Earth’s Place in the Universe

First Grade Unit Plan

Created by: Rosa Argiero

SCI 495: Capstone

Winter 2014

Grade Level: 1 Subjects: Science, Math and Language Arts Next Generation Science Standards: 1­ESS1­1: Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted. 1­ESS1­2: Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year. Common Core State Standards: Literacy­ W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Mathematics­ MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 1.OA.A.1: Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations to represent the problem. (1­ESS1­2) 1.MD.C.4: Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another. (1­ESS1­2) Scientific Background:

The sun is the closest star to earth and it is located at the center of our solar system. It is a giant, hot ball of gas consisting of 91% hydrogen and 8% helium, and held together by gravity. The temperature at the sun’s core is approximately 15 million degrees Celsius. The sun is so huge that it takes about 25 days for a location at its equator to rotate once. About one million Earths could fit inside of the sun. Since the sun is the center of our solar system, the eight planets orbit it. In addition, at least five dwarf planets, thousands of asteroids, and hundreds of thousands to trillions of comets and icy bodies orbit our sun (NASA).

The energy that the sun gives off to the earth allows life to grow on earth. The connection between the sun and the earth drive the seasons, ocean currents, weather and climate. Earth is one of the eight planets in our solar system. It is the fifth largest planet having a diameter of eight miles. Earth is the third­closes planet to the sun. Mars and Venus are closer to the sun. It is the only planet known to have large amounts of liquid water and have life. Water covers about 71 percent of Earth’s surface (NASA).

Every 365 days, the Earth orbits the sun. Its orbit is slightly oval, so Earth’s distance from the sun varies throughout the year. In January, the Earth is closest to the sun (91 million miles away). In July, the Earth is farthest from the sun (95 million miles away). Earth makes one full spin around its axis every 24 hours. At all times, the light of the sun lights half of the Earth and the other half is dark. The areas of Earth that face the sun experience daytime and the areas that face away from the sun experience nighttime. The North Pole and South Pole have periods of continuous lightness or darkness (NASA).

The imaginary line from the North pole to the South is called an axis. Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees, which causes seasons. Areas of the Earth that are tilted toward the sun, receive more direct sunlight and warmer temperatures than areas not tilted toward the sun. For example, the Northern Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight from June to August because it is tilted toward the sun. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere receives less direct sunlight because it is tilted away from the sun. From September to November and March to May, the sun shines equally on both hemispheres resulting in fall and spring (NASA).

The Earth and the moon are estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old, forming around the same time. The Moon orbits around the Earth once every month. The same side of the Moon is always facing the Earth because of its fixed orbit. As the Moon orbits around the Earth, the angle between the Earth, Moon, and Sun changes. The Moon does not have an atmosphere, but evidence from the spacecraft Clementine suggest that there may be water ice in deep craters near the Moon’s south pole and possibly the north pole. Most of the Moon’s surface is covered by regolith, which is a mixture of fine dust and rocky debris produced by meteor impacts (Luna).

Stars are large balls of energy and rock. Our Sun is the closest star to Earth. During the day, the light of the sun blocks out the light of other stars because it is much closer to Earth. Stars are visible at night because the Sun is no longer shining so we can see the light from other stars (Cosmos). Lesson 1­ Day and Night Next Generation Science Standard:

1­ESS1­1: Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted. Common Core State Standard: W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. (1­ESS1­1),(1­ESS1­2) Objectives:

1. Students will make observations of the Sun’s position in the sky. 2. Students will construct and demonstrate different types of models of the Sun and Earth

representing day and night. 3. Students will explain how the Earth’s rotation creates day and night.

