Contextualization

The movements of the Earth are the main theme of this task and of extreme importance for understanding various natural phenomena. Our planet undergoes a series of movements that profoundly affect our daily lives and the environment around us. The two main movements that the Earth performs are rotation, which is the Earth's spin around its own axis, and translation, which is the Earth's orbit around the sun.

During rotation, which lasts approximately 24 hours, the Earth rotates around its imaginary axis. This causes the alternation between day and night, as the part of the Earth exposed to the sun is in daylight, while the opposite part is in darkness, characterizing the night. Rotation is also responsible for the phenomenon known as the Coriolis effect, which influences the direction of winds and ocean currents.

On the other hand, translation, which lasts about 365 days and 6 hours, is what defines the year and the seasons. During this movement, the Earth travels along an elliptical orbit around the Sun. Furthermore, the Earth's axis of rotation is inclined in relation to its orbit around the Sun. This inclination, together with translation, is what causes the seasons, as it varies the amount of sunlight reaching different parts of the Earth throughout the year.

Understanding these movements of the Earth and their effects is not only important from an academic point of view but also in our daily lives. They have a direct impact on climate conditions, agriculture, and even the organization of our daily activities.

For example, the Earth's rotation influences the global climate, contributing to the formation of wind patterns and ocean currents, which in turn affect precipitation and temperature around the world. On the other hand, translation, being responsible for the seasons, is crucial for agriculture, as it determines the best period for planting and harvesting different types of crops.

To aid in the understanding of this topic, I suggest the following resources:

• Earth's Movements - Just Sciences
• The Earth in Motion - World Education
• Earth's Movements - Brazil School

These sources provide basic and reliable information about the movements of the Earth and their consequences. They contain various images, graphics, and simple explanations that help understand these concepts.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: Movements of the Earth and their Consequences: A Practical Approach

Project Objective:

To carry out an activity that explains the movements of the Earth (rotation and translation) and the importance of the Earth's axis inclination in the formation of the seasons.

Detailed Project Description:

In this project, students will create a three-dimensional model representing the movements of the Earth. Through this model, students will be able to see in action the effects of the Earth's rotation and translation movements and how the Earth's axis inclination affects the seasons.

Required Materials:

• Styrofoam sphere (representing the Earth)
• Metal or wooden rod for the Earth's axis
• Small flashlight (representing the Sun)
• Colored pencils and pens
• Adhesive tape
• Cardboard

Group and Project Duration:

This activity should be carried out by groups of 3 to 5 students and will have a stipulated duration of 2 to 4 hours per participating student.

Detailed Step-by-Step for Carrying Out the Activity:

Step 1: Using a pencil, draw a circle representing the equator on the styrofoam sphere and mark the North and South poles.

Step 2: Incline the metal or wooden rod at an angle of approximately 23° to represent the Earth's axis and insert it into the sphere passing through the North and South poles.

Step 3: Draw a large circle on the cardboard to symbolize the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

Step 4: Place the flashlight in the center of the circle drawn on the cardboard, representing the Sun.

Step 5: Place the styrofoam sphere on the edge of the cardboard circle, indicating the position of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun.

Step 6: Slowly move the styrofoam sphere around the circle to show the Earth's translation and rotate the sphere on its axis to demonstrate the Earth's rotation. Pay special attention to show how different parts of the Earth receive sunlight at different times of the year, causing the seasons.

Step 7: Record observations during the experiment.

Step 8: Discuss in a group what was observed and how it relates to reality.

Step 9: Prepare a group report on the experiment. This report should include the following topics:

• Introduction: In this topic, students should contextualize the study theme, its relevance, and its real-world application, as well as the project's objective.

• Development: Here, students should explain the theory behind the Earth's movements and the seasons, describe the practical activity in detail, indicate the methodology used, and discuss the results obtained.

• Conclusion: Students should conclude the work by summarizing its main points, explaining the learnings obtained, and drawing conclusions about the project.

• Bibliography: Students should indicate the sources they relied on to work on the project, such as books, web pages, videos, etc.

In the end, students should present the three-dimensional model along with the report to the class. This will allow them to share what they have learned with their classmates and discuss their findings.