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Heavens above!

K-8 Astronomy and Physics course

1st Module – Let’s start observing

This module introduces students to a different way of “looking around”. It begins with a surveyof the knowledge students already own.

Users: First Grade Students. Total amount of time: 17 hours. Teaching proposal andeducational material, cards for students.

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Introduction

By means of this module we begin our journey with Heavens above!

This module is addressed to First Grade Students. It is a special class. Problems related to children’s firsteducation and settling down can vary a great deal from class to class. As a consequence they can takemore or less time to deal with. We would like teachers to have the chance to consolidate the knowledge,which their students will acquire. The time to do that depends upon each class’s reaction. It is for thisreason that this module is short as far as time dedicated to its development.A lot of room is given to imagination and fantasy, usually present and important at this age. Werecommend teachers to use this age-related aspect to stimulate students’ interest towards the more“scientific” aims of this module.

On the whole, the expected time is around 17 hours. The amount required by each activity is short onpurpose, in order to have enough time left for questions and “games”. Moreover, each Teaching Unitdedicates some time to go through fundamental concepts again and again, in order to allow for theirconsolidation.

This module contains two charming activities. The first one is a fantastic journey towards the Sun(Teaching Unit 1.0) and the second one is “The Night Under the Stars” (T.U. 1.3). The first one can becarried out either by means of a PowerPoint presentation (“From the Earth to…”, which can be found atthe web site www.polare.it in the section dedicated to Heavens above! project) or by visiting aPlanetarium. If it is the case, teachers can also project some slides taken from the PowerPointpresentation.In the first case, the first image has to be replaced by an image (or images) of children’s own town orcountry. Images are supposed to be well-known by children, so that they can easily recognize them. Ifteachers do not use a well-known image, students will not understand that they will be moving awayfrom their own observation point, and that later they will be moving closer, going back to it. Whileshowing these images to children, teachers have to be careful. On the one hand, it is necessary for thefirst image/s to represent a town square, a monument or another feature, which can be easily recognizedby students. On the other hand, it is good not to stress it too much, in order not to enhance a geocentricvision (or even worse a topocentric one) of the Universe. The topocentric view is probably the mostfamiliar one to students and they might already have it.If teachers have the chance to visit a Planetarium, it is necessary to get in touch with the people incharged and to specify the goals. At this point, it is useless, or worse counterproductive, for students tosee other things (the class can visit the Planetarium again in one of the following years).Before starting the journey, teachers have to identify the presence of misconceptions related to theshape of the Earth, of the Sun and of the stars. Teachers can do that by talking a little while withstudents, or by having them draw or make a tridimensional work. This is important. Since the Sun andthe stars are celestial bodies that can be seen by a naked eye, it is necessary to keep misconceptionsfrom getting in the way of learning.

Special care has to be paid to T.U. 1.1. We suggest teachers give enough room to the second “Conceptconsolidation game” (“Who knows it?”). Its purpose is to prevent the idea that “The further an object is,the smallest it is” from rising in students’ minds.“Mister O” (egocentric observer, T.U. 1.3) is involved in another play as well as interesting time forstudents. By stepping into someone else’s shoes, students are provided with an understanding of therelativity of the point of view. “Mister O” follows students during the development of this module and herepresents a journey mate for the acquisition of scientific knowledge.

This Teaching Unit provides six-year-old children with basic information (right-left, big-small,…) and withsome fundamental concepts in Physics. It is necessary to pay particular attention to their rightacquisition. According to this, whatever other activity teachers wish to carry out, they have to enhancethe following concepts: relativity of the position, relativity of the reference system, relativity oforientation and direction, light source, illuminated body.

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What teachers, who tested this module, think about it

“Students’ interest was always high. They began to get used to observation and discussion, which I

consider to be formative both from an individual and a social point of view. It would be better to start

developing this module at the beginning of the school year. For children with particular learning

problems, it was a bit hard to carry out the work, especially the activities, which involve measures. It

would be very important to keep working in the following year, in order to evaluate students’ level of

involvement after one year of experience. My hypothesis is that this experience will be consolidated in

future activities, which are related to the concepts, which have been taken into consideration in this

module”.

“I have found particulary interesting the application of some activities in the motor education field, which

is the most congenial to me. The activity in the gym represented an important time. By means of a

game, the interest, which children have for motor activity, was focused on the consolidation of some

concepts”.

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1st Module Scheme, First part

1st MODULE TEACHING UNIT OBJECTIVES CONTENTS

1.0 “From the Earth to...”

To introduce the concept ofreference point.

To acquire the idea that the Earthand the Sun are spherical inshape.

To acquire the idea that the Sunhas no eyes, mouth and rays.

To acquire some manual skills(handle plasticine, “Das”*).

The look of the objectschange if we change ourpoint of view

1.1 Close - far

To compare the heights betweentwo objects.To begin to compare differentmeasures.

To learn how to put in ordersegments from the shortest to thelongest.

To acquire some basic operatingskills (draw lines, use the tape…).

Observer

Object

Point of view

1.2 Big - small

To compare the dimensions ofdifferent objects.

To acquire, or at least get an ideaof, the concepts of measure andunit of measure.

Dimension comparison

Measure comparison

Concept of unit of measure

1.3 Right - left

To distinguish between one’s ownright and one’s own left.

To distinguish between somebodyelse’s right and somebody else’sleft.

To distinguish between the rightand the left of a reflected image.

To identify an object from itsposition (right, left) with respectto a fixed observer.

Relativity of the observer’sposition

Reflection

Concept of symmetry

The Night Under the Stars

1.4 Move closer – movefurther

To introduce the concept oforientation and direction upon astraight line.

To consolidate the concept ofmeasure.

To consolidate the concept ofreference system.

To consolidate the concept of pointof view.

To compare/carry out measures.

Concept of orientation anddirection

Concept of directed axis

Reference system

Let’s startobserving

Aims:

To get used toobservation.

To acquire theright method forscientific inquiryof problems.

To get used toanalyze one’s ownspatial position inorder to acquirethe concept ofrelativity.

To introduce theconcepts of unitof measure,measure,orientation anddirection, sourceof light, eye as asensor.

To approachstudents todiffusion andreflectionphenomena.

To understand thedifferencebetween aluminous bodyand a source oflight.

1.5 Environment, Lightand Darkness

To introduce the concept of datarecorded over a period of time.

To introduce students to theconcept of observation as anaware activity.

To introduce the concept that theobserved phenomena vary.

