Earth in the Universe

Created by Richele Dunavent, ESL teacher, Sugarloaf

star• A star is like a big ball of fire that is

very far away from us. They are thousands of times bigger than the Earth, and many stars are much, much bigger than our sun.

sun• Our sun is a star that is very close to

us. It is thousands of times bigger than the Earth. It keeps us warm during the day with its light, and all the plants in the world use the sunlight to grow.

earth• Earth is the only planet in our solar

system known to have life. It is the third planet from the sun. Earth is mostly covered in water. The Earth has one moon.

sunrise• Sunrise is the time of day when the sun

just starts to appear in the sky. The sky goes from dark to colored with lots of shades of pink and orange and red before the sun gets higher and the sky goes to its usual blue. Sunrise is sometimes called dawn. The opposite of

sunrise is sunset.

sunset• Sunset is the time of day when the

sun disappears from the sky. The sky goes from light to colored with lots of shades of pink, orange and red and then to deep purple before the sun goes completely down and it is night time. The time just after sunset before it gets completely dark is called dusk. The opposite of sunset is sunrise.

shadow• When you stand in front of a light like

the sun, some of the light hits you and some of the light goes past you. Where you are in the way between the sun and the ground, there will be a shadow.

sundial• Sundials are a device that uses the

sun to tell the time. A shadow is cast on the dial.

explain• You explain something when you

make something easy to understand, or say how to do it in easy steps.

observe• To watch carefully, especially with

attention to details or behavior, in order to understand or learn about what is being observed.

createTo make something new.

demonstrate• To show clearly and explain with

examples.

moon• The moon is a round lump of rock,

about one third the size of the Earth. The moon looks small because it is so far away. There is no air or life on the moon.

phase• An obvious part of a sequence or

cycle occurring over time. The part seen with the eye...<phases of the moon>.

pattern• To repeat a process or cycle over and

over again.

sequence• The order in which things are

arranged, actions are carried out, or events happen.

identify• To recognize somebody or something

and to be able to say who or what he, she, or it is.

night• It is night time when it is dark

outside. You usually go to sleep at night. A lot of animals sleep during the day and come out at night, like the owl. The opposite of night is day.

day• Day might refer to the time when the

sun is up, for example, "my cat sleeps all day", or it might mean an entire 24-hour period, usually counted starting from midnight. The opposite of day is night.

brightness• The intensity of light reflected or

emitted by something.

distance• Distance describes how far apart two

points are, or describes something that is a long way away. For example, "you can see the moon in the distance."

cluster• Stars that appear near each other: A

group of galaxies or stars that are gravitationally interacting in space and appear to an observer on Earth to be close together.

scattered• Some things are scattered if they are

spread around randomly. The stars in the picture are scattered all over space.

constellation• Group of stars forming shape: a

group of stars visible from Earth that forms a distinctive pattern and has a name, often derived from Greek mythology, linked to its shape. There are 88 constellations and the groupings are historical rather than scientific.

represent• Express or explain something: to

express or explain what is happening or what people think.

orbit• Path of planet, satellite, or moon: the

path that an astronomical object such as a planet, moon, or satellite follows around a larger astronomical object such as the Sun.

spin• Rotate something quickly: to turn

round and round rapidly, or make something turn round and round rapidly, as if on an axis.

rotate• Turn around axis: to turn like a wheel

around an axis or a fixed point, or make something turn around an axis or a fixed point.

describe• Explain something: to give an

account of something by giving details of its characteristics.