Materials:

Sun Up, Sun Down: The Story of Day and Night by Jacqui Bailey and Matthew Lilly What Makes Day and Night by Franklyn Branely Science notebooks Optional: Poster and markers Stellarium 6 Flashlights 6 Globes or large balls (borrow from the gym teacher) Star stickers Handout­ Day and Night

*This lesson needs to be started first thing in the morning because the students will be making observations of the sun three times during the day. This lesson will also be split into two days. Engage: The teacher will gather the students on the circle carpet and read Sun Up, Sun Down to the students. The book follows a day in one family’s backyard and focuses on the idea that Earth is spinning in a universe, including the Sun, Moon, and stars. The question, “What makes the Sun rise and set?” is explored in the story.

Explore: The teacher will tell the students that they will be going outside to make observations of the Sun. They will work with a partner to find the Sun in the sky and record the location of the Sun in their science notebooks. The teacher will tell the students that they must find an area where they will make their recording with their partner. Then the students will record the location of the Sun by first drawing the school and then drawing the location of the Sun in relation to the school. For safety precautions, the teacher will tell the students to try not to look directly at the sun and to not stare at it because it can hurt their eyes. Next, the teacher will take the students outside. The teacher will ask the students to point to where the Sun is. *The teacher will make note of where the Sun is currently located in the sky. Next, the teacher will ask the students if they can see the Moon or any stars. If the weather is nice out that day and the ground is not wet, the teacher will have the students sit in a circle to discuss their observations. The teacher will ask the students the following questions:

“What lights up the Earth during the day?” “When the clouds move in front of the Sun, what happens?” “Why couldn’t we see any stars?”

The teacher will call on students to share their ideas. Then, the teacher will bring the students back into the classroom. On a poster or on the whiteboard, the teacher will draw a picture of the location of the Sun relative to the school and record the time that they went outside. The teacher will draw a symbol of a compass, representing the direction of the sun in the sky. The drawing will be used throughout the lesson. ***The lesson will temporarily end here and then be picked back up in about two to three hours. The teacher will take the students back outside to make observations of the Sun with their partners before lunch and again in the afternoon. *Make sure to allow enough time to finish the lesson in the afternoon after the observation. Each time, the teacher will ask the students to point out where the sun is in the sky and record it in their science notebooks The teacher will also ask the students the following questions after each observation:

“Why did the Sun move?” “What direction is the sun moving?” “Do you think the Sun is moving or the Earth is moving?”

The teacher will bring the students back inside the classroom. The teacher will ask a volunteer to draw the new position of the sun on the poster or whiteboard drawing. The teacher will ask the student to draw an arrow in the direction that the Sun is moving.

To explore the Sun further, the teacher will show the students a sunrise and a sunset on Stellarium. The teacher will ask the students what they see. They will use their observations in the next section of the lesson. Explain: After the third sun observation and after looking at Stellarium, the teacher will ask the students to look at their observations of the Sun that they recorded in their science notebooks. The teacher will ask the students to write in their science notebooks why they think that the sun’s location changes throughout the day. Then, the students will be asked to share what they wrote with their classmates at their tables. The teacher will ask the students, “Why does the Sun look like it is moving in the sky?” “Do you remember what the book, Sun Up, Sun Down, talked about?” The teacher will call on volunteers to share their ideas. To show the students that the Earth’s rotation creates day and night, the teacher will have the students create a model, shown below:

At this point in the unit, the students will not include the Moon in their model. The teacher will pass out the materials the students need to make the models at each table. As the students are cutting and coloring, the teacher will assist the kids and help put the brads on the models. Once the students are done making their models, the teacher will ask the students to place a star sticker on the location of the Earth that they think Michigan is located. The teacher will ask the students to rotate the Earth so that it is nighttime in Michigan. Next, the teacher will ask the students to rotate the Earth so that it is daytime in Michigan. As the students do this, the teacher will walk around the classroom to make sure all of the students are successfully accomplishing the task independently. Elaborate:

The teacher will gather the students on the circle carpet and read What Makes Day and Night to the students. The book is about the relationship between the Earth and the Sun. It explains the Earth’s rotation in an experiment using a lamp to show why we see the Sun during the day and not at night.