Observation of some“astronomical” phenomena

Observation as requirementfor the scientific method

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1. 6 Let’s play with lightand…

To acquire the concept of eye asan instrument.

To acquire the concept of sourceof light.

To acquire the concept ofilluminated object.

To know how to compare thedimensions of different objects.

Those involved in theprevious Teaching Units

Scientific method forobservations

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1st Module Scheme, Second part part

TEACHING UNIT EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS MATERIAL FORSTUDENTS

REQUIRED TIME

1.0 “From the Earthto...”

Sample card for carrying outthe activity.

Sample of free discussion.

Sample of impressions afterthe trip.

PowerPoint presentation of thetrip.

Sample of the trip.

3 hours

1.1 Close - far


Sample of evaluation activity.

Sample of games in the gym.

2 hours

1.2 Big - smallSample card for carrying outthe activity.


1 hour and a half

1.3 Right - left


Sample of evaluation activityand evaluation activity for theend of the year.


Sample of a carried outdiscussion.

Sample card formaking up “MisterO”

Sample of a supportactivity for Rightand Left

4 hours

The Night Under theStars

Plan for the night: “If I were”. 2 hours

1.4 Move closer – movefurther


Sample of evaluation activity.1 hour

1.5 Environment, Lightand Darkness



Sample of discussion.

Sample of recordingcard

1 hour and a half

1. 6 Let’s play withlight and…



Sample of recordingcard

2 hours

* “Das” is a toy. It’s dough for shaping. You can substitute it either with “pongo” or salt dough.

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Teaching Unit 1.0

“From the Earth to…”

A “fantastic” trip on a space shuttle draws students’ attention. It focuses it on the observation of somephenomena, which happen on a daily routine. According to this, this module introduces students toobservation and to the first concepts related to topology, which will be presented in the following T.U.s.

Contents

The look of the objects changes if we change our point of view.

Objectives

To introduce the concept of reference point.To acquire the idea that the Earth and the Sun are spherical in shape.To acquire the idea that the Sun has no eyes, mouth and rays.To acquire some manual skills (knowing how to handle plasticine, Das, salt dough…).

Glossary

Point of view, atmosphere, Earth, Sun, sky, space.

Required time

Three hours on the whole, divided as follows:1. Steps 1 and 2 of the procedure can be carried out days ahead the projection, too, and they take

one hour on the whole.2. The “darkness time”, which children can bear, is around one hour and that is exactly the time

dedicated to the projection (from step 3 to step 5 of the procedure).3. Step 6 has to be carried out right after the projection.4. Step 7 has to be carried out in one of the following days. Expected time: one hour.

Needed material

1. A dark room where to project a PowerPoint presentation (for example “From the Earth to…”which can be found in the website www.polare.it). The first image has to be replaced by animage of the town where children live. Another choice would be to visit a Planetarium. Ask thepeople in charged to project some slides in the following order: an image of students’ owntown as seen from above; an image of their own state (for example Italy); an image of theirown country (for example Europe); an image of the Earth; an image of the starry sky; someimages of the Sun. A third choice would be to project some slides in the classroom.

2. Material for shaping as chosen by the teacher: Das, plasticine…3. Sheets of papers, crayons, felt-tip pens…

Procedure

1. An open discussion has to take place before leaving: what do children think they will see in thisjourney towards the Sun? The discussion has not to be leaded. Moreover, since children are veryyoung, it can not last long. (See sample card “Free discussion”).

a) b)Picture 1.0.1- Before the trip, children draw how they imagine the Sun, the Earth, the Moon, the stars. Two drawings.

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2. Have children represent the Earth and the Sun by means of “pongo” or plasticine or salt dough (note:children have to feel free to express themselves), in order to identify the presence either ofmisconceptions or age-related stereotypes.

a) b)

Picture 1.0.2 – Sample of Sun, Earth, Moon, stars representations. The other objects in the pictures represent thespace shuttle.

3. When the trip begins, lights are faint. Remember to have children notice the different referencepoints from which they are looking at the different images.

4. During the projection, ask children some questions, in order to let them recognize what they arelooking at. For this purpose it is necessary to leave them the right amount of time, so that they havethe chance to ask questions and acquire information.

5. Lights are turned off for the projection of the last two images: the starry sky and the Sun. We areoutside the Earth’s atmosphere, therefore the sky is dark.

6. Time for thinking: a drawing entitled: “What did you like (or what didn’t you like)?”.

a) b) c)Picture 1.0.3 – Whatever context the trip is set in, the image which strikes children the most is always the same: the

Sun, the “spurts”.

7. Children are now asked to represent the Earth and the Sun according to how they have seen them inthe “fantastic” journey and by means of the same materials they used in step 1.

Picture 1.0.4 – Representations of the Sun made bychildren after the activity

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Teaching Unit 1.0: “From the Earth to…”

Didactic-methodological suggestions

Keep in mind that darkness causes panic in children, so let them “give vent” to it. What usually

happens is an increasing in the background noise. Children whisper to make sure to be together, rather

than to ask real questions.

It would be a good thing to take a picture of the products of step 1 and step 7 or to keep them. That’s

because they represent the evaluation for this Teaching Unit.

Depending upon the methodology chosen (slides, PowerPoint, visit to a Planetarium), the impression

that children get is very different. In the first two cases they realize it is fiction, while in the last one the

setting is more suggestive and can be deceiving. For this reason, it is necessary that some objects and

some reference points of everyday life can be seen in the room, in which the trip is projected. This is

meant for keeping fantasy from taking over reality and for not losing the scientific approach. The

scientific approach is the main topic of the entire course and it is emphasized through this trip.

Remember to point out the main item of this approach: the different reference points from where objects

are seen beyond the imaginative “door of the space shuttle”.

Be very careful to the time that is spent. This teaching unit is meant for drawing pupils’ attention, for

arousing their interest. For this reason it is not a good thing to evaluate pupils. In this sense, the shaping

of the Sun and of the Earth, by means of plasticine or Das, can be considered as an evaluation activity.

It is important to keep in mind that one of the objectives of this teaching unit is to have pupils acquire

the idea that the Earth and the Sun are spherical in shape.

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Sample of free conversation

In the first years of Elementary School, it is useful to start the activity by means of a free

conversation, which allows for identification of children’s misconceptions. A sample is given in the

following lines.

Take into consideration that the sample below is taken from an Italian Nursery School: children have

already been subject to structured cognitive inputs.

