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Grade 6 (age 11-12)

grade 6 Seasonal Changes

Seasonal Changes

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter take turns, and the cause is not the distance to the Sun. Earth's axis stays tilted 23.5° as it goes around the Sun, and that is why the seasons change. The side leaning toward the Sun gets a high Sun and long days, so summer; the far side gets winter. Change the month slider and the season buttons and the Sun's height, day length, and temperature come into view.

Why Do Seasons Change?

6
🌍 Why Seasons Change
①Earth orbits the Sun tilted 23.5°
②Tilt toward Sun → Summer (more sunlight)
③Tilt away from Sun → Winter
④Earth orbits once a year — seasons repeat

Sun Altitude & Temperature

☀️ Sun Altitude & Temperature
①High sun altitude: light concentrated → warmer
②Low sun altitude: light spreads out → cooler
③Summer: high altitude + long days → hot
④Winter: low altitude + short days → cold

Features by Season

Key to Seasons
Axis tilt (23.5°) + revolution → seasons
Earth orbits the Sun while tilted
Sun Altitude Effect
Altitude ↑ → temp ↑, day length ↑ → summer
Higher altitude concentrates energy
🍂 Seasonal Features
①Spring: temp rises, days lengthen, sprouts appear
②Summer: highest altitude, longest days, hottest
③Autumn: temp falls, days shorten, leaves color
④Winter: lowest altitude, shortest days, coldest
⑤The 30 / 15 / -5 °C labels are a mid-Korea example. The southern hemisphere has opposite seasons.

Summary

Cause of Seasons
Earth axis 23.5° tilt + revolution = seasons
Seasons exist because Earth is tilted
🎯 Key Points
①Cause: 23.5° axis tilt + revolution
②Summer: high altitude + long days → high temp
③Winter: low altitude + short days → low temp
④Southern hemisphere: opposite seasons
⑤Tilt is the cause, not distance to Sun

Examples and Unit Test

Example 1
What is the real cause of the seasons changing? (the changing Earth-Sun distance / the tilt of the axis)
1
Earth orbits the Sun with its axis tilted about 23.5°.
2
The tilt makes the Sun's altitude and the day length differ by season, so the seasons change. Distance is not the cause.
▸ Because Earth orbits with its axis tilted 23.5° (not the distance)
The cause of the seasons is the axial tilt, not the distance to the Sun.
Example 2
Explain why summer is hot using the Sun's noon altitude and the length of the day.
1
In summer the Sun's noon altitude is high, so the same light is concentrated on a smaller area and heats it more.
2
The day is also longer, so the ground receives sunlight for more hours and the temperature rises.
▸ High Sun altitude and a long day (energy is concentrated and received longer)
Summer: high altitude, long day → hot / winter: low altitude, short day → cold.
Unit-test style
Which statement about the changing seasons is correct?
①The seasons change because of the Earth-Sun distance
②In summer the Sun's noon altitude is high and the day is long
③Seasons occur even without an axial tilt
④In winter the Sun's noon altitude is high
⑤When the Northern Hemisphere has summer, so does the Southern Hemisphere
▸ ② In summer the Sun's noon altitude is high and the day is long
1
In summer the Sun is high so energy is concentrated, and the day is long, so it is hot.
2
Seasons come from the axial tilt (①③), in winter the Sun is low (④), and when the North has summer the South has winter (⑤).
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