the earth, sun, and moon a science module for 4th grade...
TRANSCRIPT
The Earth, Sun, and Moon
A Science Module for 4th Grade Students
Astronomy
Shally Ackerman
Denise Lenihan
November 19, 2012
Table of Contents
ScheduleOverview
Theme/QuestionStandardsDescription of StudentsConnectivityNature of ScienceInquiry Based ActivitiesTechnology/Safety
Daily Lesson PlansDay 23: Composition of the Earth, Sun and MoonDay 4: Changing Theories (historical contributions)Day 6: In Motion (the Earth, Sun, and Moon)Day 7: Tilt Toward the Seasons, The Earth’s Axial Tilt
RubricDay 8: Phases of the Moon
Stories of UseResources
Schedule of Module
Day ScienceContent
Daily Question LearningOutcomes
Activities Assessment
1 Introduction tothe new
science unit.
What do weknow aboutthe Earth, Sun,and Moon?
Students willbegin to thinkabout whatthey knowabout theEarth, Sun,and moon.
KWL chart
Create agraphic
organizer touse throughout
the unit
Studentparticipation
2 Thecomposition ofthe Earth, Sunand Moon
What are theEarth, Sun andMoon made
of?
Students willbegin to
discover thecomposition ofthe Earth, Sun,and Moonincluding thesize, age, andlocation ofeach
astrologicalentity.
Video Studentparticipation
3 Thecomposition ofthe Earth, Sun,and Moon
What are theEarth, Sun,and Moonmade of?
Students willcontinue to
learn about thesize, location,and position ofthe Earth, Sun,and Moon.
Travel Poster
Note sheet
Studentengagement
Travel poster
4 HistoricalContributions
How have ourtheories of theEarth, Moonand Sun
Students willinvestigatehistorical
contributions
Anchor ChartDress up asAstronomers
Studentresearchcollected
changedthroughouthistory?
by fourastronomers inunderstanding
theEarthmoonsun system.
ResearchDebate
Studentwritten
speeches anddebate
5 Currentcontributions
What havecurrentastronauts
learned aboutthe Earth, Sun,and Moon?
Students willlearn aboutastronauts
including SallyRide.
Students areprovided withthe differentbooks SallyRide haswritten and
published (oneper table)
Classdiscussion on
studentfindings andreflectionsabout herbooks
6 The motionsof the Earth,Sun, andMoon
What are themovements ofthe Earth,moon, and
sun?
Students willlearn how theEarth, moon,and Sun moveand are inmotion in asystemtogether.
Outsideshadowwatching
Rotation andrevolution
simulation withstyrofoamballs
Studentwritten
predictions ofshadow
Students orallydescribing themovements
7 The Earth’saxial tilt
Why do wehave fourseasons?
Students willlearn how theEarth’s axialtilt creates
seasons for usthat determinethe weather.
Video of fourseasons
Creating amodel of
Earth’s tilt inrelation to theSun and
where NorthAmerica is
Studentpredictionsabout fourseasons in
science journal
The studentcreated model
8 The phases ofthe moon
What are thephases of the
moon?
Students willunderstand thecauses for thephases of themoon, thephases, andthe Moon’spattern ofmovement.
Research onthe moon atthe time of thestudent’sbirthdays.
Lamp andstyrofoamEarth
simulation.
Studentcompletedworksheet
9 The Earth,Sun, and
Moon system
How does theEarth, Sun,and Mooninteract?
Students willcreate a modelof the Earth,Sun, and
Moon system.
Create amodel of thesystem
Studentcooperation
Student model
10 NASA Apollomissions
Why are theApollomissionsimportant?
Students willlearn about theimportance ofthe NASA
missions usingGoogle Moon.
In groups,students willresearch thedifferentApollo
missions. Aswhole classwatch theApollo 13movie.
Studentcooperation in
groups
Studentworksheet
Overview of ModuleTheme/Question:Unit Question
How are the Earth, Moon and Sun interrelated?SubQuestions
How are we able to live on the Earth?How does the Sun affect the Earth?How does the Moon affect the Earth?