The question which was asked was: “How do you see the Sun in your mind?”

The approach was the same for both classes. The sample below is a mix of children’s answers from

both classes.

- The Sun is round in shape.

- The Sun is bigger than the Earth.

- The Moon is round in shape and it is a half.

- The Earth might be round, and I imagine the Moon to be sometimes half, sometimes full.

- I imagine the World to be round in shape and the Moon to be full.

- The Sun is round in shape and it has rays, the Moon is round in shape, as well.

- The Moon is round in shape and it has a lot of holes.

- The Earth is round in shape and the Moon is both round and a half.

- The Moon has both small and big holes.

- The Sun is round in shape and it has rays, the Moon is a half.

- The Sun has rays and the Moon sometimes looks like a banana and sometimes is round in shape.

- The half Moon has a lot of holes and it looks like cheese.

- The Moon looks like a ball.

- It is made out of cheese.

- No it is not. It is made out of fire.

- No, it is not. It is as gray as the asphalt.

- It is made out of desert.

- It is made out of earth.

- The Sun is going the other direction, the Earth covers it, it makes a shadow because there are a

lot of houses.

- The Sun is going away, far away, to China where it makes the morning come. When here it is

nighttime, in Africa it is daytime, as a logical consequence. I thought there was Saturn, which

fired with a gun (everybody laughs). It is a planet, well, it is higher than the sky.

- My brother told me that stars are not stars, they are actually planets.

- Planets are earths, they are far away towns, in Africa, China, Northern America.

- Small earths in the sky, with aliens, if they exist.

- Teacher, if you want I can print a draw of the planets with my computer.

- Stars are planets, which are illuminated by the Sun.

- Stars are huge stones, they don’t have rays like these.

- They are made out of gas and fire.

- They are made out of fire.

- I agree.

- Stars are not planets.

- They are not stones, either.

- The Earth is a planet, the one with the green stuff around, the grass, the blue water, lagoons,

ditches, the earth, the trees.

- The Earth is round in shape, where there is our land, it looks like a boot, our region, Italy.

- Jupiter is bigger than Saturn, but Saturn has more satellites.

- The Moon is a satellite, too.

- Satellites are space shuttles.

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Sample of the beginning of the journey with children

Note: this sample is related to the PowerPoint presentation, which can be found in the website

www.polare.it in the part dedicated to the Heavens above! project, under the entry “Presentations”.

The first slide (which in this text represents a feature of the city of Bologna) has to be replaced by an

image representing either a square or a monument of the children’s own town as seen from above.

Usually, you can find pictures like these very easily either by some photo amateur or air club. They can

also be postcards, which can be scanned.

0) Are you ready? Now you sit down, we turn off the light and we are ready to take off…

1) First of all, we have to ask the headmaster for the permission to go, we must have the roof of the

school open, after that the space shuttle will take off; now, listen, if you hear four sharp sounds with a

constant range of time in between one another, we will take off. Meanwhile, let’s turn on our engines and

here you are the four sharp sounds, pretend you are fastening your seat belts and let’s go, we are taking

off…

2) …but how high are we by now? Let’s open the first hatch. Even if we are protected, we can see very

well…

3) I can see the two towers, we have flown high, we can see pedestrians…

4) Even higher and here you are Italy, it looks like a boot, even higher and here you are the Earth, but

there are clouds, we are outside our… how is it called?

5) Now a long journey towards the Sun begins, the Earth moves further and further away and the sky

gets darker and darker, but we can see the stars!!

6) Let’s try to link them together as we wish, let’s make the “game of the dots”, we will come up with

some figures, let’s see who can find out something…

7) And here you are the Sun, first we keep it covered, otherwise it bothers our eyes, we have traveled

too much in the darkness, but now, here you are, we can see it very well… but, how weird, it does not

have rays, that is weird. I wonder why they have not drawn the rays on the Sun! Oh, it is getting warmer

and warmer, may be we had better fly back to Earth, because there is a long way to go, through that

dark zone, where we can only see bright little spots, i.e. the stars…

8) And here you are the Earth, Italy, look: you cannot see the stars anymore, let’s hope to land in

Bologna, otherwise you should take either a train or a bus to go back home… The two towers, but now

we have to ask the headmaster again for landing inside the school, here you are the four sharp sounds

again and… yes, may be we have landed in the right place!

9) Now let’s go out from this space shuttle and let’s try to see if on the outside there are the hallways of

the school, so you can go back to your classroom…

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Sample of children’s’ impressions after the “journey”.

- The Sun had a sprout, it looked like a dinosaurs and on the inside it had some white spots.

- The Sun is a ball of fire, the stars shine.

- The Sun is beautiful, the Sun is in the middle of the planets. It is spherical in shape, it is beautiful, it is

big, it is an orange.

- The Sun is red, the Sun makes a sprout, the Sun has rays. The stars are beautiful.

- On the roof of the house the Sun shines the morning.

- The Sun is the most beautiful in the world and it has the most beautiful colors. Its colors are: orange,

black, yellow and white.

- The Sun is beautiful, it is all colored and it comes here, in Treviso.

- Black Sun, red rays orange yellow stars.

- The Sun has no rays. It has white and black spots.

- The Sun has no rays, Orion is a giant.

- The Sun has no rays, some of its parts are cooler.

- The Sun is very hot, the black parts are cooler and sometimes it makes some sprouts.

- The Sun has black and white spots, it is red and yellow.

End of Teaching Unit 1 .0

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Teaching Unit 1.1

“Close – far”

This Teaching Unit deals with different concepts of Physics. It is an introduction to the comparison ofquantities and therefore to measure.

Contents

Observer, object, point of view.

Objectives

To compare the heights between two objects.To start comparing different measures.To learn how to put in order segments from the shortest to the longest.To acquire some basic operating skills (draw lines, use the tape…).

Glossary

Observer, object, point of view.

Required time

One hour for measuring (steps 1 to 9 of the procedure); another hour for the discussion.

Needed material

Children themselves.Pencils, if possible not with sharp points.Colored tape.Either a long hallway or a gym where to carry out the activity.

Procedure

In a long hallway, children themselves will be used both as “objects” and “observers”.1. On the floor, draw a line by means of a chalk. On this line, label as O the point where the observer

will be placed.2. Draw a second line, which is perpendicular in O to the first one.3. On this second line, label as A, B, C,… other points at different distances from O, for example by

counting the number of the floor tiles (have children decide how).

