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Lesson 6 of 8

Earth's tilt

I can explain why it is winter in the southern hemisphere when it is summer in the northern hemisphere.

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Lesson 6 of 8
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Earth's tilt

I can explain why it is winter in the southern hemisphere when it is summer in the northern hemisphere.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In summer there are more daylight hours, compared to winter, the Sun appears higher in the sky and it is warmer.
  2. When it is summer in northern hemisphere countries it is winter in southern hemisphere countries.
  3. Earth spins on an axis that is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
  4. In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, so has summer.
  5. In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, so has winter.

Keywords

  • Summer - Summer is the warmest season, when the Sun is highest in the sky and there are more hours of daylight.

  • Winter - Winter is the coldest season, when the Sun is lowest in the sky and there are fewer hours of daylight.

  • Hemisphere - A hemisphere is half a sphere.

  • Axis - The axis of a spinning object is the imaginary line around which it spins.

  • Tilt - Something is tilted if it is at an angle to the horizontal or vertical.

Common misconception

Earth moves closer to the Sun in the summer and further away in the winter.

Remind students that Earth's orbit is nearly a perfect circle with the Sun at the centre so Earth's distance to the Sun does not significantly change over a year, and also that not everywhere on Earth has a warmer season at the same time, or at all.

Understanding the seasons is complex. This lesson focusses only on explaining how it can be summer and winter at the same time (June) in different hemispheres. Explaining how and why the seasons change over a year is best left for a separate lesson (it is covered in the next lesson in this unit).
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these statements correctly describes a year?

the time it takes the Moon to orbit Earth
Correct answer: the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun
the time it takes Earth to spin round on its axis once
the time it takes for the Sun to spin round on its axis once

Q2.
Which of these statements does not show that Earth is a sphere?

Correct answer: The shape of the Moon as it goes from new to full is a crescent.
Photos from space show a sphere.
Travelling round the world will bring you back to the start.
Earth creates a shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse.

Q3.
Put the seasons into the correct order that they arrive in the northern hemisphere, starting with the one in January.

1 - winter
2 - spring
3 - summer
4 - autumn

Q4.
If you continuously travel on Earth in one direction, you will end up back where you started. What does this provide evidence for?

Earth is rocky.
Earth is flat.
Correct answer: Earth is a sphere.
Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees.

Q5.
Reptiles use the Sun's light to warm up. What is the best time of day to get warm from sunlight?

morning
Correct answer: midday
evening
midnight

Q6.
A pupil takes a timelapse video of the stars in the night sky over several hours. What path do the stars seem to follow?

Correct answer: The stars seem to follow arcs with the North star at the centre.
The stars seem to follow straight lines.
The stars seem to stay in the same position.
The stars move towards the North star.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which two of these statements are features of summer?

Correct answer: In summer, temperatures are warmer.
Correct answer: In summer, there are more hours of daylight each day.
In summer, the Sun is lower in the sky.

Q2.
Earth spins on an axis that is at an angle of 23.5 degrees.

Correct Answer: tilted

Q3.
In June, it is summer in northern hemisphere countries like the UK. What season will it be in June in southern hemisphere countries like Chile, South African and New Zealand?

spring
summer
autumn
Correct answer: winter

Q4.
Which statement about June in the northern hemisphere is correct?

In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it has winter.
In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it has summer.
Correct answer: In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so it has summer.
In June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so it has winter.

Q5.
Which statement about June in the southern hemisphere is correct?

Correct answer: In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it has winter.
In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it has summer.
In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so it has summer.
In June, the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so it has winter.

Q6.
The picture shows Earth in June. Which three statements explain why it is summer in northern countries like the UK, but winter in southern countries like South Africa and Chile?

An image in a quiz
Correct answer: The northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun.
The northern hemisphere is a bit closer to the Sun than the southern hemisphere.
Correct answer: Countries in the northern hemisphere have more daylight hours in June.
Correct answer: The Sun's rays are less spread out in the UK than in southern countries.
The southern hemisphere is in darkness in June.

Lesson appears in

UnitScience / Our solar system and beyond

Science

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