Professional Literature Summary: Content

This article by George Nelson deals with the existence of summer on different planets in

Earth’s solar system. It was written for elementary teachers and intended to answer the question,

“do other planets have summer?” (Nelson, 2005, p. 44).

Nelson begins by explaining why seasons exist on Earth. In doing so, he explains the role

of the planet’s tilt and that its overall temperature is a result of its distance from the Sun. Next,

Nelson describes the temperature of the planets in Earth’s solar system. Mars, Saturn, and

Neptune are tilted on their axis like Earth. The result of this is that they experience seasons, but

their average temperatures and length of seasons differ greatly due to their distance from the Sun.

Mercury, Venus, and Neptune are not tilted on their axis and have no seasons. Uranus is tilted on

its axis at 90 degrees. One pole is directed at the sun for half the year and the other pole is

directed at the sun for the other half of the year. This causes one side to be very warm and the

other very cold. Pluto’s seasons are not caused by its tilt. Rather, they are caused by Pluto’s

distance from the sun (Nelson, 2005).

This article has influenced the planning for my unit by making me think about the

weather and seasons of the planets in Earth’s solar system. Students understand weather and the

seasons. This is something that is very concrete to them and I hope that it will cause them to

think of these planets as being actual places. I also did not know the details about the tilt of the

planets. That information will be useful while teaching my lesson and answering questions about

the planets.

Works Cited
Nelson, G. (2005, July). Do Other Planets Have Summer? Science and Children, 42, 44-45.
Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://www.nsta.org/elementaryschool