Download Our Solar System Study Guide 4 grade standard to be tested: S4E2

Our Solar System Study Guide
4th grade standard to be tested:
S4E2. Students will model the position and motion of the earth in the solar system and will explain the role
of relative position and motion in determining sequence of the phases of the moon.
a. Explain the day/night cycle of the earth using a model.
b. Explain the sequence of the phases of the moon.
c. Demonstrate the revolution of the earth around the sun and the earth’s tilt to explain the seasonal
changes.
d. Demonstrate the relative size and order from the sun of the planets in the solar system.
Vocabulary terms:
Inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Gas giant: a very large planet made up mostly of
gases
Moon: a small rounded body that orbits around a
planet
Axis: an imaginary line through the center of an object
Orbit: to move in a path around an object
Rotate: to turn on an axis
Outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Equator: the imaginary line that circles Earth halfway
between the North and South Poles
Planet: a large body of rock or gas in space that
moves around a star
Revolve: to move around another object
Solar system: the Sun and planets, their moons, and
other objects that orbit the Sun
Season: one of the four parts of the year: spring,
summer, fall, and winter
Sun: the nearest star to Earth
Crescent moon: phase of the Moon when only a thin
shape can be seen
Full moon: phase of the Moon when all the Moon’s
bright side is visible
Phases of the Moon: the different ways the Moon
looks throughout the month
Waning moon: after a full moon, a decreasing amount
of the sunlit side of the Moon can be seen
Quarter moon: the Moon has revolved a quarter of
the orbit around Earth and half of the Moon’s sunlit
side is visible
Waxing moon: after the new moon, an increasing
amount of the sunlit side of the Moon can be seen
Facts to know:
The solar system is made up of the Sun, planets, moons, and other objects that orbit the Sun. The
nearest star to Earth is the Sun. We are able to see planets because light from the Sun reflects them.
The Sun gives off light and heat.
Both inner and outer planets orbit the Sun and are part of the solar system. The outer planets are cold
and dark. Inner planets are close to the sun, made of rock, and get heat and light. Outer planets are far
from the Sun, made of gases, and are cold and dark. The hotter the temperature is on a planet, the
closer it is to the Sun. The colder a temperature is on a planet, the farther away it is from the Sun.
The tilt of Earth’s axis causes changes in the Sun’s position in the sky. We live in the Northern
Hemisphere. When the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, it is summer. When the Northern
Hemisphere tilts away from the Sun, it is winter. The Sun appears much lower in the sky in winter and
casts long shadows. During summer, the Sun appears high in the sky and casts short shadows.
The Moon’s shape appears to change from a crescent to a half circle, to a whole circle, and back again.
These changes are caused by the way sunlight strikes the Moon as it revolves around Earth. The
different ways the Moon looks throughout the month are called the phases of the Moon. The diagram
below shows the Moon’s position at each phase.