1. EARTH’S MOTION LEQ: How does the Earth go around the Sun?
Objective: Demonstrate how objects that orbit each other at their barycenter
KEY VOCABULARY:
-Orbit
-Rotation
-Revolution
-Barycenter
-Spheroid
Common Core Standards/Essential Standards:
EEn.1.1 Explain the Earth’s role as a body in space.
EEn Explain how the Earth’s rotation and revolution about the Sun affect its shape and is related to seasons and tides.
Student Friendly Objective(s):
EEn E. Demonstrate how objects that orbit each other at their barycenter
Lesson Essential Question(s):
How does the Earth go around the Sun?
Data Analysis:
On what data is this lesson based? What does the data indicate? What instructional strategies will you be using to address the data and why?
Agenda:
IN:
THROUGH:
OUT:
Materials:

2. Draw a picture of how Earth moves around the Sun.
Teacher Actions:
Student Actions:

3. What is an orbit?
Gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space.
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
The link for the orbit video is on Discovery Education – username: firstnamemiddleinitial.lastname_576
Password: teacher
Student Actions: Students record notes

4. How do objects orbit each other?
Barycenter: is the point between two objects where they balance each other
When a moon orbits a planet, both bodies are actually orbiting around a point that is not at the center of the primary (the larger body)
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
Student Actions: Students record notes

5. How does the Earth move? The two main motions of Earth: rotation
revolution
(the motion of a body, such as a planet or moon, along a path around some point in space).
How does the Earth move?
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
After students take notes look at ‘How does the Earth move’ link.
Student Actions: Students record notes

6. What are some results of the Earth’s rotation?
day and night
Earth’s shape is an oblate spheroid shape
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
Student Actions: Students record notes

7. What is precession?
Precession: the change in direction of the Earth’s axis, but without any change in tilt
Ex: wobbling motion of a spinning top
1 precessional cycle = approximately 26,000 years
Has minor effect on the seasons
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
Student Actions: Students record notes

8. What is nutation?
Nutation: the swaying motion during the precession of earth’s axis
This causes a 1o change in the tilt of the Earth’s axis.
No effect on the seasons
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
Student Actions: Students record notes

9. a sphere flattened along the axis from pole to pole
An oblate spheroid
a sphere flattened along the axis from pole to pole
there is a bulge around the equator
This bulge results from the rotation of the Earth and causes the diameter at the equator to be 43 km larger than the pole-to-pole diameter.
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
Student Actions: Students record notes

10. What is Kepler’s first law?
1. Laws of Ellipses
Planet’s orbit around the sun in the shape of an ellipse.
What is Kepler’s first law?
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
Student Actions: Students record notes

11. What is Kepler’s second law?
2. Law of Equal Areas Planet’s revolve around the sun at varying speeds. Each planet revolves so that an imaginary line connecting it to the sun sweeps out over equal areas in equal time intervals.
What is Kepler’s second law?
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
Student Actions: Students record notes

12. What is Kepler’s third law?
3. Third law: Law of Harmonies
There is a proportional relationship between a planet’s orbital period (length of year) and its distance to the sun.
The further a planet is from the sun, the longer it’s orbital period will be.
Teacher Actions: Direct students to record information on the RH side of their notebook
Student Actions: Students record notes

13. Final Exam
By the end of today’s lesson you will be able to correctly answer the following question:
The mass of the Moon is only 1.2% of the mass of Earth. Where would the barycenter be located?
A. Closer to Earth
B. Closer to the moon
In the middle of Earth and the moon
There is no barycenter in the Earth and moon system
Teacher Actions: Use quick quiz strategy.
Assessment (i.e. SAT or ACT practice, Writing: RACE+C)
The mass of the Moon is only 1.2% of the mass of Earth. Where would the barycenter be located?
A. Closer to Earth
B. Closer to the moon
In the middle of Earth and the moon
There is no barycenter in the Earth and moon system

14. Final Exam
By the end of today’s lesson you will be able to correctly answer the following question:
The mass of the Moon is only 1.2% of the mass of Earth. Where would the barycenter be located?
A. Closer to Earth
B. Closer to the moon
In the middle of Earth and the moon
There is no barycenter in the Earth and moon system
Teacher Actions: Use quick quiz strategy.
Assessment (i.e. SAT or ACT practice, Writing: RACE+C)
The mass of the Moon is only 1.2% of the mass of Earth. Where would the barycenter be located?
A. Closer to Earth
B. Closer to the moon
In the middle of Earth and the moon
There is no barycenter in the Earth and moon system

15. NOT BAD EEH??

16. What went well?
What will you need to re-teach based on your formative assessment data?
What will you do differently next time you teach this lesson?