprehension & Extension:
Sight Words I Used:
•
Summarize: Facts, Questions, and Responses!
Think about what you read. Write one fact you
learned, one question you have, and one response
to the book each on a separate sticky note.
away
from
know
that
•
Text to Self Connection:
What season is your favorite?
What do you like to do in that season?
•Extension: What Did You Learn?
List three facts that you learned in this book.
Draw a picture to go with each fact.
2-3
My
Science
Library
l
L eve
s
Vocabulary Check:
Use glossary words in a
sentence.
Have you ever wondered about
the science all around us? Plants
grow and change, the Sun rises to warm the
Earth, and matter changes from one form to another.
Investigate Life, Physical, Earth, and Technology science topics with
Rourke’s My Science Library. This library explores NSTA science
standards with engaging text and colorful images to support readers
from kindergarten to third grade. Are you ready to investigate?
Books in My Science Library:
Earth is Tilting!
Gravity! Do You Feel It?
Let’s Classify Animals!
Melting Matter
Natural or Man-Made?
Plants Make Their Own Food
Printed in China
Seeds, Bees, and Pollen
Studying Weather and Climates
What Do Critters Do in the Winter?
What’s on the Food Chain Menu?
Where Did the Water Go?
Zap! It’s Electricity!
www.rourkeclassroom.com