After reading the story, the teacher will demonstrate the model using a flashlight and a globe. The teacher will ask for two volunteers to help. One student will hold the flashlight and the other student will hold the globe. The teacher will tell the students that the Sun never moves because the Earth moves/orbits around the Sun. The teacher will remind the students that the demonstration is the same as their Earth and Sun models they created. Before starting the demonstration, the teacher will ask a student to find Michigan on the globe and put a sticker on it. The teacher will ask the students, “How does day and night happen?” The teacher will ask the student holding the globe to show how the Earth’s rotation creates day and night. The teacher will tell the class to look at the sticker that represents Michigan, and watch when it is lit up by the flashlight and when it is not.

Next, the teacher will divide the students into groups of four. The teacher will tell the students to perform their own demonstrations using the same materials. The teacher will pass out a flashlight and a globe or ball to each group. The teacher will ask one student in each group to put a sticker on a location of the ball that will represent Michigan. The teacher will ask the students to show what night and day looks like. The students will be asked to take turns holding the flashlights and balls. The teacher will walk around the classroom and make sure each student understands how to model day and night.

The teacher will ask the students to return to their desks. The teacher will pass out the Day and Night handout. The students will be asked to draw two pictures of the Earth and Sun; one representing day and the second representing night. In each drawing, Michigan needs to be represented using an X and sunlight needs to be represented using lines or arrows. Evaluate:

Objective(s) Assessment Tool(s) How the tool is used to assess the objective

Students will make observations of the sun’s position in the sky.

Sun observation recordings in science notebook (Explore)

The teacher will look at the student’s Sun observations to assess if the student’s made observations of the sun’s position in the sky.

Students will demonstrate a model of the sun and earth representing day and night.

Sun and Earth Model (Explain) Flash light and globe demonstration (Elaborate)

The teacher will observe the students using the models to assess if the students are able to manipulate the models to represent day and night. The teacher will observe the students to assess if they can use the demonstration appropriately to show night and day.

Students will explain how the Earth’s rotation creates day and night.

Day and Night drawings (Evaluate)

The teacher will look at the drawings to asses if the students understand that the rotation of the Earth controls day and night.

Handout­ Name: ________________________

Day and Night Directions: Please draw two pictures of the Earth and Sun; one representing day and the second representing night. In each drawing, Michigan needs to be represented using an X and sunlight needs to be represented using arrows in the direction it is shining. Day:

Night:

Lesson 2­ Stars Next Generation Science Standard: 1­ESS1­1: Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted. Objectives:

1. Students will make observations of the stars. 2. Students will explain why stars are only visible during the night.

3. Students will define the word ‘constellation’. Materials:

Our Stars by: Anne Rockwell Stellarium Black paper, white chalk, star stickers Handout­ Stars and Constellations

Engage: The teacher will gather the students on the circle rug and read Our Stars to them. The teacher will ask the students the following questions:

“Did anyone see something in the book that we learned about in the previous lesson about day and night?” “Did anyone learn something new from the book?” “Did you know that the Sun is a star?” “What are constellations?”

The teacher will call on volunteers to share their answers as the teacher asks the questions. Explore: The teacher will project Stellarium on the board and show a the night sky. The teacher will show the students different constellations. The teacher will explain to the students that constellations are groups of stars that form a picture or outline. The teacher will let the students look at constellations on Stellarium and let them talk about what they think the constellations look like. The teacher will show the students the two pages from the book, Our Stars, of the two constellations, Leo and Orion’s belt. Then, the teacher will pull up a night sky on Stellarium and have the students find Leo and Orion’s belt. The teacher will show different times of the year on Stellarium. The teacher will ask the students, “Do you think we see the same stars/constellations in the sky every night?” “If the Earth is always rotating and orbiting the Sun, what happens to the stars in our sky?” The teacher will call on volunteers to share their answers. Explain: The teacher will ask the students to do a think­pair­share with the following question, “Why can we only see stars at night?” After the students have talked with their partners, the teacher will pass out the Stars and Constellations handout for the students to do individually. Elaborate: The teacher will have the students create their own constellations. The teacher will pass out black paper, white chalk, and star stickers to the students. The students will be asked to create

a constellation using the materials and write the name of their constellation on the top of their paper. An example is shown below:

Evaluate:

Objective(s) Assessment Tool(s) How the tool is used to assess the objective

Students will make observations of the stars.

