What is the Sun - Science A 2 Z



Materials

Paper plates (2 for each student)

Straw (1 for each student)

Paint

Paint brushes

Glitter

Glue

Markers

Tape

Pencils

Book (The Sun is my Favorite Star by Frank Asch)

Index cards (1 for each student)

Chalk

Rulers

Scissors

What is the Sun?

When you see the Sun shining during the day, you are seeing a star. It is made up of burning gases, mostly helium and hydrogen. The Sun is the only star in our solar system. The Earth and the other planets travel around the Sun. The reason it looks so much bigger than other stars we see, is because it is the closest star to Earth! Even so, it is still 93 million miles from us. It only takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds for the light from the Sun to travel those 93 million miles and make it to Earth!

Our Sun is really only a medium-sized star. Some other stars in the universe are much bigger and many stars are much smaller. The Sun is a yellow star. Hotter stars are blue, and cooler stars are red.

How large is the Sun?

The diameter, or distance across the middle, is 860,000 miles. The Sun is about the size of one million Earths all piled together!

[pic]

Why is the Sun important?

Plants need sunlight to make food (chlorophyll) that keeps them growing. When plants make food they give off oxygen, that is a gas that people and animals need to breathe! We also eat plants to live.

The Sun is very hot (27 million degrees Fahrenheit!), and it keeps our planet warm. Without the sun, we could not live.

Telling time with sundials:

Have you ever wondered what would happen if all of the clocks disappeared? How could we tell time? The sun always comes up in the east in the morning and goes down in the west at night. If you watch the same shadow of a tree all day, you will see that early in the morning, the shadow will be long. During the middle of the day, when the Sun is overhead, the shadow will disappear. And the shadow will grow longer again, on the opposite side of the tree, as night comes.

Activity 1

Pre-assessment

1. Students will draw the sun, and write what information they know about the Sun, on the worksheets provided.

2. As a class, we will figure out a few ideas that the entire class came up with that they know about the Sun.

3. (optional) Can make a KWL chart (What Students Know, What they Want to know, What they have Learned) as a supplemental assessment tool and display it in class.

Activity 2

The Sun is my Favorite Star

1. Begin by reading, The Sun is my Favorite Star by Frank Asch.

2. Students will then create their own sun:

← Each student gets their own paper plate.

← Students can then paint, draw, or glue whatever they want on their own sun.

← Each student will receive one card. On each card, they will write what kinds of things their sun will do (help plants grow, keep planets in line, burn out quickly, or last forever, etc). The card will be attached to the back of the paper plate after the child is finished creating it.

Activity 3

Sundials

1. Each student will build their own sundial and collect data based on what they observe.

2. Each student will get their own paper plate, straw, set of scissors and tape.

3. Students will mark the center of the paper plate using a ruler to determine where the straw will be placed.

4. Each student will mark on their paper plate, where north, east, south and west will be. (This ensures that they will place the sundial in the same position every time).

5. Students will make four ½-inch cuts at one end of the straw. After the cuts have been made, flare out the sections and tape the straw onto the center of the plate. The straw should be perpendicular to the surface of the plate.

6. Measure the straw from the base, and cut the straw to a 2-inch length.

Collecting data:

1. In the morning, distribute pencils, rulers, chalk and sundials to students.

2. On the playground, students will mark their spot with the chalk (initials are fine).

3. Using the worksheet, students will:

← Write what time of day it is.

← Measure the length of the shadow.

← Note where the sun is in the sky, if they are facing north (to the right, to the left, overhead?)

← Students can also trace the shadow on their paper plates so that they can keep track of how it moves.

4. Four times throughout the day (8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.) students will go outside to collect data (this can also be done over a period of four days) and record their findings on the Sundial Data Sheet.

5. At the end of the data collection, ask students where they think the shadow would be at 4:00 p.m., and have them draw in where they think it would be.

Activity 4

Post-Assessment

1. Students will complete Sundials! Worksheet.

Assessment

1. Use the Draw the Sun worksheet to assess any misconceptions or knowledge students may or may not have about the Sun.

2. Use the Sundial Data Sheet to assess students understanding of shadows and sun movement.

3. Use the Sundials! worksheet to assess whether or not the students understand the concept of sun movement.

4. Use the postcard to assess what the students have learned and applied to their own sun.

Name__________________ Date________________

| |

Draw the Sun.

Write what you know about the Sun.

Sundial Data Sheet

|Time of Day |How long is the shadow? |Where is the Sun in the sky? |

| | |(Remember; NEVER look directly at the Sun!) |

| | | [pic] |

| | |[pic] |

| | |[pic] |

| | | [pic] |

| | |[pic] |

| | |[pic] |

| | | [pic] |

| | |[pic] |

| | |[pic] |

| | | [pic] |

| | |[pic] |

| | |[pic] |

When was the shadow the shortest on your sundial?____________________

When was the shadow the longest on your sundial?____________________

[pic]

[pic]

-----------------------

Name____________________

Date_____________________

Name_______________________

Date________________________

SUNDIALS!

1. What did you observe? What did the shadows do?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

2. When was the shadow the longest? Where was the Sun?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

3. When was the shadow the shortest? Where was the Sun?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4. Why do you think shadows change length?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

5. How could you use a shadow to tell the time of day?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download