Despite frigid temperatures, our planet is turning to spring.  This transition — slow as it now seems — can be a great time to teach students about the seasons, and PBS LearningMedia has a popular interactive for grades 3-8 about Earth’s orbit around the Sun and the tilt of its axis that result in our seasons.

Earth in Motion:  Seasons from the Adler Planetarium explains why Earth experiences seasons as users place Earth in orbit for particular seasons.  Students learn how different locations on Earth experience different types of climate changes:  Some places have extreme seasonal changes in temperature, while others have little temperature change but have rainy and dry seasons.  In addition to Benchmarks for Science Literacy and NSTA National Science Education Standards, you’ll find a background essay and discussion questions.