Figure 1.1.1 Placing of the points. O (observer), A, B, C (objects which are placed for example at 2, 4, 6 meters fromO; obviously, children will count the floor tiles or…).

4. Place one child (observer) in O and another one (object) in A.

O

C

B

A

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a) b)Picture 1.1.2 – While setting up the activity.

5. The observer holds a pencil in front of his/her eye with a fully extended arm, and he/shecompares one of his/her schoolmates’ height to the length of the pencil. The height will berepresented on the pencil by putting a little piece of tape (this operation is harder than what it seemsand it can be replaced, for example, by marking the pencil with a felt-tip pen).

a) b) c)Picture 1.1.3 – To the left: while measuring. In the center and to the right: the same observer compares the heights

taken from two different points.

6. The “object” moves to the second position and the observer measures him/her again followingbasically the same procedure, the only difference consists in choosing a tape with a different color.

7. Do it all over again for the last position marked on the floor: at the end each child should have apencil with three pieces of tape with different colors.

8. The same measures have to be collected by every child.9. At the end, have every child lay his/her pencil horizontally on a page of his/her notebook and

have he/she draw three segments as long as the lengths indicated on the pencil by the pieces of tape.

a) b)Picture 1.1.4 – Children while drawing the three segments on their notebooks. These two children have chosen two

different methodologies. Also in this case it is better to let children do as they wish.

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10. Joint discussion: “What has happened?” (for example: has the child, who was playing the “object”role, become shorter? Has the pencil become longer? Or…?)

11. Comparison between the length of the object and the one measured on the pencil: who is taller,either the “object” or the pencil?

Picture 1.1.5 – Summarizing and abstraction times concerning the activity on the whole.

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Teaching Unit 1.1: “Close – far”


Remember that in step 1, the first position (A) has to be chosen in such a way that the object which

has to be measured is as tall as or taller than the pencil. This activity has to be carried out one by one by

every child. In any case if there are two teachers, children can be divided into two groups. Conclusions

have to be drawn by all the children together. At this point the drawings are important: it is necessary to

have children draw what they have measured because it represents an important abstraction time.

In order to consolidate the concepts, which have been introduced, teachers can play some games in the

gym as suggested in the card about games in the gym.

• The image on the evaluation card has to contain people and objects placed in three different

grounds.

Activity for concept consolidation

1. Take an object and have children formulate hypothesis about what will happen if it is placed in

the same positions of the former activity. The aim is to verify that what they have learnt can be

generalized. It stands not only for people: the further an object moves, the smaller it seems to

become.

2. Let’s play “Who knows it?”: choose two objects which have different heights (for example a

bottle of oil and a can) and ask the question: “which is the tallest in the different positions?”.

Teachers have to be clever and let the furthest object be taller than the closer. This allows to sap

the idea, which children might have, that “the furthest object is as well the shortest”.

Picture 1.1.6 – Two different times ofabstraction: a joint text, which waspreviously put into words, and itsrepresentation. The three coloured columnsrepresent the three measures of the objectfrom different observation points. Teachersstress the fact that after this activity,children have started using the ruler andbeing more precise in other activities, too.

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Evaluation test

Imagine you are by the window and you are lookingoutside. There are two children in the garden.

1. Mark with a blue cross the object which is closer to you:

EITHER THE GIRL OR THE TREE?

2. Mark with a red cross the object which is closer to you:

EITHER THE BOY OR THE HEDGE?

3. Mark with a black cross the object which is closer to you:

EITHER THE HEDGE OR THE TREE?

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1. Draw a straight line on the floor and label as O the point where the observer will be placed.

On a straight line perpendicular to this one in O, place three stools at different distances.

Have a child stand on the first stool. One by one, the other children play the observer role.

Holding an Indian club in one of their hands, with a straight arm, have them close one eye and

compare their classmate’s height to the length of the club. The height has to be marked by

means of a piece of tape.

Then the child moves to the other stools, further and further away form the observer, in order to

obtain three marks on the club.

Even if data recorded on the club were not always precise, children have noticed that:

“We have three different values”.

“The further the child, the shorter the mark”.

“Our schoolmate is as tall as the club”.

2. Take some wooden Indian clubs being equal as far as height, and place them on two parallel

lines, one closer to the children and one further. By means of a ball, children have to hit the

clubs, which are on the line behind, i.e. the furthest ones.

Standing on a line, one by one, children tried to knock down as many “towers” as they could by

letting a ball roll. Children said:

“The furthest ones are hard to hit”.

“The closest ones are in front of the others”.

“Those in foreground are closer to us”.

3. Lay some wooden hoops on the floor, on a line, at the same distance from one another and quite

close to each other. One by one, children have to follow the path. The rules are: they have to

jump from one hoop to the other and not to skip any hoop. Then, the hoops are moved further

from each other and children have to do all over again. Keep moving further and further the

hoops until some children cannot jump anymore from one hoop to the other.

Children observed that:

“Closer is easier”.

“The further they are, the harder I have “to work””.

“I have to jump if they are far away”.

End of Teaching Unit 1.1

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Teaching Unit 1.2

“Big – small”

This Teaching Unit represents an enhancement of the previous one, and it allows for introducing pupils tothe concept of height of an object. In the hands-on activity, which is presented here, the teacher issupposed to be part of a “game”. The concepts, which are here introduced, will be studied in depth in thefollowing teaching units.

Contents

Dimension comparison.Measure comparison.Concept of unit of measure.

Objectives

To compare the dimensions of different objects.To acquire, or at least get an idea of, the concepts of measure and unit of measure.

Glossary

Measure, unit of measure.

Required time

One hour to compare teacher’s dimensions to a child’s ones, and half an hour for the discussion.

Needed material

Children themselves.Teacher as an object.Colored chalks.A pretty long hallway or a gym.

Procedure

1. By means of a chalk, draw a segment on the floor and label as O the point where the observer will beplaced (one by one, every child).

2. Draw another segment which is perpendicular to the former one in O. Label as A the point where theobject (a child) will be placed.

3. Label as B, C, D… other points where the teacher will later be placed.

Figure 1.2.1 – Scheme representing the positions of the points.

4. At first, teacher stands in the B position. The observer in O tells the other children if he/she can seethe teacher’s head.

D

C

B

A

O

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Picture 1.2.2- A drawing which shows that a process of abstraction has already occurred.

5. While children observe, teacher sets his/her self in the C, D… positions, further and further away fromthe observer. For every position, the observer tells the other children if he/she can see the teacher.Later, the teacher moves closer again to the first position.