Stellarium Stellarium will be used to assess the observations that the students make about the stars.

Students will explain why stars are only visible during the night.

Stars and Constellations handout

The handout will be used to assess the students understanding that the Sun’s light blocks out the light of the stars so we can only see them at night.

Students will define the word ‘constellation’.

Stars and Constellation handout

The handout will be used to assess the students understanding of what the word ‘constellation’ means.

Handout­ Name: ______________________

Stars and Constellations

1. Why can you only see stars at night? ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 2. What is a constellation? ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Lesson 3­ The Moon Next Generation Science Standards: 1­ESS1­1: Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted. Objectives:

1. Students will make observations of the Moon and stars. 2. Students will create a model demonstrating the Earth’s rotation and the Moon orbiting the

Earth. 3. Students will draw the position of the Earth and Moon for a ‘Full Moon’ and ‘New Moon’.

Materials:

The Moon Over Star written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney Handout 1­ Moon and Stars Observations Handout 2­ Full Moon and New Moon ScienceKids website: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/earthsunmoon.html

*Note: This lesson will be split into two days. Make sure to do the first day of the lesson on a day where the Moon will be visible for observations at night. Engage: The teacher will gather the students on the circle rug and read The Moon Over Star to them. The teacher will ask the students to think about what it would be like to travel to the Moon. Explore: The teacher will project Stellarium for the students to see. The teacher will rewind to last night's sunset and show a segment to this mornings sunrise, so that the students can observe daytime and nighttime. The teacher will show the sun rising and setting, then show the moon rising and setting. The teacher will ask the students to make observations of what they see when the sun sets. The teacher will ask the students the following questions:

“Does the Moon rise in the same area of the sky that the Sun rises? How do you know? From what direction do they rise and what direction does it set?”

“Why can you see the Moon when you can still see the Sun/when it is still light out?” The teacher will call on volunteers to share their answers. Next, the students will add the Moon to their Earth and Sun models from Lesson 1. The teacher will pass out the materials to the students and their Earth and Sun models. The teacher will ask the students to attach the Moon to the model so that it orbits around the Earth. Students will be asked to make observations of the moon and stars when they go home that night. The students will be given the Moon and Star observation sheet to fill out with their parent/guardian and bring it back the next day. ***The lesson will temporarily end here for the day The teacher will ask the students to talk with the classmates at their tables about the observations they made of the moon and stars the night before. The teacher will walk around the room listening and talking with the students about what they saw. The teacher will ask the students, “Do you think the Moon looks the same every night?” The teacher will call on volunteers to share their answers. Explain:

The teacher will show the students the following picture of the phases of the Moon and explain the Full and New Moon.

Optional: The teacher will show the students the Moon phases model (shown below) to show the students the pattern of the moon and how our view of it changes. The teacher will let volunteers put it on and see the Moon phases.

The teacher will pass out the Full Moon and New Moon handout to the students to complete individually. The students will be asked to use their Earth, Sun, and Moon models to help them draw the pictures. Elaborate: The teacher will take the students to the computer lab. The students will get on the ScienceKids website and the Earth’s orbit simulation. The simulation shows the students the movement of the Earth orbiting the Sun and the Moon orbiting the Earth on the. There are games the students

can play to learn about the Earth’s orbit. The teacher will walk around the room to make sure the students stay on task and answer any questions. Evaluate:

Objective(s) Assessment Tool(s) How the tool is used to assess the objective

Students will make observations of the Moon and stars.