Daily QuestionsWhat do we know about the Earth, Sun, and Moon?What are the Earth, Sun, and Moon made of?How have our theories of the Earth, Sun, and Moon changed throughout history?What have current astronauts learned about the Earth, Sun, and Moon?What are the movements of the Earth, Sun, and Moon?Why do we have four seasons?What are the phases of the Moon?How do the Earth, Sun, and Moon interact?Why are the Apollo missions important?
Virginia Standards of Learning:Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change 4.8 The student will investigate and understand the relationships among Earth, the moon, and the sun.Key concepts include
a) the motions of Earth, the moon, and the sun;b) the causes for Earth’s seasons;c) the causes for the phases of the moon;d) the relative size, position, age, and makeup of Earth, the moon, and the sun; ande) historical contributions in understanding the Earthmoonsun system.
Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic4.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature ofscience by planning and conducting investigations in which
a) distinctions are made among observations, conclusions, inferences, and predictions;b) objects or events are classified and arranged according to characteristics or properties;c) appropriate instruments are selected and used to measure length, mass, volume, andtemperature in metric units;d) appropriate instruments are selected and used to measure elapsed time;
e) predictions and inferences are made, and conclusions are drawn based on data from a varietyof sources;f) independent and dependent variables are identified;g) constants in an experimental situation are identified;h) hypotheses are developed as cause and effect relationships;i) data are collected, recorded, analyzed, and displayed using bar and basic line graphs;j) numerical data that are contradictory or unusual in experimental results are recognized;k) data are communicated with simple graphs, pictures, written statements, and numbers;l) models are constructed to clarify explanations, demonstrate relationships, and solve needs;andm) current applications are used to reinforce science concepts.
NSES4DESS2.1 The sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds and airplanes all have properties, locations, andmovements that can be observed and described.4DESS2.2 The sun provides the light and heat necessary to maintain the temperature of the earth4DESS3.2 Weather changes from day to day and over the seasons. Weather can be described bymeasurable quantities, such as temperature, wind direction and speed, and precipitation.4DESS3.3 Objects in the sky have patterns of movement. The sun, for example, appears to moveacross the sky in the same way every day, but its path changes slowly over the seasons. The moonmoves across the sky on a daily basis much like the sun. The observable shape of the moon changesfrom day to day in a cycle that lasts about a month.4GHNS1.1 Science and technology have been practiced by people for a long time.4GHNS1.2 Men and women have made a variety of contributions throughout the history of science andtechnology.4GHNS1.3 Although men and women using scientific inquiry have learned much about the objects,events, and phenomena in nature, much more remains to be understood. Science will never be finished.4GHNS1.4 Many people choose science as a career and devote their entire lives to studying it. Manypeople derive great pleasure from doing science.
Description of Students:This module is designed for students in the fourth grade in the state of Virginia. This module is designedfor a heterogeneous group of about 2022 students. Specifically, this module is designed for twodifferent groups of fourth grade students at Matoaka Elementary School and DJ Montague ElementarySchool.Some students are above average while other students are receiving special education services.The above average students receive extracurricular support through the gifted education program or getpulled out of the classroom for what is called ‘Visions’ during Language Arts. The special education
students receive support through extra instructional time in Mathematics and Language Arts. Thesespecial education students also have their tests and quizzes read aloud and have extra support in theclassroom either at their desk or at a back table. In addition, one or two of the students have ADHD,and have to complete their tests and quizzes in another room. Therefore, the lessons designed in thismodule include several hands on or simulation activities that allow for the student to remain on task whilegetting up or moving around, individually or within a group. In addition, when placing these students ingroups, students will be placed in heterogenous grouping. This will allow lower achieving students tohave support from other higher achieving students in the class. In other words, this will createdifferentiation without having to necessarily alter every assignment or activity.
