Welcome to the Third Grade Science Blog!
Good Scientists are always curious,
so I hope you check the blog often as
we continue investigate the
world around us!


7

The Earth in the Solar System

The Earth is a pretty special place to live.  It is different from other planets we know because it has AIR and WATER.  So, we must take care of this very special planet we call home!  How do you think we can care for and protect planet Earth?


Here´s a song reminding you to reduce, reuse, and recycle!


7.1 What makes up the Earth?

The Earth is a sphere (that´s a fancy word for a ball!) made out of rock. 

It has 3 parts: atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. 

The atmosphere is the air that surrounds the Earth

The hydrosphere is the water of the Earth.

The lithosphere is made of rocks and minerals.



















7.2 How can we study the Earth?

The Earth is a big place!  It might be the same shape as a football, but its ENORMOUS!

A globe is a more realistic way to study the Earth because it is a sphere.




A world map shows all the contiennts and oceans...but it makes the Earth look flat.










There are also imaginary lines that go through the Earth.

From the North Pole to the South Pole is the Earth´s Axis.




Another imaginary line goes through the center of the Earth.  This is called the Equator.

The Equator divides the world into the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere.  Everything North of the Equator is the Northern Hemisphere.  The continent of Europe is in the Northern Hemisphere.

  Everything South of the Equator is in the Southern Hemisphere.  Argentina is in the Southern Hemisphere.


7.3 Where is the Earth? 

The Earth is in the universe

The Universe has stars, planets and satellites

The Sun, the Planets and the Satellites together make up our Solar System.



Here is a game to help you learn the names and locations of the planet :)






The Solar System Song


Space is an AMAZING place.  Let your imagination take you on a journey through the galaxy with the video below.  It´s magical!



7.4 How does the Earth move?

The movement of the Earth around its axis is called Rotation.  The Earth takes 24 hours or one day to make one rotation.


As the Earth is making rotations each day, it is also making a big circle around the Sun.  This is called a Revolution.  The Earth takes 365 days (1 year) to make a revolution.


The video below shows why we have different seasons.  Because the Earth´s Axis is tilted (not straight up and down) the Sun´s light and heat don´t always get to the same places.




7.5 How does the Moon move?

The moon is the only satellite of the Earth.  It moves in 2 ways.  Rotation on its axis and Revolution around the earth.  The moon is lit up by the Sun.

It is a sphere, but from Earth, it looks like it has different shapes depending on how it is illuminated.



New Moon: We see none of the lit side.

Waxing Moon: We see more and more of the lit side.

Full Moon: We see all of the lit side.

Waning Moon: We see less and less of the lit side.


We made some AMAZING projects to show all that we learned in this unit!  Here are a few photos :)




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