Free 7th Grade The Four Seasons Succession Lesson Plan

Topic: The Four Seasons Succession

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the causes and effects of the seasons and how they occur in a cyclical pattern.

Materials

• Diagram showing the Earth's position relative to the sun during each season
• Seasonal stimuli (e.g. ice cubes for winter, fresh fruits for summer, etc.) for demonstration purposes

Warm-up

• Ask students if they know what the seasons are and how they occur.

Learnings

• Students will give various answers, including that the seasons are caused by the direction the Earth is facing relative to the sun, the length of day and night, and the proximity to the sun.
• Ask students to share examples of the different seasons and the stimuli associated with each (e.g. snow in winter, sunny and warm in summer, etc.).
• Refine the answers to highlight the concepts of perihelion and aphelion, the length of day and night, and the proximity of the Earth to the sun.

Direct Instruction

• Show students a diagram or picture of the Earth's orbit around the sun.
• Explain that the Earth orbits the sun in an ellipse, not a circle.
• Point out the perihelion, the point in the Earth's orbit where it is closest to the sun, and the aphelion, the point in the Earth's orbit where it is farthest from the sun.
• Discuss the effects of the seasons on the length of day and night, and the proximity of the Earth to the sun.
• For example, in summer, the Earth is closest to the sun, so days are longer and nights are shorter. In winter, the Earth is farthest from the sun, so days are shorter and nights are longer.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in pairs or small groups to complete a worksheet or activity on the effects of the Earth's orbit around the sun on the four seasons.
• Ideas for a worksheet or activity could include:
• labeling the perihelion and aphelion on a diagram of the Earth's orbit around the sun
• labeling the summer and winter on a diagram of the weather
• creating a chart or graph showing the effects of the Earth's orbit around the sun on the four seasons

Independent Practice

• Have students create a project/presentation on a specific aspect of the four seasons. Ideas could include:
• a poster on the different ways people traditionally mark the passing of the seasons
• a short video on signs of spring arriving in their area
• a report on the effect of global warming on the four seasons

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson and have students share what they learned.
• Encourage students to continue exploring the four seasons on their own and share their findings with the class.

Assessment

• Observe students during the guided and independent practice activities to assess their understanding of the material.
• Collect and review their projects to evaluate their ability to research and present information about the four seasons.