ConnectivityMany of the daily lessons build on one another. Some of the lessons reuse the material that was
made in previous lessons. For example, the graphic organizer made in the beginning of the moduleshould be used and referenced throughout the entire module. The EarthSunMoon model made at thebeginning of the lesson can be used in different activities throughout the module and in the movementsimulation. In addition, the information presented in the lessons connects and builds on over time. Forinstance, understanding the past historical contributions helps students understand the currentcontributions. In addition, understanding how the Earth, Sun, and Moon move will help studentsunderstand the phases of the moon and how those phases affect the Earth. In order to understand theeffects of the Moon and the Sun, students must first have a conceptual basis as to what they arecomposed of and how they move in relation to the Earth. Similarly, in order to understand the patternson the Earth, students should have a conceptual basis of what the Earth is composed of and how itmoves in space. The entire module is centered around the patterns of change and in order to recognizethose patterns, each lesson must build and connect with the other lessons, to best express those ideas tothe students.
The technology used in this module should help students connect to this topic because it is veryrelevant in their daily lives. While not all students have access to technology at home, in the schools theyhave computer class once every week as a ‘center’ and there are laptops in the classroom they usefrequently and are motivated to use since they are seen as ‘special’. Although some students may notbe interested in the Earth, Sun, and Moon, virtual field trips to these places may help students becomemore interested. All students will have some type of background knowledge coming from the thirdgrade, which will allow for the opportunity to establish a deeper understanding of what they previouslylearned. The third grade Virginia Science Standards of Learning, states that for Earth Patterns,Cycles, and Change; the student will investigate and understand basic patterns and cycles occurring innature including patterns of natural events such as day and night, seasonal changes, simple phases of themoon and tides (3.8). Students have seen the Sun and the Moon outside every day and have seen theMoon at different phases. Even if they do not know the names of the phases, the should still have some
observational knowledge of these scientific structures. This unit will be labeled as a major part of theirdaily lives since they walk on the moving Earth every day, they wake up because the sun rose up in thesky, and went to bed because the sun set and the moon rose.
Nature of Science:All days in this module include inquiry through the teacher’s questioning directed to the students.
The students come up with answers either immediately using relevant knowledge they have based on thequestion, or throughout the lesson activities and own research to collect information that answers thequestions. Specifically, within the first lesson on the composition of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, studentsresearch and collect evidence (open inquiry) in order to be able to create a flyer. Within the secondlesson on the causes of the four seasons, students are asked to predict (coupled inquiry) why the Earthhas four seasons and after completing the lesson activity, they are to answer their own predictions.Within the third lesson on the causes of the phases of the moon, the students begin their guided inquiryby researching what the moon phase was on their birthday, and then after the lesson activity, studentsare able to answer what the different phases are. Within the fourth lesson, students engage in inquiry bycompleting a KWL chart together (structured inquiry), and then as they participate in the astronomeractivity, students are to ask questions to each “pretend” astronomer. Students then use resourcematerials to collect information in order to write a speech and debate about the different astronomers.Within the last lesson, students are to make predictions (coupled inquiry) about the Earth’s shadow, andare asked questions about the movements of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun.
After the historical contributions lesson, one underrepresented scientist will be introduced. Thestory will focus on Sally Ride, an American physicist and an astronaut, who contributed to the currentinformation we have on the Earth, Moon, and Sun. She joined NASA and was the first Americanwoman to enter into low Earth’s orbit. Her biographical story fits in with the historical contributionscontext because that lesson incorporates four famous scientists, specifically the astronomers; Galileo,Copernicus, Aristotle and Ptolemy. Ride went to Stanford University and served as a MissionSpecialist on STS7 and STS 41G. She then became a professor of physics and wrote severalscience books for children including To Space and Back; Voyager; The Third Planet; The Mystery ofMars and Exploring Our Solar System. She has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall ofFame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame. In addition, she has been awarded the NASA Space Flightmedal two times.
Inquiry Based Activities:The amount of inquiry based activities is 100%, since each lesson involves inquiry. In
comparison, the amount of handson activities is 75% because, in the second lesson on why we havedifferent seasons, the students create a model of the Earth’s tilt, in addition, in the third lesson on phases
of the moon, the students simulate the moon and the sun with a lamp and a model of the moon. Inaddition, in the fourth lesson on the historical contributions, students simulate famous astronomers anddress up and hold props. Also, in the fifth lesson, students use handson sticks to put in the ground inorder to watch the shadow of the sun and once inside, simulate the Earth, Moon and Sun using models.However, the percentage of actual authentic, real science/natural materials is only about 10% when thestudents use sticks when going outside, since this module covers topics on the Moon and the Sun, whichare unlikely places to have real materials from.
