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Whether you call it the September equinox, autumnal equinox, or fall equinox, all three signal the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. This year, the equinox falls on September 22.
If your students are excited about cooler weather, autumn sports, or the countdown to the holiday season, capitalize on their interest with science and ELA first-day-of-fall activities for all grade bands.
Discover the science behind the fall equinox
Prepare for the first day of fall with ELA activities
[Discover the science behind the fall equinox](id-sci)
Why do we have seasons? What affects the amount of sunlight we get in different seasons? Help answer these questions and others your students might have with engaging science lessons:
Unravel what causes the seasons
Fall is more than just the equinox. Leaves changing, specific weather patterns, and changes in daylight hours also characterize it. Students can learn more about why we have seasons and what causes these changes by exploring resources like:
An article that explains the science behind changing seasons.
An infographic that shows how the Earth’s tilt affects the change of seasons in different hemispheres.
An article describing why the northern and southern hemispheres have flipped seasons.
Celebrate the arrival of fall with STEAM projects
Who doesn’t love watching leaves on trees change color each fall? Students can learn about chromatography to uncover the hidden colors of leaves. Try this activity in your classroom:
Read about how trees survive the winter by shedding their leaves.
Watch a video that explores why leaves change color in the fall.
Do an experiment to uncover the hidden colors of fall leaves using rubbing alcohol and paper towels.
Learn where leaves go after they fall
When leaves fall in our neighborhoods, we usually rake or blow them out of our yards, streets, driveways, and sidewalks. But what happens to leaves that fall in the forest? Students can explore this phenomenon with articles on topics like:
How leaving leaves on your lawn is better for the environment than raking and bagging them.
How leaves and other things decompose.
The soil and nutrient cycling that happens in forests.
Get excited for fall sports with football data
If students are ready for Friday night lights, add some football physics to your science lessons to capitalize on that interest. Try this lesson:
Introduce students to data analysis by looking at the football physics deck or dataset.
Ask students to watch videos or read articles about Newton’s laws of motion and how these affect the gameplay of football.
Ask students to complete the Football physics worksheet included in the activity to analyze the data and apply what they learned about forces and motion.
[Prepare for the first day of fall with ELA activities](id-ela)
See how authors capture the beauty of fall through fiction, nonfiction, and verse with these engaging ELA fall activities:
Share the fictional Japanese story “Spring and Autumn” by Angela McAlister.
Assign a nonfiction article that explores the characteristics of the four seasons and how they vary in different regions.
Have students complete a Venn diagram while reading the two texts to compare and contrast how each represents seasonal elements. Try creating one with Luna that you can use digitally or export and print!
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