6. After every child has carried out the activity, ask the question: “Does the teacher become shorter andlarger? Or what happens instead?”.

7. Discuss with children what “to measure” means (see Didactic-methodological suggestions).


Remember that with the word “to measure” we mean “compare a quantity to another arbitrary one,chosen as unit” (this is what we actually do when we measure for example the width of a table: we areactually comparing the dimension of the table to a meter, decimeter…). In this case, what it is done is touse a child as a unit of measure and teacher’s dimensions are compared to it. Every child has to measureby his/her self. The question, which we want to find an answer for, is the following one: “Is the teacheralways taller then the child?”• The Evaluation activity for this Teaching Unit consists in just some drawings, and it can be

considered as a final conclusion for the previous Teaching Unit, too. The second part of the cardrequires a major mental effort for the children. It is important that you stress this fact while childrenare being tested. If some child shows difficulties, we suggest to set up the activity and move theobjects.

a) b)Picture 1.2.3 – Sample of answers given on the evaluation test.

Concept consolidation activity

Switch the roles: teacher stands in the A position, while a child sets his/her self in all the differentpositions, one by one. If the activity has been carried out properly, this one is just a check for theobservations that pupils have done in the former activity.

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Teaching Unit 1.2 : “Big – small”

Sample of evaluation activity

Note for the teacher

For the evaluation, you need to have a can of Coke and a can of Fanta having the same dimensions,

and a can having bigger dimensions. It is important that the objects are similar in shape.

First part

Place two similar objects (for example a can of Coke (object A) and a can of Fanta (object B)) on the

edge of the teacher’s desk, which is the furthest from the children. Children have to answer to

question 1 of the Evaluation activity. Move the object B closer to the children. Have them check if

their first draw is correct.

Second part

Do it all over but with two different objects for A and B (with A smaller than B) and always in the

same line.

Children have to answer to question 2 of the Evaluation activity.

Move the object A closer to children. Have them check if their previous draw is correct.

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Teaching Unit 1.2: “Big – small”

Evaluation activity

1. Observe the can of Coke (object A) and the can of Fanta (object B): they have the same height andthey are at the same distance from you. Pretend the can of Fanta is closer to you than the can ofCoke. Make a draw about how you imagine to see the two cans.

Now object A has actually been moved closer to you: check if your drawing is correct.

2. Observe the objects A anb B: now A is smaller than B, but they are always at the same distance fromyou.Pretend that A is closer to you than B. Make a draw about how you imagine to see the two objects.

Now object A has actually been moved closer to you: check if your drawing is correct.


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Teaching Unit 1.3

“Right – left”

In this Teaching Unit, the concepts of reflection and right-left will be passed on to students. The teacherwill introduce the concepts, and he/she will take them up again and again, in a constant iteration. Theycan also be taken up once again and enhanced by means of games played in the gym.

Contents

Relativity of the observer’s position, reflection, concept of symmetry.

Objectives

To distinguish between one’s own right and one’s own left.To distinguish between somebody else’s right and somebody else’s left.To distinguish between the right and the left of a reflected image.To identify an object from its position (right, left) with respect to a fixed observer.

Required time

This activity lasts around four hours on the whole: part A lasts two hours and part B lasts another twohours.

Needed material

Either “Mister O” or a doll.A room with a window.A mirror a little bit taller than the children.Either an instant or a digital camera.

Procedure

The activity has to be carried out in two different times:

Part A: to distinguish between the right and the left

1. Draw a straight line on the floor in front of a window, parallel to the line defined by the junction of thefloor with the wall. Label as O a point on the line; label as A a point to the left of O, and as B a point onthe right.

A O B

Figure 1.3.1 – Positions from where the first observations are carried out. The straight line is drawn on the floor andthe observer (O) looks outside the window. Both points A and B have to be at least one meter away from O.

2. Have one child stand in O, look outside and tell what he/she sees outside the window (it would bebetter to take a picture while standing in the O position).

Picture 1.3.2 – While observing: in front of the windows, divided in groups, children tell what they see.

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3. First while standing in the A and then in the B position, do all over again (here take pictures, as well).You have students draw what they have seen in order to enhance observation.

Picture 1.3.3 – Sample of a process of abstraction: children drew what they saw from the different positions.The object on the bottom part is a detail (in this case a bench) which allows to consolidate the concept of relativity of

reciprocal positions, too.

4. “Replace” the window with a mirror. What does the child see? Also now it is useful to take a picture.5. Pictures help the discussion, which has to be carried out right after the activity ends. In the discussionthe fundamental aspects of the activity have to be stressed:- what changes among the things that we observe if we change the point of view;- what changes if we look outside a window or if we are facing a reflecting body.

Picture 1.3.4 – Sample of conclusion drawn in the discussion.

Part B: right and left in a mirror

1. Now we use a mirror: tell the child who stands in front of a mirror (A) what he/she has to do, forexample:

a) raise your right arm;b) move one of your arms so that the image in the mirror raises its own right arm.

2. Have another child (S) substitute the mirror: every command given to (A) must be executed by(S), too in a specular way (discussion and observation upon what changes).

3. Back to the mirror: there is always a child (A) who looks at him/her self in the mirror; anotherchild (O) has to stand in a position from where he/she can see (A) but not the (A)’s imagereflected in the mirror. The first child moves and the second one, the observer, tells what thereflected image does.

Figure 1.3.5 – O can see A but not the image in the mirror.

I can’t see themirror. Whatdoes the childin the mirror do

O

A

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4. The final discussion has to be carried out while students keep looking at their drawings. Have studentsobserve the reversed (leftside right) movements, which the reflected image does with respect to the realperson.


Being able of distinguishing between the right and the left is one of children’s basic skills. That’s why wehave chosen to separate this Teaching Unit into two parts. Part A involves activities carried out usingchildren in front of a window and using children and a mirror. Part B involves activities carried out usingchildren and their images reflected in a mirror. These two parts are different as far as difficulties areconcerned, and it is necessary that part B is subsequent to part A.During the school year, they can be carried out again, even just partially, in order to consolidateconcepts, which have been previously acquired.

The evaluation card requires a fair attention: give children thirty minutes for writing it out.

We suggest to play the games in the gym in order to consolidate the concepts. When they are over, givestudents other enhancement cards and have them fill in other evaluation cards, in particular at the end ofthe school year

Picture 1.3.6 – A sample of enhancement game carried out in a class: one’s own right hand had to be painted with thered color, the left one with the blue one.