Technology and Safety:Since this module focuses on entities that cannot easily be explored through field trips directly to
these places (the Moon, the Sun), this module focuses heavily on technology. With programs such asGoogle Moon, students can take virtual field trips to the Moon. There are also other virtual field tripsthat students can take the to the sun. Students can use Google Earth to explore different places aroundthe world. Other aspects of technology include watching videos about the first moon landings and usingthe internet to research information about different astronomers.
Safety is an important part of any science module. Safety always has to be on the minds of anyteacher. There is an expectation that students at this age already know that they cannot play aroundduring science activities. Students should be told that if they do not follow the safety procedures thatthey will not participate in the remainder of the activity and will not be able to participate in theremainder of the handson activities in the module. Some of the activities include placing sticks orpencils into styrofoam balls to create an EarthSunMoon model. Students should not try to touch/hitother people with these sticks. They should not try to harm themselves or other students with the sticks.Some of the activities include painting styrofoam balls. Students should not paint themselves or try topaint other students. They should also not paint their desks, books, or chairs. If students spill the paint,they should quickly clean the spilled paint with a wet napkin and dry the area with a dry paper towel.Some activities include using a laptop. Students should know that when they use a computer that theyare to be focused on the task and should not search around on the Internet. They must handle thelaptops with care and not act in anyway that would destroy the school’s property. One activity includesusing an unshaded lamp. Student should not touch the light bulb and should not run around the lamp.This prevents the students from getting burned on the light bulb and from knocking over and breakingthe lamp. When going outside, students should be reminded that they are conducting a science activity,not going to play outside. They are to stay focused on the activity and stay quiet in the hallways whentransitioning outside. When moving around in the room during simulations, students are instructed tobehave appropriately and not tamper with anything in the classroom.
Stories of UseIntriguing Science
Upon completion of this module, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about how this wouldwork in my class, and overall I cannot control my excitement. I know that this module will create someeyeopening perspectives about such an abstract concept that is hard for some students to grasp.Without the ability to actually travel into space and see the Moon or the Sun, students have to use ourmodels and resources found online or in books. They cannot physically hold or touch this science,however I feel as though the lessons we have put together create a conceptual basis for students at thisgrade level. It is important to utilize the technology we now have with science as much as possible,because with a topic such as outer space, we can get the students as close as ever. With programssuch as Google Earth and Google Moon, students can virtually tour places that even scientists have notbeen to yet. Therefore, after this unit, I have several goals I hope the students meets.
The first main goal I hope to reach with my students, is the understanding that our ability toexplore science is endless. A few students may sit back, and decide not to actively participate in theschool day, they would question the relevance of this module and question how we know the things weknow about space. To combat this type of student, I feel that it is empowering for the individual toconceptually grasp that we are learning about such a critical context that basically explains the reasonsas to how we are on this Earth and how it is able to float in space every day. Once the studentsunderstand how important the Moon and the Sun are, they can appreciate how we know the things wealready know about them. Even though it is very unlikely that one of my students will be en route to theMoon in forty years, and nearly impossible that they will be en route to the sun, I hope to inspire anappreciation that we can explore science no matter how many light years away it is.
The second main goal I have for this module is to attack the students misconceptions early.After learning about not only the amount of students who have misconceptions concerning the Earth,Moon and Sun and how they are interrelated, but also how deeply embedded they are in the students. Ihope to approach these misconceptions early and clarify them so that my students have the correctperception of these topics before they get any deeper in the content. That way, when they do need toget deeper (ie. at higher grade levels), the conceptual basis will already be there and allow for a trueunderstanding of the relationships that are apparent in outer space.
