What is the Winter Solstice? According to Dictionary.com the Winter Solstice lasts for just one moment. It occurs exactly when the Earth’s axial tilt is farthest away from the sun. This usually happens around December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere or June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere.
Spark your thinking!
1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #25: Winter Solstice
2. Read these 3 paragraphs. Write a 5 question quiz after reading. Include multiple choice , true and false, and short answer questions. Make an answer key as well.
If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, during the solstice the sun will be at its southernmost point in the sky. The higher in latitude you are, the more you’ll notice that the solstice has the shortest day and longest night of the year.
In ancient cultures around the globe, the winter solstice was marked with ceremonies and celebrations. For example, in the days of the Inca Empire the winter solstice was honored with Inti Raymi, or Festival of the Sun. It involved a ceremony in which an Inca priest would “tie” the sun to a column stone in a symbolic effort to keep it from escaping.
Halfway around the world, indigenous people in Finland, Sweden, and Norway participated in the Beiwe Festival. On the winter solstice, worshippers honored the goddess Beiwe by sacrificing white female animals and covering their doorposts with butter for Beiwe to eat on her travels.
3. Watch this video and choose 5 of the questions to answer thoughtfully. Remind your teacher that that answers can be found in the social studies mini spark folder.
1. Describe what would happen to our planet if it did not tilt as it revolves around the Sun.
2. Explain how the tilt of the Earth affects the length of days in the northern and southern hemispheres during winter.
3. What are solstices, and how do they mark the change in seasons?
4. Discuss how civilizations in history, like the Babylonians and Maya, recognized the patterns of Earth’s movement around the Sun.
5. How does the experience of seasons differ for someone living near the equator compared to someone living near the poles?
6. Why might the changing lengths of days and nights be considered important by ancient civilizations?
7. In your opinion, why is it essential for us to understand the relationship between the Earth and the Sun?
8. Describe how the Earth’s movement around the Sun can provide reassurance during the coldest nights of winter.
4. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.
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