Curated OER
The Sun Does What?
Learners examine why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. In this sun lesson, students explore the sunset and shadows. Learners prove that the sun's position changes during the day. Students investigate what causes a shadow....
GoSoftWorks
GoSkyWatch Planetarium for iPad - The Astronomy Star Guide
Digital compass alignment enables navigation of the skies with true orientation at any time. Just point to the sky or "aim for the stars!" This application acts as a virtual telescope, allowing you to zoom in on any object that is...
Star Date
Shadow Play
Three activities make up a solar system lesson that features the sun, its light, and the shadows it produces. Scholars step outside to discover the changes shadows make at different times of day, take part in a demonstration of how Earth...
Curated OER
Science – Sun, Earth and the Moon
For this basic astronomy worksheet, students respond to 20 true or false questions pertaining to the Earth, the Sun, and Earth's moon.
Curated OER
Day and Night
Expand your third graders' universe with a science activity about Earth's rotation. They read a short explanation about the direction of sunlight, then draw an arrow to indicate which way the sun is pointed at an illustration of the...
PhysEdGames
Sleep Tag
Zombies? No, just sleepwalking taggers. After splitting the gym into two sides, pick two people to be the taggers and two people to be the magic fairies. As taggers tag people on the daytime side, they must "fall asleep" on the nighttime...
Curated OER
Moon Phases, Day/Night
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...
Curated OER
Hello, Sunshine!
Students investigate how the sun travels across the sky at different latitudes using Solar Motion Demonstrator. In this earth science lesson, students explain why seasons change. They study how the tilt of the Earth's axis affects seasons.
Space Awareness
Day and Night in the World
How do different parts of the world experience day and night? Introduce scholars to the concept of global citizenship while teaching about animal behavior with discussion of nocturnal and diurnal animals. Then, learners complete...
Curated OER
Seasons and Day Time
Learners label a diagram of the Earth rotating about the sun and indicate the direction of the rotation and the seasons at each location. They indicate the seasons, the poles, the hours of daylight at each pole, the direction of rotation...
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
Sky 2: Shadows
Students explore space science by participating in a shadow experiment. In this sky observation lesson, students identify how the sun creates different sized shadows by moving across the horizon. Students utilize yard sticks, markers,...
Curated OER
Objects in the Sky
Learners explore what the sky looks like at different times. They identify objects in the sky and recognize changes over time. Students observe the sky and look for objects that are common in both the daytime and the nighttime sky.
Curated OER
The Earth's Rotation
Students see a model of a globe to watch the Earth rotate. In this Earth lesson plan, students rotate the globe and shine a flashlight to see where the sun shines and how it rises and sets. They create a diagram and explain day and night...
Curated OER
Night Sky
Students discover why stars can only be seen at night. They participate in a read aloud of, "Night Sky" by Carole Stott and, "Switch on the Night" by Ray Bradbury. Using the sky objects described in the readings, they brainstorm and list...
Curated OER
The Starry Night Time and Day Time
Second graders complete a unit of lessons on the solar system. They complete various art projects inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' create a moon phases book, create a moon phase wind chime, develop a timeline of space exploration,...
Curated OER
Sky 3: Modeling Shadows
Students will construct models to demonstrate their understanding of shadows. Many questions and suggestions for variants on the activities are presented to allow you to tailor this activity to your particular needs. It is best to make...
Curated OER
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow--Measurements of Time
In this measurement of time learning exercise, students read a short article and then look at 12 pictures and draw a line from each one to either the sun or the moon. Students distinguish whether each picture is happening in the day or...
Curated OER
Why is Summer Hot?
Students examine how variations in temperature are due to the Sun and length of day. In this solar lesson students complete a lab activity using thermometers and artificial sunlight to see how the earth is heated.
Curated OER
Day and Night
Pupils discuss why day and night occur after visualizing a teacher-led demonstration.
Curated OER
Moon Shadows
Students study the moon and its shadows. In this moon lesson students complete a lab activity that shows the different shadows and answer questions.
Curated OER
Sky 2: Shadows
students will explore making shadows and tracking the movement of an object over the course of a day to look for patterns. It is best to couple this shadow activity with reading the book, Bear Shadow, and making a map of Bear's...
Curated OER
Moon Shadows
In this moon shadows activity, 3rd graders follow the directions to set up a demonstration about the sun, the earth and the moon.
Curated OER
Navigation
Students study the basic methods for finding one's position on Earth. Latitude can be deduced from the height above the horizon of the pole star or of the noontime Sun, while longitude requires an accurate clock giving universal time.