To further extend this lesson, I remember in high school we created a moon journal. Welooked outside every night and recorded what phase the moon was in, what the weather was, andwhere we lived (latitude and longitude). Although this may be too much for fourth grade students tocomplete on their own every night, I think a good extension of this lesson would be for students to goout maybe once a week, every Sunday, and draw what they see in the sky. This way, students arebecoming their own scientists and using observation skills to record and collect data. This extensioncould turn into a related PBL, ProblemBasedLearning assignment, whereby the entire class does a
project using their data they collected with an online project from NASA. Another class activity that Ithink would be something fun and creative, would be a mini float parade, whereby students wouldindividually craft/ make a mini float of a space shuttle that could be pulled around the school in a classparade. They would first be shown the timelapse video(http://framework.latimes.com/2012/10/15/timelapsevideospaceshuttleendeavourstrekacrossla/) that clips a twelve mile journey throughout the strees of L.A completed by the Endeavour. Thegigantic space shuttle arrived at the L.A International Airport, and had to be transported to theCalifornia Science Center in Exposition Park. I was inspired by this video, and remembered from myfifth grade class that we made mini floats about a Social Studies topic, however I put in so much effortto create a float and was so extremely proud of it that I will never forget it. I want my students to feelthe same about the projects they complete and to have opportunities to engage in those types ofactivities.
Overall, I am thankful for the opportunity to teach this module and incorporate such an amazing,and eyeopening topic. To this day, I am still intrigued and curious about outer space and simply justthinking about the how the Earth, Moon, and Sun float individually but remain interconnected astonishesme. I am grateful that this topic lends itself to a natural curiosity, and I hope that it will last in my studentsthroughout their lifetime so that they continue to question, observe, and learn about the natural worldaround us.
Stories of UseThe Earth’s axial tilt
By this point in the unit, students are excited to learn what is next. They already havebackground knowledge of the Earth, Sun, and Moon and come in prepared to do more science. Theyare happy that they are having a break from social studies and wonder what is in store for this lesson.
This lesson begins with the daily question. I ask the students ‘What are the seasons?’ Theyrespond with spring, summer, fall, and winter. I ask the students, ‘what do the seasons look like?’ Theytell me that winter is very cold and that we sometimes have snow. They explain that the leaves fall off thetree in fall. They tell me that all the flowers bloom in spring. Finally, they explain that summer is thewarmest season and is when they do not have to go to school. I ask the students, ‘Why do we havefour seasons?’ Some students give responses like ‘we have four seasons because the temperaturechanges throughout the year and it gets colder and warmer.’ While other students elaborate and say,‘we have four seasons because the wind moves and pushed more cold air from the north and it makesthe temperature cold.’ I talk note of all of these responses. I elaborate on the question and ask thestudents, ‘Do all areas in the world have the same seasons at the same time?’ They think for a minuteand are eager to respond. Some students think that we all have the same seasons while others do not. Iquickly tell the students that our focus today will be the four seasons. I tell them that first we are going tosee the seasons in action in a short video clip. I play the video and the students seem to be engaged. Itell them to take out their science journal and write down what they observed in the video and toconnect the video to what their own personal experience. Some students connect with the video. Theyhave seen the different seasons in this order. Some students come from different areas around thecountry and have not seen such a clear distinction in the seasons. I reassure them that this is perfectlyfine and that today we are going to find out how the Earth, Sun, and Moon affect the seasons.