Concept consolidation game

For this game, it would be useful to have Mister O; in order to do that, you can build it (Constructioncard). In any case, if you do not feel like making it, you can take a doll and pretend that…

How to carry out the activity

Mister O describes the position of the objects with respect to himself; he always describes the positionsusing nothing but his body as a reference system: the information (right, above, in front of…) is alwaysgiven making reference to Mister O. A sample is given below.

Guess what… is a score game: one point is given for every right answer, the one who gets first to 3points is the one who wins. Mister O stands on a desk and around him there are four or more objects.After a while, turn Mister O a little bit and ask, for example, the following question: which object is nowon Mister O’s right side?

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Teaching Unit 1.3: “Right – left”

Evaluation test

Look carefully at the following image.

Which is the man’s right hand? Paint it with red.Which is the man’s left hand? Paint it with blue.

Now look carefully at this image and answer to the following questions.

Which objects is on the man’s right side? Make a red circle around it.Which objects is on the man’s left side? Make a blue circle around it.Make a green cross below the object, which is on your right.

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Evaluation test(to be done at the end of the school year)

LOOK AT THE IMAGE AND FILL IN THE BLANK SPACES

On the man’s right side there is……… On the man’s right side there is………

………………………………… …………………………………

On the man’s left side there is……… On the man’s left side there is………

………………………………… …………………………………

DRAW A RIBBON ON THE GIRL’S RIGHT PONYTAIL.

DRAW A BONE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DOG.

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Enhancement card

DRAW A TREE INSIDE THE RECTANGLE ON YOUR RIGHT AND A BUTTERFLY INSIDE THERECTANGLE ON YOUR LEFT.

PRETEND YOU AREOBSERVING THE WINDOW OFA SHOP.YOU CAN SEE THESE TOYS.

IN EACH ONE OF THESQUARES BELOW, WRITE THENAME OF THE RIGHT TOY.

ON YOUR LEFT IN THE MIDDLE ON YOUR RIGHT

BOTTOM ………………………. ……………………… ……………………..

TOP ……………………… ……………………… ……………………..

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“Mister O” construction card(also known as artificial egocentric observer)

Aim

To have students get used to points of view which are conflicting with their owns, and therefore have

them get used to different reference systems from their own.

Procedure-methodological suggestions

It can be made out either of plywood (and therefore be an outline) or of fabric and filled with padding. It

takes some time to make it out of fabrics, but often children have someone make others for them and

the game becomes more interesting.

Materials

Either plywood or both fabrics and padding.

Construction

1. If you use plywood, all you need to do is to draw the outline of a stylized man: it has to be small

(around 30 cm) so that children can handle it easily. Then you have to saw the plywood.

Figure 1.3.7 – Mister O’s outline

2. If you use fabrics:

a) Double the fabrics and draw the outline of a man on it.

b) Sew it all around the edges leaving an opening to insert the padding.

c) Turn the fabrics inside out through this opening (so that the seams will remain on the

inside) and fill in the “bag”, which has come out, with the padding.

Picture 1.3.8 – Mister O made out of fabrics.

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Sample of discussion

Children had first looked outside the window and they drew what they saw. Then they kept on working:

they observed just a detail (the bench) and they put some stamps in three different positions on some

sheets of paper.

Finally we observed the pictures, which were taken, and we collected the observations:

Discussion carried out with children while looking at pictures taken through window 1, 2 and 3

TEACHER: What changes and what doesn’t change when we look outside the three windows?

CHILDREN: The bench in picture n.1 is in the middle, in picture n.2 is a little bit on the right, and in

picture n.3 it is completely on the left.

- In picture n.1 there are two staircases on the bottom left, in n.2 you can see half a staircase on the

bottom left, in n.3 you can’t see any staircases anymore.

- In picture n.1 I can see a gate on the right, in n.2 it’s moved a little bit to the left. In n.3 I can’t see it

anymore because the trees hide it.

- In picture number 3, on the right, I can see half of the big tree (it is big because it is close), in n.2 it

has moved a little bit to the right and I can see less than half of it, in n.1 it has disappeared.

- In picture n.1 I can see part of the school on the left, in n.2 this part is smaller because it’s moved to

the left, in n.3 I can see no parts anymore.

- I can see a bare tree on the right side of the bench, in n.2 it has moved a little to the left and in n.3 it

has moved even more to the left.

- In picture n.3 there is the handrail on bottom right, in n.2 it has moved a little to the left, in n.1 one I

can see it nomore.

TEACHER: did you see different things from the three windows because things actually moved?

CHILDREN: No, we saw different things because we moved.

During the discussion I asked children to define the positions spatially. This helped them be more precise

while describing what they were seeing.

The activity went on to the mirror part and to the games, those suggested plus other ones.

At the same time, other games have been played. They involved the distinction between the right and

the left with reference both to someone’s self and to other people. We will go on to die painting of both

the right and the left hands and to Mister O’s game.

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Sample of 1st Module consolidation games

to be played in the gym

1. Spread children all around the gym. Each of them has to have a stick lying by his/her feet. The

exercise consists in jumping either to the left or to the right of the stick according to the command

given.

2. Spread all around the gym as many Indian clubs as the number of children. The clubs have to

stand. When the teacher says “go”, children start running around without letting the clubs fall down.

When they hear just one sound signal, they have to stop at the right side of the club, when they hear

two, at the left side.

3. Children are spread in front of a line drawn on the floor of the gym. When they see a visual signal

(for example a flag waving) they have to move to the right side of the line.

4. Divide children into couples and have each of them stand face to face. The exercise consists in

recognizing which one is their schoolmate’s right hand, left foot, etc. (in order to make the game

easier, both right hands can be painted in blue and both left hands in red).

5. Lay two different pieces of equipment on the floor, close to a child and ask another child what

he/she can see on the right… on the left…

6. Children wait on a line, beyond a starting line drawn on the floor. When the teacher says “go”

they have to begin walking on a rope lying on the floor and when they hear a sound signal they have

to jump to the right side of the rope and keep jumping on this side. When the teacher says “change”

they have to jump to the left side and keep jumping.

7. Divide children into couples and spread them all around the gym. Each couple has to have a piece

of equipment, which it has chosen previously. One of the two children has to place him/her self, for

example, on the right side of the tool in order to carry out a required movement, the other one has to

say if his/her schoolmate is either in the right or on the left side of the object.