Moon and Stars Observation sheet

The observation sheet will assess the students observations of the Moon and stars.

Students will create a model demonstrating the Earth’s rotation and the Moon orbiting the Earth.

Earth, Sun and Moon model The model will be used to assess the students understanding of how to use the model to represent the Earth’s rotation and the Moon orbiting the Earth.

Students will draw the position of the Earth and Moon for a ‘Full Moon’ and ‘New Moon’.

Full Moon and New Moon handout

The handout will assess the student’s understanding of the Earth’s position relative to the Moon affecting which phase of the Moon is visible on a given day.

Handout 1­ Name: _____________________________ Date:_____________________

Time:_____________

Moon and Star Observations

Go outside or look out your window after the sun sets and write down what you see. Answer the following questions to help you record your observations. 1. Can you see the Moon? Circle: Yes or No 2. Draw what the Moon looks like in the square:

3. Can you see any stars? Circle: Yes or No 4. Count how many stars you can see. How many did you count? ___________ 5. Are some stars brighter or bigger than other stars? Circle: Yes or No Handout 2­ Name: ________________________

Full Moon and New Moon Directions: Using your models, move the Earth, Moon and Sun so that Michigan can see a Full Moon. Then, move the Earth, Moon and Sun so that Michigan can see a New Moon. Draw two pictures of the Earth and Moon; one representing a Full Moon and the second representing a New Moon. In each drawing, Michigan needs to be represented using an X and sunlight needs to be represented using arrows in the direction it is shining. Full Moon:

New Moon (Can’t see the Moon):

Lesson 4: Daylight Hours Investigation *This lesson will be used throughout the school year. The second part of the lesson will be finished at the end of the school year after the sunrise/sunset observations have been completed. Next Generation Science Standard: 1­ESS1­2: Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year. Common Core State Standard: Mathmatics­

1.MD.C.4: Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another. MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 1.OA.A.1: Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations to represent the problem. Literacy­ W.2.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Objectives:

1. Students will make observations of the sunrise and sunset times. 2. Students will record data on sunrise time, sunset time, and the number of daylight hours

in a day. 3. Student will calculate the number of daylight hours in a day. 4. Students will use data to create graphs that represent the changes in the number of

daylight hours over three seasons. 5. Students will interpret data to identify which season has the most amount of sunlight and

the least amount of sunlight. *Prior Knowledge: Students must have a basic understanding of time including how to tell time. Materials:

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcVK7vL08PY Daylight Hours Observation Poster Clock models (teaching clocks that students use to tell time by moving the hands of the

clock) Handout 1: Daylight Hours Investigation­ Prediction Handout 2: Daylight Hours Investigation­ Data Collection (separate handouts are needed

for September­ May) Handout 3: Number of Daylight Hours­ Graphing (separate handouts are need for

September­ May) Handout 4: Daylight Hours Investigation­ Interpreting Data/ Conclusion Markers, crayons, or colored pencils Scotch tape

Engage:

The teacher will show the class a YouTube video that relates the Earth’s rotation to time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcVK7vL08PY After watching the video, the teacher will ask the class the following questions to guide them to start thinking about the amount of daylight in a day:

“ How many hours are in a day? “ “Are all 24 hours in a day daytime hours?” “How many hours in a day are daylight hours? How could we figure this out?”

