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Texas Science Teacher Resource Hub

Free scope and sequences, TEKS breakdowns, phenomenon ideas, and engagement activities for the 2024 Texas science standards.

Chris Kesler
I'm Chris Kesler, a former award-winning Texas middle school science teacher. This is the site I wish I'd had in the classroom. One hub with TEKS breakdowns, scope and sequences, phenomenon starters, engagement ideas, and resources, all aligned to the standards you actually teach.
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  • 4th
    4th Grade Science
    14 standards • Earth, Energy, Organisms & more
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    5th Grade Science
    16 standards • Matter, Ecosystems, Space & more
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    18 standards • Forces, Energy, Matter & more
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    19 standards • Newton's Laws, Space, Genetics & more
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All standards updated for the 2024 TEKS revision
TEKS Details | Texas Hub Module

6th Grade TEKS Standards

Click any standard to see what it means, how to teach it, where students get stuck, and aligned resources.

Matter & Properties (6.6)
6.6A Matter & Kinetic Energy 6.6B Pure Substances & Mixtures 6.6C Classify Elements 6.6D Comparing Density 6.6E Evidence of Chemical Changes
Force, Motion & Energy (6.7)
6.7A Forces in the Real-World 6.7B Calculating Net Force 6.7C Newton's Third Law of Motion
Energy (6.8)
6.8A Compare & Contrast Energies 6.8B Energy Transformations in Systems 6.8C Energy of Waves
Earth & Space (6.9)
6.9A Model Earth's Tilt & Seasons 6.9B Predicting Tides
Earth's Structure (6.10)
6.10A Differentiate Between Earth's Spheres 6.10B Modeling Layers of Earth 6.10C Processes in the Rock Cycle
Resources (6.11)
6.11A Resource Management 6.11B Managing Energy Resources
Ecosystems (6.12)
6.12A Biotic & Abiotic Competition 6.12B Ecological Relationships 6.12C Hierarchy of Ecosystems
Organisms (6.13)
6.13A Development of Cell Theory 6.13B Comparing Organisms 6.13C Variations & Survival
TEKS S.6.9A • Earth & Space

Model Earth's Tilt & Seasons

The Standard

"Model and describe how the tilt of Earth on its axis, including the 23.5 degree angle, causes changes in the length of daylight and the angle of sunlight that produce the seasons."

💡 What This Standard Actually Means

The Key Verb

"Model and describe". Students are building or using a physical model of Earth and the sun, then explaining how the tilt produces seasons. No formulas. No orbital calculations. The standard also uses the word "including", which signals where to focus your students: the 23.5 degree angle of Earth's axis, the length of daylight, and the angle of sunlight. Students should be able to identify and explain each of these with a labeled model. Instruction can take many forms, such as globe and flashlight demonstrations, labeled diagrams, and short written explanations.

Earth's axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun. That tilt stays pointed in the same direction in space as Earth moves around the sun over the course of a year. The tilt is the whole ballgame for seasons.

When the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun, sunlight hits that part of Earth at a more direct angle and the days are longer. More energy per square meter of ground, more hours of sunlight. That's summer in the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere tilts away, sunlight hits at a shallower angle, and the days are shorter. That's winter for them. Six months later, everything flips.

The two things students should walk away able to describe are the angle of sunlight (direct rays concentrate energy on a smaller area, shallow rays spread the same energy over a larger area) and the length of daylight (more hours of sun means more heating). Both happen at the same time in the tilted hemisphere, and together they produce the temperature changes we call seasons.

💬 From Chris's Classroom

I used to blow right past the tilt part and jump straight to seasons. Big mistake. The first time I slowed down and had kids tilt a globe 23.5 degrees, walk it around a desk lamp "sun" at the center of the room, and keep the axis pointed at the same spot on the wall, something clicked that never clicked from a diagram. They could SEE the Northern Hemisphere lean into the light on one side of the desk and lean away on the other. After that, I started every seasons lesson with the walk. Model first, explanation second. Skip the walk and you're fighting an uphill battle against the distance misconception the whole time.

⚠️ Misconceptions Your Students May Have

These are some of the most common misconceptions. Knowing what to look for can help you get ahead of them.

×

"It's summer because Earth is closer to the sun"

✓

This is the big one, and research shows even some adults hold on to it. Earth's orbit is nearly a circle. The point where Earth is closest to the sun (called perihelion) actually happens in early January, when the Northern Hemisphere is in the middle of winter. Distance is not driving the seasons. The tilt of the axis is. That's why when it's summer in Texas, it's winter in Australia. If distance caused seasons, both hemispheres would have summer at the same time.

×

"Earth's axis wobbles or changes direction as it goes around the sun"

✓

The axis stays pointed in the same direction in space all year. It doesn't swing toward the sun and then away. What changes is Earth's position in its orbit. As Earth moves to a different spot, the same fixed tilt now leans the Northern Hemisphere toward or away from the sun. This is why the globe walk matters so much. Students see that they never re-aim the axis, they just keep it pointed at one spot on the wall.