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If I were…(plan for the Night Under the Stars)

Required time: one hour at most.

It is very important to choose the right night: a thin crescent Moon has to be visible. Given children’s

youth, we suggest to stay at school, during wintertime, after afternoon classes are over. This allows for

carrying out observations from a place children know well (usually it is the school garden or a field

nearby), and to see it in a different time from the one they are used to.

The Night Under the Stars allows for knowledge consolidation. It can be carried out keeping in mind these

three steps:

• Light and darkness alternation, while observing together what’s happening in the real world

• Right-left, with respect to the crescent Moon. One of the games which charms children is: “If I

were the Moon, I would see…. But I am…, and therefore I can see…” which allows to consolidate

the importance of the reference point, too.

In this game, a tape recorder can be used, in order to listen again, in the following days, to what children

said. This allows for a discussion with children about their experience.

• The Night Sky view (already carried out meanwhile the initial journey fiction): let’s play at linking

the dots of the stars finding out fantastic images, about which children will find out fairy tales

later in class.

It can be an interdisciplinary activity, but also a time of strong emotional impact: darkness is not that

easy to face, even if together it is easier.

The Night can take place after T.U. 1.3 (Right-Left) has been carried out in class, so that the Night itself

can represent both an evaluation and an in-depth time.


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Teaching Unit 1.4

“Move closer – move further”

This Unit begins with an activity, which is similar to the previous one, and then it introduces the newconcepts of orientation and direction.

Contents

Concept of orientation and direction.Concept of directed axis.Reference system.

Objectives

To introduce the concept of orientation and direction upon a straight line.To consolidate the concept of measure.To consolidate the concept of reference system.To consolidate the concept of point of view.To compare/carry out measures.

Glossary

Point of view, orientation, direction, measure.

Required time

The expected time is 60 minutes at most. The activity can also be carried out again in later times toconsolidate the concepts introduced.

Needed material

A hallway long enough or a gym.Chalks.Pencils.

Procedure

1. Draw a straight line on the floor and label as O and D two points on it. O and D have to be atleast 4 meters far away from each other (O represents the starting point where initially a child will beplaced; D represents the position where an object will be placed).

2. On the OD segment, label as A, B and C three points at different distances from O (A as to becloser to O), but at the same distance from each other.

O A B C D

Figure 1.4.1 – Sample of point position.

3. A child stands in O and he/she compares the dimensions of an object placed in D to those of apencil which he/she is holding (mark the pencil as described in T.U. 1.1).

4. Another child does it too, and then he/she moves closer to the object and places him/her self firstin A, then in B and eventually in C.

5. From C (the closest position to the object D), the child moves further, placing him/her self to theprevious positions and checking the measures which he/she has taken previously.

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6. Carry out again basically what described in the former steps, this time moving closer and right aftermoving further, i.e. moving for example from A to B and then from B to A (these steps has to becarried out twice or more times, until children have understood the concept of direction).

Picture 1.4.2 – A sample of abstraction of the activity.

7. The measures which children recorded on the pencils have to be reproduced on their notebooks.

Picture 1.4.3 – Sample of word and graphic representation of the observed phenomenon.

8. Discussion with the whole class, about the results of the activity, in order to insist upon theconcepts of orientation and direction, which were introduced during the observation time. Eventuallychildren have to know the answer to the question: “If I go from home to school or from school tohome, what changes in my way?”

Didactical-methodological suggestions

The activity has to be carried out by every pupil, just because the concepts of orientation and direction,which are introduced in this T.U., are very important. It is therefore important to spend the right amountof time for this activity and to give it the room it requires, in order to have children acquire the conceptsin the right way. This activity can be carried out again later on in different times, in order to verify andconsolidate the acquisition and consolidation of the information itself.

We suggest to give thirty minutes for the evaluation card, in order to allow for a check concerning theacquisition of the concept of direction.


Where is the object? A child plays Mister O role and he/she hides an object in the classroom.Schoolmates have to look for the object, following his/her instructions (for example: on my left, twosteps away from me…). The one who finds it first, plays the role of Mister O and it is his/her turn to hidethe object.

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Teaching Unit 1.4: “Move closer – Move further”

Evaluation test

HAVE A LOOK AT THE DRAWING: YOUR HOUSE IS THE BUILDING ON THE BOTTOM LEFT.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BY DRAWING IN THE SQUARES THE RIGHT OBJECT:

IF I WALK FROM MY HOUSE TO SCHOOL, I WILL MEET:

BEFORE AFTER

IF I WALK FROM SCHOOL TO MY HOUSE, I WILL MEET:

BEFORE AFTER


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Teaching Unit 1.5

“Environment, Light and Darkness”

This T.U. introduces pupils to systematic observation. It can be simply run as a game in order to see whocan observe the best and therefore who can see the major amount of details, which can be seen in thedifferent settings.

Contents

Observation of some “Astronomical” phenomena.Systematic observation as basis for the Scientific method.

Objectives

To introduce the concept of data recorded over a period time.To introduce the concept of observation as an aware activity.To introduce the concept that the observed phenomena vary.

Glossary

To observe, light, shadow.

Required time

30 minutes for the first observation, 10 minutes for each one of the following observations, 4 times onthe whole in the entire school day.Step 1 has to be carried out before the lesson takes place. They are just simple observations, which theteacher puts in front of children. Data recording is not required in this step. It will be in the second partof the activity.

Needed material

Notebooks. Poster.Pencils, crayons.A window from where to look outside.A camera.

Procedure

The purpose of this lesson is to observe the variations, which occur on a daily routine in the environmentaround us. What we mean for environment is both the inside of the classroom and the outside, i.e. whatwe see outside the window. We want to highlight the “night-day” cycle, therefore light-darknessalternation as a repeating phenomenon.

1. Initial observations, carried out at different times during the day ahead, whose purpose is tohighlight some features (to look at the spot of light which the window makes on the floor, to look at theshadow of an object inside the classroom at different times, to look at the shadow of a tree from thewindow…).2. Discussion about the simple observations carried out in step 1, which allows for a joint choicewhat children will observe both inside and outside the classroom (possible shadows, benches of trees,plants…).3. Have children describe what they see outside the window (the description can also be substitutedby a picture, which makes the activity easier).4. At the same time, have children describe what they see inside the classroom (the description canalso be substituted by a picture, which makes the activity easier).5. Do it all over again at different times during the day (for three times on the whole). It is notnecessary to take a picture: the description is enough, but it has to be done while looking at the firstpictures. It is important that children describe what they see. That’s why this activity has to be carriedout when children have learnt how to write. Every child collects on his/her notebook data regardingboth the inside and the outside (Recording card).

