Three Roles the Sun Plays in Our World

By: Group Number 1Mrs. Shores’ 3rd Grade Class

Evaluation Learning

Objectives

The Sun plays an important role in…

• The Food Chain

• The Water Cycle

• The Weather

The Food Chain

Q: What is a food chain?

A: The order of how one living thing eats and gets energy from another living thing.

Q: What role does the sun play in the food chain?

A: It is the first link in the food chain.

The Food Chain

Many food chains begin with the sun.

Plants use energy from the sun to produce their own food and grow.

The Food Chain

Then, an insect or animal will eat the plant.

Then, another animal will that animal.

The Food Chain

The sun plays an important role in the food chain. Without it, plants could not grow and the food chain would have a missing link.

The Water CycleQ: What is the water cycle?

A: It describes the movement of water above, on and under the Earth.

Q: What role does the sun play in the water cycle?

A: The sun powers the water cycle.

The Water CycleThe sun heats water on the surface of the Earth.

Then, the water evaporates (changes from liquid to gas) and rises into the atmosphere.

As it rises, it cools and condenses (changes from gas to liquid) and forms clouds.

The Water CycleAs more water collects in the clouds, it gets too heavy to stay in the air.

Then, it falls to the ground (precipitation). Rain, Snow, Sleet and Hail are forms of precipitation.

It collects in oceans, rivers, lakes and streams.

The Water Cycle

The Sun is the powerhouse of the water cycle.

The Weather

Q: What role does the sun play in the weather?

A: The angle of the sun’s rays hitting the Earth gives us different seasons.

The Weather

The Earth orbits around the sun. Because the Earth is tilted on an axis, the sun’s rays hit the Earth at different angles.

The WeatherIn this picture, the northern half of the Earth is leaning towards the sun, causing warmer temperatures and longer days.

It is summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.

The WeatherIn this picture, the southern part of the Earth is getting more direct rays from the sun.

Now, it is summer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the northern hemisphere.

What we have learned…

• The sun plays an important role in the food chain. It is the first link in the chain.

• The sun is the power source of the water cycle. Without the sun, the water cycle would not function.

• The angle of the sun’s rays determine the seasons.

Thank you for your attention!

Group # 1