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Interactive
PBS

NASA's Eyes on the 2017 Eclipse

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
How did the 2017 eclipse look in Los Angeles—or Chicago? Experience both views, plus many more, using a lesson from PBS's Space series for middle schoolers. Scholars follow the movements of the sun, moon, and Earth during the most recent...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Studying Shadows

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars measure shadows and explore the altitude of the sun.  In this sun lesson students will graph the length of shadows and solar altitude against time. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Reasons for the Seasons

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders conduct a controlled investigation to determine the length of the sun's shadow on a fixed object (i.e., flagpole, telephone pole, etc.) over a three-day period (one day in the fall, one in the winter, and one in the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shadows

For Teachers 1st
First graders measure how a shadow changes over the course of a day. They write about what they would do if they lost their shadow, and make silhouettes of themselves. Students make up a shadow dance and read stories about shadows.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Moon Shadows

For Students 3rd
For this moon shadows worksheet, 3rd graders follow the directions to set up a demonstration about the sun, the earth and the moon.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science Trail

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the solar system by conducting Earth science experiments. In this Sun lesson, students identify the different seasons on Earth and discuss their purpose and cause. Students create a sundial and observe the changes to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sundials

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students investigate the different types of sundials and their history.  In this shadows and time of day lesson students build their own sundials. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Individual Sundial (Cloud/Rain Activity)

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students make a simple sundial to examine the changes in shadows over time. In this sundial and shadow instructional activity, students make a simple sundial out of a manila folder and pencil. They observe how shadows change over time,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking and Tracing Sunspots

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners examine sunspots. In this sunspot lesson, students use applets to investigate the movement of sunspots. Learners research sunspots and evaluate the rotation of the sun. Lesson references outside resources not available in this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cubes-IV

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the relationship between three dimensions and two dimensions by working with shadows of cubes and other models. Students work in groups and use Zome System Creator Kits to try and build a shape other than a cube that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moon Phases, Day/Night

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders observe a demonstration that shows how the alignment of the sun, moon, earth relate to the phases of the moon that occur each month. They describe the moon's phases after experimenting in a small group setting and recording...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reasons for Seasons

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars investigate a model of the tilt of the Earth in its relationship to the Sun during the different seasons of the year. They study the solstices and equinoxes, while determining how sunlight hits the Earth with different...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hello, Sunshine!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers investigate how the sun travels across the sky at different latitudes using Solar Motion Demonstrator. In this earth science instructional activity, students explain why seasons change. They study how the tilt of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eclipse: Using a Classroom Model to Explore the Moon's Shadow

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Learners manipulate and observe a 3-D model which simulates the activity of the Sun, Earth and Moon during a solar eclipse.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sun Path: Interactive On-line Mac or PC

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students use SunPath in the yearly mode to investigate seasonal changes in sunrise, sunset, length of day and sun altitude at their own latitude. Sun Path JAVA applet uses equations for a spherical Earth to calculate the sunrise and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shadow Matching

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students pair up with a partner and find a good self space. They choose who "match" who first (i.e., be the "leader"). Standing next to their partner, and only looking at their shadow, each student tries to match their partner
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shadow Trackers

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students use online websites to inquire about the cycle of day and night. In this web based lesson, students are able to see the movement of the sun and Earth. Students can look at different parts of the Earth as if they were on the Sun...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Earth, Moon, and Sun

For Students 3rd
In this earth, moon, and sun orbits worksheets, students will read the cause of four different events that focus on the earth's rotation around the sun and the moon's rotation around the earth. Then students will write in the effect of...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

LRO Sees Apollo 11 on the Moon!

For Students 9th - 11th
In this moon image learning exercise, students determine the scale of an image taken by the LRO satellite of the Apollo 11 landing site. Students calculate the sun's angle at the time of the photograph using the shadow of the Lunar...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sundials and Shadows - What Can They Teach Us About Seasons?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils collect and analyze data relating to seasonal changes. They view a video, research web sites and build a sundial to collect their data.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making a Sundial

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders make a sundial and explain how to use it. They describe the movement of Earth and the moon and the apparent movement of other bodies through the sky. They predict what happens when they put their sundials in the sun.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students make a sundial. For this time lesson, students determine the time of the day by creating a sundial. They check the time on the sundial, hourly, for one week. Afterward, they explore what happened to the shadows in reference to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth is Round?

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders discuss how Aristotle concluded that the Earth was round. As a class, they review theories about the Earth's shape and describe how life on Earth would be different if it were flat. Individually, they make a moon book in...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Tides, Eclipses, Day and Night, and Seasons

For Students 6th - 8th
For this earth science worksheet, students use the clues given at the bottom of the sheet to complete the crossword puzzle on tides, eclipses, day and night, and the seasons of the year. There are 17 clues to solve in the puzzle.

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