The teacher will call on volunteers to share their ideas. The teacher will guide the students into thinking about sunrise and sunset times to calculate the number of daylight hours. Explore: To answer the questions the teacher will pull up the website weather.com and find the sunset and sunrise times for that day. The teacher will ask a volunteer to read the sunrise and sunset times from the website. The teacher will ask the students to talk with their partners about what they think sunrise and sunset times are. Meanwhile, the teacher will pass out the Daylight Hours Investigation­Prediction handout to each student. The teacher will call on volunteers to share their ideas of what sunrise and sunset times are. The teacher will ask the student to record the sunrise and sunset times on the handout. Next, the teacher will ask the students to work with the students at their table to calculate the number of daylight hours of that day. The teacher will give each table a clock model to help them count the number daylight hours. A clock model similar to the one shown below can be used:

*If the teacher does not have clock models, the students can make their own clock models using paper plates and pipe cleaners. Depending on how well the students can measure time, the teacher will demonstrate how to use the clock model to count the number of daylight hours to individual groups or to the whole class if necessary. The teacher will instruct the students to count the number of hours from the sunrise time to the sunset time to calculate the number of daylight hours.

Once each group has calculated the number of daylight hours in that day, the teacher will ask each group to share the number of hours they calculated. The teacher will record the numbers on the board. If the groups did not come up with the same number, the teacher will demonstrate how to calculate the number of daylight hours. The teacher will tell to the students that they will be conducting a scientific investigation for the rest of the school year (or until May) to see if the Sun rises and sets at the same time of day, and to see if the number of daylight hours is the same or different each day. The teacher will emphasize that students will be scientists by making observations, predictions, recording data, and drawing conclusions. The teacher will ask the students if they know what the following words mean one at a time: observations, predictions, data, and conclusions. The teacher will explain what the words mean, if necessary. The teacher will tell the students that they will be recording the times that the sun rises into the sky and the time that it sets to see if the times change throughout the year just as they did today. The teacher will pass out the Daylight Hours Investigation­ Data Collection hand out for September to the students. The students will be asked to record their times on the data collection sheet, then place their sheets in their science folders. The teacher will also record the times on the Daylight Hours Poster that will be posted on a wall, bulletin board, or whiteboard in the classroom where the students can see it. The poster should include the following information:

Date Sunrise Time Sunset Time Number of Daylight Hours

Dark or light out in the morning?

The poster will need about 32 rows to accommodate dates for eight months of observations recorded once a week (or the teacher can make separate posters for each month like the students have for their Data Collection sheets). The class will use the poster from September to May to record the sunset and sunrise times once a week. On each data collection day the teacher will ask the students to calculate the number of daylight hours using the sunrise and sunset times. In addition, the students will make note on their Data Collection sheets if it was dark or light out when they came to school in the morning.

Next, the students will be asked to answer the questions on the Daylight Hours Investigation­ Prediction handout. The teacher will tell the students that they will be making scientific predictions about the Sun. The teacher will explain that a prediction is an explanation for how something is going to happen in the future. The students will predict if they think the sunset/sunrise times are going to change or not. The students will hand in their Investigation Prediction sheets in to the collection basket when they are finished. *Data Collection will continue, once a week, throughout the school year. The teacher will hand out a Data Collection sheet to the students for each month (September­ May). The students will keep their Data Collection sheets in their science folders. After the fourth data collection of every month, the teacher will have the students complete the Daylight Hours Investigation­ Graphing handout. The students will be asked to color in the bar graph using their Data Collection sheets. As the year progresses and the times change, the teacher will ask the students to think about why the sunset/sunrise times and hours of daylight are changing. The teacher will call on volunteers to share their ideas. *The rest of the lesson will be finished at the end of the school year and after the data has been collected. Explain: Once the last Daylight Hours­ Graphing sheet is completed, the teacher will ask the students to take out all of their Daylight Hours­ Graphing sheets from the school year. The teacher will ask the students to lay out the sheets in order from September to May. The students may need to move around the room to find space to lay their sheets out. The teacher will pass out tape and the students will be asked to tape the sheets together to make one long sheet of graphs. The teacher will ask the students to do a “Think­Pair­Share” with their table groups looking at the hours of daylight from September to May and see if their is a pattern. The teacher will call on volunteers to share their observations. The teacher will ask the students the following questions:

“Did the number of daylight hours change as the seasons were changing?” “Could the amount of sunlight affect how warm or cold it is outside?” “What seasons have we experienced since we started collecting data for our investigation?”