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Picture 1.5.1 – Sample of filled in - recording card.

6. Discussion, whose purpose is to stress the differences, i.e. what changes. Have every child readfrom his/her notebook what he/she has noticed. Highlight in a poster every child’s observations (Sampleof discussion).

Didactical-methodological suggestions

This is the first “systematic observation”: the observation of the changes, which occur on a daily routine(it is therefore necessary to pay attention to luminosity and to the position and the shape of theshadows). This observation can be carried out again, when children are at home as well as in other timesof the year, in order to verify if they acquired the information (we start introducing here the concept ofobservation as a basis for the scientific method).It is meaningful to change the observation point, in the sense that children have to observe fromdifferent windows, without having a position that is the same for everybody. In this way, all of them canverify directly their schoolmates’ observations (in particular, this is an effective method if in theclassroom there are wide windows).It would be useful if children could observe the changes a plant undergoes, too. We suggest to keep aplant on the windowsill.Step 1 is fundamental and it could be carried out also in a different lesson, in order the have children getused to observation gradually.As far as the Recording card is concerned, we suggest to use pictures taken for this purpose at differenttimes during the activity. This is the first card, which requires students to write something. It is thereforeimportant since it is the first card regarding a lab activity.

Picture 1.5.2 – Sample of filled in - evaluation card.

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Teaching Unit 1.5: “Environment, Light and Darkness”

Recording card(for students)

OBSERVATIONDATE AND HOUR

INSIDE

38

OBSERVATIONDATE AND HOUR

OUTSIDE

39


Evaluation test

Looking at the two drawings, write what, in your opinion, has changed during the observation.

BEFORE

AFTER

The run goes on… fill in the third sketch.

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Real sample of a joint discussion, after the record of the personal observations

TEACHER: - What changes did you observe outside the window during the three observation sessions?

CHILDREN:

- Trees weren’t moving, but they did look like they were, when we were moving.

- The Sun, the first time, was “a little bit” and it hit the right side of the school and there was

“more shade”. The second time, there was “a little bit more” Sun and “a little less” shade. The

third time there was “a lot of” Sun and “very little” shade.

- The first time there was a little bit of light attached at the windows and close to the soccer field

there was a lot of shade. Then the Sun light moved a little bit more and after that the shade was

half.

TEACHER: - What about inside the classroom?

CHILDREN:

- At 9.15 there was but shade inside the classroom.

- Then at 10.45 there was a little bit of Sun on the big carpet.

- After there was even more.

- At 12.15 there was a little bit more Sun, but still there was a lot of shade.


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Teaching Unit 1.6

“Let’s play with light and…”

This Teaching Unit is both a roundup of items discussed previously and a playtime. Moreover it introducesstudents to the concepts of source of light and “absence of light”.

Contents

All those involved in the previous Teaching Units.Scientific method for observations.

Objectives

To acquire the concept of eye as an instrument.To acquire the concept of source of light.To acquire the concept of illuminated object (which does not yield light).To know how to compare the dimensions of different objects.

Glossary

Source of light, darkness.

Required time

Two hours on the whole, which are split into two different days: one hour for developing part A and onehour for part B.

Needed material

A dark room.An illuminated room.Different objects.

Procedure

It is a summing-up lesson of all the concepts, which have been introduced. Moreover, some importantPhysics concepts are added. The activity is divided into two parts A and B, which have to be carried outon two different days.

Part A: the eye as an instrument1. Have students choose four objects, which they want to observe. They have to be different in size.2. Place the objects, which the children have chosen, at different distances and then tell children to

close one of their eyes and to put a finger in front of the open one: every child has to write on thecard which objects he/she can hide (recording card).

Picture 1.6.1 – Objects are chosen and placed.

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3. Have students move their finger further from their eye and have them do all over again two moretimes, by putting their finger at different distances from the eye. Data have to be recorded always onthe same card.

Picture 1.6.2 – Objects are observed moving the finger further and further from the eye.

4. General discussion which has to show if students have really acquired some concepts. They shouldactually have been acquired previously (in particular see Teaching Units 1.1, 1.2, 1.3).

Part B: sources of light and illuminated objects

1. Use the four objects chosen in the previous part and together with children, place them in the sameroom which now is completely dark.

2. Tell children to describe what they see.3. Turn on a lamp (place it where children cannot see it) and tell children again to describe what they

see.4. Move the lamp so that children can see it and ask the question: “What objects can you see?”5. In the illuminated room, tell children to close their eyes and keep them close. Ask again the previous

question.6. General discussion about the conditions, which are necessary, in order to see the objects. Therefore:

a source of light, the objects, an instrument, which allows to see them, in our case the eye or thecamera and the brain for their interpretation.


Since a consistent part of this T.U. is a roundup (at least in part A), it is important that the evaluationactivity and the final games allow for understanding if the majority of the pupils have acquired theconcepts, which have been introduced. It is also important that children understand that they canconsider the eye as an instrument.

The evaluation test takes around fifty minutes. It is very likely that this is the first multiple choice testthat children have ever faced, therefore give them all the time they need to discuss.


Have children stand in a room that later will be completely darkened and where there is a mirror.Turn on a lamp (children do not have to see it). Objects will be illuminated and therefore visible. Askchildren where is the source of light, first with respect to themselves, then with respect to the mirror andfinally with respect to other objects (remember that they have to use the words right and left). This ismeant to be a checking activity for all the T.U.s., which have been carried out, too.

43

Teaching Unit 1.6: “Let’s play with light and…”

Recording card(for students)

Position of thefinger

Object 1 Object 2 Object 3 Object 4

It can beseen

It can notbe seen

It can beseen

It can notbe seen

It can beseen

It can notbe seen

It can beseen

It can notbe seen

Close to the eye

A little furtherfrom the eye

A little bit morefurther from the

eye

With a fullyextended arm

Evaluation test

Mark with a cross the right answer (or answers):

1. A source of light is:q an object which yields light.q an object which is illuminated.q a dark object.

2. An illuminated object is:q an object which yields light.q an object which is hit by the light of a lamp.q an object which can be seen even if there are no sources of light.

3. Your eye allows you for:q seeing the objects in a dark room.q seeing the light which the objects yield.q seeing the objects illuminated by the light.

End of 1st module

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