This is an online set of information about astronomical alignments of ancient structures and buildings. Learners will read background information about the alignments to the Sun in such structures as the Great Pyramid, Chichen Itza, and others.... (View More) Next, the site contains 10 short problem sets that involve a variety of math skills, including determining the scale of a photo, measuring and drawing angles, plotting data on a graph, and creating an equation to match a set of data. Each set of problems is contained on one page and all of the sets utilize real-world problems relating to astronomical alignments of ancient structures. Each problem set is flexible and can be used on its own, together with other sets, or together with related lessons and materials selected by the educator. This was originally included as a folder insert for the 2010 Sun-Earth Day. (View Less)

This is an activity about seasons. Learners compare the seasons though identifying seasonal activities and drawing scenes in each season. Then, they compare the temperature on thermometers left under a lamp for different lengths of time to explore... (View More) how Earth heats more when the Sun is in the sky for longer periods of time. Finally, learners use a flashlight and a globe to investigate how the spherical shape of Earth causes the seasons to be opposite in each hemisphere. This hands-on activity is an additional lesson as part of the book, Adventures in the Attic. (View Less)

This is a book about seasons. Learners will read or listen to a story about two twins, Matt and Matilda, who are tasked with creating a model of the Earth-Sun system for a science fair project. Through some wild seasonal changes they experience... (View More) while creating the model, the two come to a better understanding of the causes of Earth's seasons. An extension activity is included (Reasons for the Seasons), as well as reading and vocabulary activities. (View Less)

This web page features a short essay about the equinox solar alignments of the pyramid of Kulkulkan at Chichen Itza. It can be used by educators as background information or as a reading assignment for learners.

This is a web site which explores the desire shared by past civilizations and today's society to observe and study the Sun. Learners can access two interactive modules, which include satellite images, aerial photographs, panoramic pictures,... (View More) time-lapse videos and other multimedia. Each module is focused on a different ancient culture: Maya in the Yucatan and Native Americans in Chaco Canyon. (View Less)

This is a companion book to the Traditions of the Sun web site. Learners can use the book to learn about the Sun's dynamic nature, explore images from NASA's cutting-edge solar missions and understand more fully the human connection we all have to... (View More) our Sun. The book also allows learners to see how the Sun-Earth connection is made at Chaco Canyon, including the sunrise over Chaco Canyon's great kiva, celebrations of the changing seasons in the Southwest and the Great Houses whose placement required precise observations of the Sun and stars. (View Less)

This is an activity about misconceptions relating to seasons. Learners will answer survey questions which specifically assess common misconceptions regarding the seasons, and learners are also encouraged to give the same survey questions to friends... (View More) and family members. Based on the pooled answers, learners will then discuss their responses as a group in order come to conclusions about the causes of seasons. This is Activity 2 in the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) guide titled Real Reasons for Seasons: Sun-Earth Connections. The resource guide is available for purchase from the Lawrence Hall of Science. (View Less)