Third Grade
Worksheets
Revolving for the Seasons
Spinning in a circle makes me dizzy. It makes my tummy feel topsy-turvy. If I had to spin in circles every day, I'd be really sick! I'm glad that the Earth isn't like me! It spins all the time. The Earth spins on its axis. This causes night and day. It also revolves, or orbits, around the sun. This causes the seasons.
The Earth's axis is an invisible line that runs through the center of the planet. The top of the axis, Earth's most northern point, is the North Pole. The most southern tip is the South Pole. The axis isn't just invisible; it is also tilted. It is tilted at 23.5 degrees. This tilt causes the North and the South Pole to sometimes lean towards the sun.
As the Earth orbits and spins on its axis, different sections of the Earth face the sun. When the North Pole is pointing towards the sun, more direct sunlight can reach the northern hemisphere. It is summer for that part of the world. When the northern tip of the axis (the North Pole) is leaning towards the sun, the southern tip (South Pole) is leaning away from it. This means that the southern hemisphere experiences winter.