×

"The whole Earth has summer at the same time"

✓

When the Northern Hemisphere has summer, the Southern Hemisphere has winter. Australia, southern Brazil, and South Africa are wearing shorts in December and coats in July. The tilt means the two hemispheres get opposite amounts of direct sunlight at any given time of year. Showing a world weather map from December is a quick way to make this concrete.

×

"Days and nights are always 12 hours long"

✓

Day length changes throughout the year in most places on Earth because of the tilt. On the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, places like Dallas get about 14 hours of daylight. On the winter solstice, they get closer to 10. The closer you live to the poles, the bigger the swing. Only at the equator does the day stay near 12 hours year-round.

📓 Teaching Resources for 6.9A

These resources are aligned to this standard.

Complete 5E Lesson
Earth's Tilt & Seasons Complete Science Lesson
The full unit for 6.9A: differentiated station labs, editable presentations, interactive notebooks (English + Spanish), student-choice projects, and assessments. Built on the 5E model.
⏱ Best for: Full unit coverage • Multiple class periods
Preview → Buy →
Station Lab
Earth's Tilt & Seasons Station Lab
9-station hands-on lab covering the 23.5 degree tilt, angle of sunlight, and length of daylight with input stations (Explore It!, Watch It!, Read It!, Research It!) and output stations (Organize It!, Illustrate It!, Write It!, Assess It!). Print and digital. English and Spanish.
🔬 Best for: Core instruction • 1-2 class periods
Preview → Buy →
Student Choice Projects
Earth's Tilt & Seasons Student Choice Projects
Choice board with nine project options plus a "design your own" pathway. Students demonstrate their understanding of Earth's tilt and the seasons through writing, building, illustrating, presenting, or digital formats.
🎓 Best for: Project-based assessment • 2-3 class periods
Preview → Buy →

🌎 Phenomenon Ideas for 6.9A

Use these real-world phenomena to anchor your lesson. Show students the phenomenon first, let them wonder, then build toward Model Earth's Tilt & Seasons as the explanation.

🔎
Phenomenon 1

Christmas on the Beach in Australia

In Sydney, Australia, Christmas Day often lands near 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Families fire up the grill, head to Bondi Beach, and spend the day in the water. At the same moment, families in Minneapolis are shoveling snow and bundling up in coats. Same date. Same planet. Completely opposite weather.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"How can two places on the same planet have opposite seasons on the same day? If Earth were just closer to the sun in December, what would we expect to happen in Sydney?"

🔎
Phenomenon 2

Midnight Sun in Alaska

In Barrow, Alaska (now called Utqiagvik), the sun does not set for roughly 80 days each summer. It just hangs low in the sky and makes a slow loop around the horizon. Then in winter, the sun does not rise for about 65 days. Residents have to adjust their sleep, their schools, and their entire daily routine.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"Why do places near the poles experience days with no sunset, and days with no sunrise? What does this tell us about how Earth's tilt changes the length of daylight in different places?"

🔎
Phenomenon 3

A Shadow That Shrinks and Grows Over the Year

Pick a flagpole on a school campus. If students measured the length of its shadow at exactly noon on the first day of each month, they would find the shadow gets shorter through spring, hits its shortest length around the June solstice, then grows longer through fall and reaches its longest length around the December solstice. Same pole. Same time of day. Wildly different shadow.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"Why would a flagpole's noon shadow be short in June and long in December? What is happening to the angle of sunlight hitting the ground at your location across the year?"

💡 Free Engagement Ideas for 6.9A

01

The Globe and Flashlight Walk

Put a desk lamp or bright flashlight in the center of the room. Give a pair of students a small globe tilted to 23.5 degrees. They walk the globe around the "sun" in a circle, keeping the axis pointed at one spot on the wall the whole time. At each quarter of the orbit, stop and ask which hemisphere is tilted toward the light. Kids finally see the tilt stay fixed while the position changes.

Materials: Small globe, desk lamp or bright flashlight, open floor space
02

Direct vs Indirect Rays With Graph Paper

Tape a square of graph paper flat on a desk. Shine a flashlight straight down and trace the lit area. Now tilt the flashlight to a shallow angle and trace the lit area again. The same beam of light spreads across more squares when it hits at an angle. Students count the squares and see why direct sunlight warms the ground faster than slanted sunlight.

Materials: Flashlight, graph paper, pencil, tape
03

Daylight Hours Around the World

Have students pick three cities at very different latitudes (for example, Quito, Dallas, and Fairbanks) and look up sunrise and sunset times for one date in June and one date in December. They graph the hours of daylight for each city. The pattern makes the "length of daylight" part of the TEKS snap into focus without any math.

Materials: Internet access or a printed weather table, graph paper, ruler
04

Build a Tilt Model With a Pencil and a Ball

Give each student a foam ball or orange and a pencil pushed through the middle. Mark the Northern Hemisphere with a sticker or Sharpie. Pair them up. One student holds a flashlight as the "sun" while the other walks their tilted planet around it, keeping the pencil axis pointed the same way the whole time. Fast, cheap, and every student gets their own hands on it.

Materials: Foam balls or oranges, pencils or wooden skewers, flashlights, stickers or markers
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