At this point students are wondering what activity will help them think about the four seasons.They are becoming restless in their seats. I tell the students that they will be in groups of three. Theybecome excited and think that they will choose which group that they will be in and begin to look acrossthe room to their friends. To their dismay, I quickly explain that I have already chosen the groups forthem. (I place the students into heterogeneous groups taking into consideration friendships, gender,academic achievement, and personalities.) (I also give each student a job to do in the cooperativelearning group.) I give each group a copy of the directions and I give each student a copy of theworksheet. The worksheet will scaffold the student’s thinking during the exploration stage. I explain thatwe will be making a model today. I give each group a set of materials. After trying out the model makingprocess, I find that it will be easier to guide the students in this process. This will allow them to focus onexploring the model and not making the model. I take out the supplies and ask the materials manager tocollect the materials for their group. I tell the safety officer to make sure that everyone is being safe andclean. I ask the team leader to keep everyone on task and to follow along with the directions while weare making the model. We take the Styrofoam balls and place them on the sticks. We place one ball in
the block and the other in the ring. Everyone is still somewhat confused about what we are doing but areexcited to have something hands on to do. I tell them that one will be yellow. I ask them ‘what could thisyellow ball represent?’ Students quickly see that this is the sun. I tell them that the next ball will be greenand blue. I explain to the students that this ball does not have to show all the continents perfect.However, they will need to show North America and a few other continents. I place a map on theoverhead so students have a reference point. Students will be asked to take turns painting to ensure thateveryone participates. Students will be given time to paint the Earth. Students will then be asked to lookat their worksheets and make predictions with their group. As their teacher, I walk around the class tohear what they are thinking which makes me even more excited. After their Earth has dried, the studentsplace a red dot on North America. Then, they are allowed to explore what happens as the Earth movesaround the sun. They talk with each other predicting where the Earth is when different seasons occur.My room is filled with cooperative learning and scientific discussion.
After the students have explored their model, we come together to discuss everything as a class.We work through the seasons together. Students give ideas about the seasons and give explanations asto why they predicted something and what they found. I then ask the students to think about otherplaces around the world. They then eagerly find another place on the map. They create new predictionsand we discuss their new findings.
At the end of the class, we now have a model to use in different lessons and we can nowdiscuss the motions of the moon and how they affect the Earth.
Sources
Bosak, S. (1991). Science is... (2nd ed.). Ontario, Canada : Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Galileo Galilei. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.crystalinks.com/galileo.html
Johnson, G. (2012). Introduction of Aristotle's politics. Retrieved fromhttp://www.countercurrents.com/2012/06/introductiontoaristotlespoliticspart1/
Koch, J. (2012). Science stories: science methods for elementary and middle school teachers. (4ed.). Belmont, California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Moon phases demonstration. (2012, September 10). Retrieved fromhttp://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/education/moonphases20100913.html
Moyer, R., Daniel, L., Hackett, J., Baptiste, H., Stryker, P., & Vasquez, J. (2002). Mcgrawhillscience teacher's edition. New York, New York: Macmillian/McGrawHill.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2012, July). Biographical data; Sally K. Ride.Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ridesk.html
Nicolaus Copernicus. (2012). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus
Odenwald, S. (n.d.). How old is the earth?. Retrieved fromhttp://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/ask/a10597.html
Solheim, E. (2008). One year in 40 seconds [Web]. Retrieved fromhttp://eirikso.com/2008/12/27/oneyearworthofimagesgivesomeamazingvideos/
Sharp, T. (n.d.). How big is the sun?: Size of the sun. Retrieved fromhttp://www.space.com/17001howbigisthesunsizeofthesun.html
The earth. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/index.shtml
The earth, moon and sun. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://www.zonu.com/fullsizeen/2009110610886/Theearthmoonandsun.html
The moon in your sky. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/moon.html
The phases of the moon. (2010). Retrieved fromhttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/moon/Phases.shtml
The sun. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/sun/
UC Regents. (2012). Ptolemy project. Retrieved from http://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/
Understanding the moon phases. (2012). Retrieved fromhttp://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml
Virginia Department of Education. (2012). Changing theories . Retrieved fromhttp://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/science/2010/lesson_plans/grade4/earth_patterns_cycles_changes/sess_4.8e.pdf
Virginia Department of Education. (2012). Science sample lesson plans. Retrieved fromhttp://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/science/2010/lesson_plans/index.shtml
Virginia Department of Education. (2012). What's the difference?. Retrieved fromhttp://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/science/2010/lesson_plans/grade4/earth_patterns_cycles_changes/sess_4.8ad.pdf
Composition of the Earth, Sun, and Moon worksheet
My group is studying: ____________________________.
The location of the ___________ in relation to the Earth is ________________________________.
The __________ is made up of _____________________________________________________.
The age of the ___________ is _____________________________________________________.
The size of the ____________ is ____________________________________________________.
Three new interesting facts about the ____________________:
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Sketch your travel poster here. Get approval before you make your final draft.
