As part of the study of space, the students will observe, describe and predict the patterns of the moon. Students will view a Nearpod presentation about the moon's phases to introduce the topic. The students will represent the moon's phases using black and white sandwich cookies and record the phases in their Science journals.
This lesson was created as part of the 2016 NASA STEM Standards of Practice Project, a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
This is an interdisciplinary lesson about shadows and light where we track the motion of the sun across the sky. It involves components of sunrise, sunset, involving Mathematics, Science, and English Language Arts. This lesson will involve NASA resources, hands- on inquiry, and observational data.
Students will describe the way the sun and moon move in the sky. Working in groups, they will create a dance to show how the sun rises and sets in the sky. They will describe the levels in the morning, midday, and sunset. Another group will create a dance to show how the moon rises and sets in the sky and describe the levels that could be seen. The groups will combine their dances to show the complete process.
Our star, the Sun, is an ordinary star. It is not particularly special compared to other stars in the universe; however, it is crucially important to us. As the massive energy source at the center of our solar system, the Sun is responsible for Earth's climate, weather, and life. In this lesson, students use observations, activities, and videos to learn basic facts about the Sun. Students also model the mechanics of day and night and use solar energy to make a tasty treat.
Explore real-life and animated views illustrating the daily patterns of motion of the Sun, Moon, and stars in the sky. Students engage with a variety of media such as an interactive storybook, time-lapse videos, and images to identify evidence of motion and predict future appearances of the Sun, Moon, and stars.
Observe how the Sun, Moon, and stars are visible in the sky at different times of the day and identify predictable patterns in the apparent motion of these objects with this WGBH lesson plan. Students record and analyze data to identify patterns that can be used to predict future appearances in the sky. This lesson plan includes media such as a slideshow, videos, interactive activities, and live-action video clips.
This resource was developed through WGBH’s Bringing the Universe to America’s Classrooms project, in collaboration with NASA.
Students connect the stars together and learn more about constellations from Mindy. Then, let Mindy tell you more about the myths and legends that inspired the constellations.
Students use an interactive model to gather evidence about the visible Moon’s changing pattern over 30 days in this resource from Astronomy Education at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. They use this evidence to record and make predictions about the Moon’s appearance in the sky.
Earth’s moon reflects the sun, and so it is visible at night. It also rotates at the same rate that it orbits, 27 days, which means that we only see one side of it. The moon has one-sixth of the gravity of Earth and no atmosphere at all!
The classroom resource provides a slide show that will explain the characteristics of Earth's moon. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.
Observe the regular, predictable patterns of the Sun, Moon, and stars in the sky in this media gallery from WGBH. Interact with the animated storybook to observe and predict patterns of the Sun, Moon, and stars over a day and analyze evidence of the apparent movement of the Sun along the arc-like path over a day in a time-lapse video.
Students observe representational images and use them as evidence to describe the Moon’s appearance at different times of the month. The digital slideshow provides students with the opportunity to observe and use evidence from their observations to predict and record how the Moon appears to follow a regular pattern of change over time.
Students will observe how the Moon appears in the sky when viewed on different days. The animated interactive storybook is used to give students an opportunity to interact with a character-guided observational experience of the Moon as they observe, analyze, and describe the Moon’s appearance in the sky.
Students observe representational images and use them as evidence to describe how the Moon is visible in the day and night sky. The digital slideshow is used to provide students with the opportunity to observe and describe how the Moon can be visible in the day sky and night sky at different times and from different locations from our viewpoint on Earth.
In this lesson, students record the position of the sun in the morning and afternoon and make connections to the directions east and west. They practice moving north, south, east, and west and use cardinal directions to read a map.
The teacher will present an informational text from the website, ReadWorks. The students and teacher can interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally. The students will answer the questions associated with the article as an assessment. This learning activity can be used to explain why the sun is visible during the day and other stars are visible at night, serve as reinforcement after students have already learned this concept, or be used as an assessment at the conclusion of a lesson.
The teacher will present an informational text from the website, ReadWorks. The students and teacher can interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally. The students will answer the questions associated with the article as an assessment. This learning activity can be used to introduce students to the different appearances of stars in the night sky, serve as reinforcement after students have already learned this concept, or be used as an assessment at the conclusion of a lesson. This article could be a precursor to students making their own observations of stars at night.
The teacher will present an informational fiction text from the website, ReadWorks. The students and teacher can interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally. The students will answer the questions associated with the article as an assessment. This learning activity can be used as an introduction to the lunar cycle, serve as reinforcement after students have already learned this concept, or be used as an assessment at the conclusion of a lesson. This informational fiction text could provide background knowledge before students create their own moon journal to observe the changing lunar phases.
What makes a shadow? Do shadows change? Can a person escape his or her shadow? These and many other questions provide the framework for students to explore their prior knowledge about shadows as fiction, informational texts, and poetry. In this lesson, language arts skills are linked to the learning of science in a literacy-based approach to the study of shadows. Through discussion of the literature on shadows and the use of questioning techniques to probe prior knowledge, students begin to explore scientific concepts and develop and test hypotheses. After studying shadows, recording observations of shadows, and hearing poetry about shadows, students create their own poetic response incorporating their knowledge. The inclusion of poetry in the lesson encourages aesthetic appreciation of scientific phenomena and invites students to observe the world around them from new perspectives.
The purpose of this lesson is for students to observe stars in the night sky and develop the understanding that there are more stars in the sky than anyone can easily count, and that their placement in the sky and brightness is not uniform.
The purpose of this lesson is to familiarize students with repeating patterns in nature, namely the phases of the moon. The activities in this lesson involve both individual and class work to facilitate students' learning about the predictability of the moon's phases. Beginning with a hands-on activity to give students a tangible demonstration of the moon's orbit and rotation, this lesson incorporates student observation, documentation, and online activities which encourage students to recognize the pattern of the moon's phases.
In this lesson, students will observe and describe what the sky looks like at different times, identify objects in the sky and recognize changes over time, and look for objects that are common to the daytime and nighttime sky. This lesson is part of a four-lesson series in which students observe the daytime and nighttime sky regularly to identify sequences of changes and to look for patterns in these changes. In this first lesson, students will investigate objects in the daytime and nighttime sky.
In this lesson, students will have a literature-based discussion to explore shadows. This lesson is part of a four-lesson series in which students observe the daytime and nighttime sky regularly to identify sequences of changes and to look for patterns in these changes. The students will build sundials and track changes in shadows over the course of one or more days to investigate the movement of the Earth in relation to the sun.
In this lesson, students will construct models to demonstrate their understanding of shadows. Student groups will make a three-dimensional model of the neighborhood after reading Bear Shadow by Frank Asch. They will track the sun shadows in the neighborhood. You will want to measure the sun shadows with students at least twice, and perhaps three or four times during the year, to see how they vary with the time of year. This lesson is part of a four-lesson series in which students observe the daytime and nighttime sky regularly to identify sequences of changes and to look for patterns in these changes.
In this lesson, students will draw the moon's shape for each evening on a calendar and then determine the pattern in the shapes over several weeks. This lesson is part of a four-lesson series in which students observe the daytime and nighttime sky regularly to identify sequences of changes and to look for patterns in these changes.