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• On the Maps: –Locate the Prime Meridian,

Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Artic Circle, Antarctic Circle –Locate the Continents, Oceans, and

Poles on each map

Special Names on a Globe

Hemispheres map

Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Capricorn

Equator

Artic Circle

Antarctic CirclePrime Meridian

Crash Course on the Solar System

Basics you know!!!

• Space is filled with stars, stars create clusters called galaxies

• We live in Milky Way galaxy• In the Milky Way there are planets

and moons• Moons orbit a planet• The sun and its planets are called the

solar system

Rotation, Revolution, and Tilt

• Most of Earth’s energy comes from the sun (Solar Energy). There are three relationships b/w the Earth and Sun that control the amount of solar energy

• Rotation, Revolution, and Tilt

Rotation• Imagine the Earth on a

stick – This is the Earth’s axis

• One complete spin is the rotation- takes 24 hours

• Rotates in a west to east direction– Sun rises in the east and

sets in the west

• Creates day and night

Revolution• Goes around the Sun-takes 365 ¼ days• Creates 1 year• Leap Year- To account for the ¼ day

every four years there is a February 29.

Tilt• The Earth is tilted on

its axis• Axis points toward the

same spot in the sky• North Pole points

toward the North Star• Tilt affects the amount

of solar energy that different places receive during the year

Solar Energy and Latitude• Different places get different amounts of solar

energy• Places around the equator receive a lot of

solar energy (that’s why it is warm there) – These places near the equator are called tropics

• Places around the North and South Poles receive very little solar energy (hence it’s cold)– These places near the poles are called polar regions

• Places between the tropics and polar regions are called the middle latitudes. Can be both warm and cold

• The amount of solar energy that a place gets relates to the angle at which the Sun’s rays strike Earth

• When North Pole points toward the sun, direct rays strike Northern Hemisphere, temperatures are warmer and days are longer

When the North Pole points away from the Sun, the most direct rays strike the Southern Hemisphere, the S.H. is warmer and days are longer

Seasons- Times of lesser and greater heat

• Summer- Sun’s energy is the strongest, days are longer

• Winter- Sun’s energy is weaker, days are shorter

• Spring and Fall- Sun’s energy is more evenly distributed, days and night are closer in length

• Lets see why this is true……….

Solstices• Happens twice a

year• Earth’s poles tilt

toward or away from the Sun at their greatest angle

• December 21 and June 21

• Northern Hemisphere• Fewest Daylight hours• First day of winter• North Pole constant

darkness

• Southern Hemisphere• Greatest Daylight

hours• First day of summer• South Pole gets

constant sunlight

Equinoxes• Happens twice a year • Earth’s poles are not

pointed toward or away from the Sun

• Direct rays of the Sun strike the equator

• Both hemispheres receive an equal amount of sunlight

• March 21 and September 22

• Northern Hemisphere

• Beginning of Spring

• Southern Hemisphere

• Beginning of Fall

The Earth System• Complex system where the parts of Earth

interact with one another to form the whole

• Viewable as separate but interact constantly

• Divided into four major parts:– Atmosphere– Lithosphere– Hydrosphere– Biosphere

• Atmosphere:– Gases around Earth– Gravity holds atmosphere around planet– 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen– These gases sustain life on Earth and protect the

planet from Sun’s radiation

• Lithosphere: – Solid crust of the planet– Rocks and Soils– Forms the continents, islands, and ocean floors

• Hydrosphere:– Earth’s water– 70% of the Earth’s surface– Liquid (oceans) , solid (ice) , and gas forms– Essential to all organisms

• Biosphere: – All life forms- plants and animals– Overlaps the other spheres

• Spheres are interconnected and each affects the other!– Example: the hydrosphere provides water for all organisms and

the hydrosphere also breaks down the lithosphere (rocks and soils) when it rains.