Sun, Moon, and Stars
In this unit students will be observing the sky. Through outdoor observations made during the day and night, active simulations, readings, videos, and discussions students study the Sun, Moon, and stars to learn that these objects move in regular and predictable patterns that can be observed, recorded, and analysed.
Objectives:
- Observe and record how the Sun, Earth’s star, rises in the east and sets in the west in a predictable pattern.
- Learn that Earth rotates on its axis, causing day and night. Day happens when a location on Earth is facing toward the Sun, and night happens when a location is facing away from the Sun.
- Understand that the exact path the Sun takes in the sky varies by season.
- Understand that shadows are the areas of darkness created when an opaque object blocks light and that shadows on Earth depend on the position of the Sun in the sky.
- Learn that Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun in the solar system.
- Learn that the Moon orbits Earth and can appear in the sky during both day and night; observe and record how the Moon changes its appearance or phase in a regular pattern over 4 weeks.
- Learn how useful telescopes are in studying the solar system, as they make distant objects look closer and larger.
- Learn that stars are suns positioned at great distances from Earth and form groups called constellations that appear to move together across the sky at night.
- Use tools to collect and analyze data to develop logical conclusions about the movements of objects in the sky.
- Predict the outcome of an event and compare the results with the prediction.
Planet Research Project
Planet Research Project - this is an in-class group project. Your group will be researching details of an assigned planet and compiling the information as a Poster Presentation. After, your group will present the most important details about your planet to the class. As a class, we will be compiling the details of each planet and then performing comparative analysis of the planets in our solar system.
Here are some sites to help you with your research:
Here are some sites to help you with your research:
My Shadow
I have a littie shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed. The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow- Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow; For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball, And sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all. He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play, And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way. He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see; I'd think shame to stick to nursie as the shadow sticks to me! One morning, very early, before the sun was up, I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup; But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head, Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed. -Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child Garden of Verses |