The teacher will call on volunteers to share their observations. The teacher will write the three seasons on the board: fall, winter, and spring. The teacher will pass out markers and ask the students to write at the bottom of each graphing sheet the season that each month is part of.

The students will work together with their table groups. The teacher will walk around the room to make sure the students are writing the correct seasons for each graph. Elaborate: The teacher will ask the students to go back to their desks. The teacher will pass out the Daylight Hours Investigation­ Interpreting Data/Conclusion handout to the students. The students will complete the handout individually. When they are finished they will put the handout in the collection basket. Evaluate:

Objective(s) Assessment Tool(s) How the tool is used to assess the objective

Students will make observations of the sunrise and sunset times.

Data Collection sheet The sheet will be used to record the students observations and assess their understanding of the observations.

Students will record data on sunrise time, sunset time, and the number of daylight hours in a day.

Data Collection sheet The sheet will be used to assess if the students can accurately record the data.

Student will calculate the number of daylight hours in a day.

Prediction sheet Data Collection sheet

Both sheets will assess if the students can correctly calculate the hours of daylight in a day.

Students will use data to create graphs that represent the changes in the number of daylight hours over three seasons.

Graphing sheet The Graphing sheet will assess the students ability of how to graph the data. Writing the name of the season on each graph will assess the student’s understanding of the relation between the amount of daylight hours and the seasons.

Students will interpret data to identify which season has

Interpreting Data/Conclusion sheet

The sheet will assess the students understanding of

the most amount of sunlight and the least amount of sunlight.

which seasons have the most and least amount of sunlight.

Handout 1: Name: ____________________________ Date: __________________

Daylight Hours Investigation­ Prediction

Sunrise time: _______________ Sunset time: _______________ Calculate the number of daylight hours: ___________ 1. Was it light or dark out when you came to school today? Circle: Yes or No 2. Do you think the sunrise and sunset times of today will be the same every day? Explain your answer.

______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 3. Do you think the number of daylight hours will be the same every day? Explain your answer. ___________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Handout 2: Name: __________________________

Daylight Hours Investigation­ Data Collection

September Dates:

Sunrise Time: Sunset Time: Number of Daylight Hours:

Dark or light out in the morning?

Handout 3­ Name: _______________________ Please color in the number of daylight hours for each day in September.

Number of Daylight Hours in September 19

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Hours

September 3 September 10 September 17 September 24

Handout 4: Name: ____________________________

Daylight Hours Investigation­ Interpreting Data/ Conclusion

Directions: Look at your graphs to answer the following questions.

1. What month had the least amount of daylight hours?

_____________________________ 2. What months had the most amount of daylight hours?

_____________________________________

Directions: Use your graphs to answer the following questions. CIRCLE which word you choose as your answer.

3. What season had months with the least amount of daylight hours?

a. Fall

b. Winter

c. Spring

d. Summer 4. What two seasons had months with the most amount of daylight hours?

a. Fall and Winter

b. Fall and Summer

d. Fall and Spring

c. Spring and Winter 5. Even though we did not make observations of summer, which season do you think has the most amount of daylight hours?

a. Fall

b. Winter

c. Spring

d. Summer I chose that season because __________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

Resources:

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5­8/features/what­is­earth­58.html http://nineplanets.org/luna.html http://emmapscience.weebly.com/sun.html Sun Up, Sun Down: The Story of Day and Night (Science Works). By Bailey, Jacqui. Illus. by Lilly, Matthew. (2006). 32p. What Makes Day and Night (Let's Read and Find out Science 2). By Franklyn M. Branley. Illus. by Arthur Dorros. (1986). 32p. http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/earthsunmoon.html http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/212­Why­do­stars­only­come­out­at­night