Download Reasons for the Baseball Seasons

Reasons for the Baseball Seasons
Goals
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Understand the reason for the earth’s seasons.
Understand the local dry and wet seasons in South Florida.
Learn how native Florida animals adapt and influence their ecosystems during the
seasons.
Objectives
Student will:
 recognize that the tilt of the earth causes indirect and direct sunlight to hit certain
areas of the earth depending on earth’s location in the solar system.
 view that Florida’s summer is caused by the direct sunlight hitting the northern
hemisphere.
 identify that south Florida’s wet season (May to October) is caused by hot
temperatures evaporating large amounts of everglades water and creating daily,
local downpours.
 observe the american alligator, gopher tortoise and everglades rat snake and
discuss their methods of coping with drought, extreme temperatures, wild fires,
and storms.
Big Ideas
Grade 3 – 8
-Big Idea 5: Earth in Space and Time
-Big Idea 7: Earth Systems and Patterns
-Big Idea 17: Interdependence
Background
The earth takes 1 year to orbit around the sun. Due to the earth’s 23 degree tilt the
northern and southern hemispheres experience seasonal patterns depending on the
amount of direct sunlight hitting north or south of the equator. An area receives the most
direct sunlight during the summer season and the least amount of direct sunlight in the
winter. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere it is winter in the southern
hemisphere.
In southern Florida we can also break up the year in terms of a dry and a wet season. In
the summer the direct sunlight causes high temperatures which in turn evaporate off
massive amounts of water along our coast and in the everglades. This huge amount of
evaporated water ends up falling as rain somewhere in south Florida on almost a daily
basis. This deluge gives south Florida a very tropical feel from May to October.
During the winter when temperatures are not as high, less water evaporates along
our coast and in the everglades. This decrease in evaporation results in less rainfall and
creates a local dry season. Local fauna and flora most cope with diminished rainfall
amounts by changing their habits and/or environment. Alligators create large and deep
holes that keep full with water providing an oasis for themselves and many other fish,
reptiles, birds, mammals, amphibians and plants. Gopher tortoises also dig long burrows
giving many species of animals a safe haven from harsh temperatures and also wildfires
spurred from the dryer climate.
Activity
Use a large room or field for your demonstration space. A baseball field would be ideal
for its familiar layout and areas such as the pitcher’s mound, bases, and center field.
Obtain a few volunteers to help with the demo.
Have one of your volunteers stand near the pitchers mound. Give them something they
can use to represent the sun like a yellow t-shirt, balloon, or sun model. Have another
volunteer start at home base and give them something to represent earth. A third
volunteer can be used if desired in center field to represent the North Star.
Each base will represent one of the four seasons. When the earth is at home base and is
tilted towards the North Star, the northern hemisphere is experiencing summer. Direct
sunlight is hitting the top half of the earth causing longer and hotter days. This could also
be considered the Summer solstice usually around June 21. When the earth reaches first
base it is the season fall. Remind the earth volunteer to keep the earth tilted towards
center field.
As the earth reaches second base, indirect sunlight is now shining on the northern
hemisphere. This represents the coldest season, winter. When the volunteer is actually
standing on second it is the winter solstice or December 21st. Third base will now be
spring and eventually the earth volunteer will make it back to home base to the summer
position.
It takes 365 days for the earth to orbit around the sun. In our model we can also say that
it takes 3 months for the earth to cover the ground between each base.
South Florida’s dry season is from October to May. On our base path that would be from
a couple steps after first base to a couple yards away from home plate. From May to
October south Florida experiences its wet season because of the massive evaporation of
water off the everglades.