Directions for the Seasons Activity
Materials Needed:PaintPaint brushesWater (to clean the brushes)2 styrofoam balls2 sticks1 styrofoam block1 styrofoam ringNewspaper (or plastic to keep the area clean)
Directions:
1. Take the two styrofoam balls and two sticks. Place one stick in the bottom of one ball and takethe other stick and place it in the bottom of the other ball.
2. Holding one styrofoam ball, place the other end of the stick into the middle of the styrofoamblock.
3. Holding the other styrofoam ball, place the other end of the stick into the styrofoam ring.4. Paint the styrofoam ball that is in the block yellow. This represents the sun.5. Paint the styrofoam ball that is in the ring blue and green. This represents the Earth. When
painting, make sure to represent the different continents. They do not have to be perfect but youshould be able to see North America, China, Antarctica, and Africa.
6. Give your model some time to dry. Make some predictions with your group. Think: Where willNorth America be during the fall? Where will it be in the winter? Where will it be in the spring?Where will it be in the summer? Why do you think this? Record all of your predictions into yourscience journals.
7. Place a red dot on North America.8. Carefully move the Earth around the Sun by moving the ring. Do NOT touch the Earth. Record
what happens when you move the Earth ¼ of the way around the Sun, ½ of the way around theSun, ¾ of the way around the Sun, and 1 complete cycle around the Sun. What season do youthink occurs at each of these places? Why do you think this way? Record all of this into yourscience journal.
Picture that Inspired the Seasons Activity
Found at:
http://sciencekit.com/sunearthseasonsbuildamodelkitteacherdevelopedclassroomtested/p/IG00
19904/
Phases of the Moon
Materials:
Lamp
Styrofoam ball
Sharp pencil
Worksheet
Directions:
1. Do NOT touch the lamp in the center of the room. Do NOT look directly into the light from the
lamp.
2. Take a styrofoam ball and a sharp pencil. Stick the sharp pencil into the bottom of the
styrofoam ball. Do NOT poke the pencil through the ball.
3. Holding the ball in front, slowly rotate your body around. Record what you observe on your
worksheet.
4. Take turns with other members of your group.
5. Complete your worksheet.
Phases of the Moon Worksheet
Prequestions
1. What does the lamp represent? ___________________________________________
2. What does the styrofoam ball represent?____________________________________
3. What represents the Earth?______________________________________________
Observations
1. When facing the lamp I saw:
2. When sideways to the lamp I saw:
3. When facing away from the lamp I saw:
4. When facing sideways to the lamp I saw:
Phases of the Moon Extension
The historical event I studied is: ____________________________________________________
The moon on this day was: ________________________________________________________
The weather on this day was: ______________________________________________________
This event is important because: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 4. Historical Contributions
Astronomers Name Signs:
Galileo Copernicus
Aristotle Ptolemy
Name:________________________ Date:__________________
Astronomer’s Biographies
Aristotle Ptolemy Copernicus Galileo
Believed Earth wasunmoving and theplanets and sunrevolved around it.
Believed Earth wasunmoving and theplanets and sunrevolved around Earthin an orbit within otherorbits
Believed Earth and allother planets revolvedaround the sun
Believed Earth and allother planets revolvedaround the sun
Earth centered model Earth centered model Sun centered model sun centered model
Used observation todevelop theory
used observation todevelop theory
used mathematics todevelop theory
used scientificobservation to developtheory
Greek Greek Polish Italian
Lesson 5. The Movements of the Earth, Moon, and Sun
Name Tags (x5 for each group):
Earth’s Rotation Earth’sRevolution
Moon’s Rotation
Moon’sRevolution
Sun
Earth’s Rotation Earth’sRevolution
Moon’s Rotation
Moon’sRevolution
Sun
Earth’s Rotation Earth’sRevolution
Moon’s Rotation
Moon’sRevolution
Sun
Earth’s Rotation Earth’sRevolution
Moon’s Rotation
Moon’sRevolution
Sun
Earth’s Rotation Earth’sRevolution
Moon’s Rotation
Moon’sRevolution
Sun