EngageNY
How Far Away Is the Moon?
Does the space shuttle have an odometer? Maybe, but all that is needed to determine the distance to the moon is a little geometry! The lesson asks scholars to sketch the relationship of the Earth and moon using shadows of an eclipse....
Concord Consortium
Going Up
Going on up—and up and up! An open-ended task asks learners to model the movement of an amusement ride with parametric equations. They then analyze their equations to determine how the shadow of the ride's car moves as it rises at a...
Curated OER
Astronomy With a Stick
Students find the altitude of the Sun at 10 A.M., at solar noon, and at 2 P.M. by measuring the height of the gnomon and the length of the shadow at each time. They record the measurements in their notebooks for later conversion.
Curated OER
How Does Light Travel?
Sixth graders are read The Way to Start a Day by Byrd Baylor or Bear Shadow by Frank Asch. They discuss how the sun affects their daily life, 6th graders are encouraged to think about the light we recieve from the sun and how man has...
Curated OER
Tell Time With Your Feet
Students discover what the latitude and longitude of their location is. They start walking and measure their shadow. They fill in a chart to discover the approximate time.
Curated OER
Orientation of the Earth in Space
Students hypothesize the location of the sun in the sky at diferent times of day and at different latitudes. They perform several experiments to provide evidence for their hypothesis. Experiments including observing the sun's position at...
Curated OER
Toilet Plunger Sundial
Students build a sundial to measure the local noon time. In this third grade science lesson plan, students build a sundial out of common materials and align to measure the local noon. This lesson plan is a hands-on tracking of the sun,...
Curated OER
May The Earth Be Revolving Around The Sun?
Students trace the beginning of the heliocentric theory of the solar system--the idea that the solar system revolves around the Sun--to an observation by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus, which convinced him that the Sun was much bigger...
Curated OER
Cooler in the Shadows
Students explore how the amount of sunlight and heat change in areas that are shaded.
Curated OER
Sundials: Keeping Time Like Native Americans
Learners explore the use of sundials. They observe the shadows cast by the sun and record the times at various points throughout the day. They create sundials and record the location of the shadows and the time of day. They view a...
Curated OER
Portable Sundial
Students work together to identify the accuracy of sundials. They track the position of the sun and create a shadow plot. They discover the difference between real time and clock time.
Curated OER
Reasons for the Seasons
Sixth graders conduct and analyze a survey that explores public perceptions about the reasons for seasonal change. They measure the changing length of days, observe shadows and discuss how the Earth's axis of rotation affects the seasons.
Curated OER
Reasons for the Seasons
This worksheet requires the pupils to follow a teacher activity, so more-than-the-usual preparation for a practical is needed. Looking at a globe as it rotates and receives "sunlight" from a flashlight, pupils are able to observe the...
Radford University
Trouble in the Orchard
It's no fun catching a fungus. Scholars first investigate how the seasons affect the angle of the sun and the lengths of shadows. They then apply right triangle trigonometry to determine the height of trees based on their shadows to...
GLOBE Program
Calculating Relative Air Mass
Combine math and science with fun in the sun! Scientists build a solar gnomon using reusable materials to calculate relative air mass. Mathematicians measure the pole's shadow and use the data to solve for relative air mass....
Curated OER
Solar Eclipse
Students demonstrate the revolution of the moon around the earth and the effect of its direct alignment in between the earth and the sun.
Curated OER
Day And Night
First graders examine how the earth experiences day and night by using a flashlight and a globe as a model.
Curated OER
Rain Shadows and Sea Breezes
Students plot the average rainfall for a variety of cities in the United States. Using the map, they work together to determine patterns on which toxicants are transported through the air. They determine the impacts of various weather...
Curated OER
Plants and Shadows
In this science worksheet, students design an experiment to measure the effects of sunlight exposure upon plants while comparing the amount of shade as a correlation.
Curated OER
Lesson 1 Activity 1: Tools of the Ancients
Students examine how Christopher Columbus determined his latitude.
NOAA
The Great, Glowing Orb What You Will Do: Make a Solar Heat Engine
How is solar energy able to move wind and water to control the climate? Scholars explore the concept of solar energy in the first of 10 activities in the Discover Your Changing World series. They follow instructions to build homemade...
Space Science Institute
The "All American" Eclipse Guide
Are you ready for the biggest astronomical event of the year? More importantly ... are you ready to share it with your scholars? Use a presentation filled with facts and diagrams to make sure everyone in class understands the importance...
DLTK
Groundhog Paper Craft
Get crafty this Groundhog's Day with a hands-on activity that combines creativity and making predictions. Scholars color, cut out, and put together a friendly image of a groundhog and showcase whether they feel the weather will be sunny...