Kindergarten Mini-Unit 1- Day and Night/Objects in the Sky

Elaborated Unit Focus In this unit, Kindergarten students have a natural interest in the world around them. In the unit, Day and Night Sky, students examine the characteristics of day and night sky and how one changes into the other in a 24 hour cycle. In this unit, students will focus on the simple changes from night to day and day to night, as well as the main objects in the sky – the sun and moon. Further study of objects in the sky will take place in 2nd grade. At the end of this unit, students will demonstrate understanding of things that happen at sunrise, daytime, sunset, and nighttime. First, students will cut out pictures that correspond with each of the four times of Culminating Task day. They will glue it in the correct box to show that they understand which picture represents each term. Then, students will draw a picture of something that they do during each of the four given times. This will show that students make the relationship between their daily lives and the time of day.

SKE1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate observations about time patterns (day to night and night to day) and objects (sun, moon, stars) in the day and night sky. GSE for Science a. Ask questions to classify objects according to those seen in the day sky, the night sky, and both. (standards and elements) b. Develop a model to communicate the changes that occur in the sky during the day, as day turns into night, during the night, and as night turns into day using pictures and words. (Clarification statement: Students are not expected to understand tilt of the Earth, rotation, or revolution.) ​ ​ 1. Patterns: Observed patterns of forms and events guide organization and ​ classification, and they prompt questions about relationships and the factors that influence them. Cross-cutting Concepts 2. Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation. Events have causes, sometimes ​ ​ simple, sometimes multifaceted. A major activity of science is investigating and explaining causal relationships and the mechanisms by which they are mediated.

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 Such mechanisms can then be tested across given contexts and used to predict and explain events in new contexts. 3. Systems and system models: Defining the system under study—specifying its ​ boundaries and making explicit a model of that system—provides tools for understanding and testing ideas that are applicable throughout science and engineering. 4. Stability and change: For natural and built systems alike, conditions of stability and ​ determinants of rates of change or evolution of a system are critical elements of study. Literacy standards: ELAGSEKW1: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are “writing” about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is ). … ELAGSEKW2: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. ELAGSEKW3: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to Connection to Literacy Standards for Science what happened. (reading and/or ELAGSEKRI1: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. writing) ELAGSEKRI10: Actively engage in group reading of informational text with purpose and understanding. ELAGSEKSL1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. ELAGSEKSL2: Confirm understanding of written texts read aloud or information presented orally or through media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 ELAGSEKSL3: Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood. ELAGSEKSL4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail. ELAGSEKSL5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. ELAGSEKSL6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

Available Literature to Booksource (6 copies per school) enhance instruction ● Day and Night (Level A) ​

Essential Questions and Related Supporting/Guiding Questions

● Can you name the objects in the nighttime sky? Essential Question 1 Guiding Question ● What are the features of the nighttime sky?

● Can you name the objects in the daytime sky? Essential Question 2 ● What are the features of the daytime sky? Guiding Questions ● How would you categorize objects or activities based on time patterns? (day or night) ● What are the differences and similarities in day and night sky? Essential Question 3 ● Can you make a distinction between the day and night sky? Explain your thinking. Guiding Question

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 Essential Question ● What happens to the sky in a 24 hour cycle? 4 Guiding Question ● What conclusion can you draw about the day/night time pattern? ● Students will be able to classify daytime sky and nighttime sky objects. ● Students will be able to develop a model to communicate the changes that occur in the sky during Learning Targets ​ the day, as day turns into night, during the night, and as night turns into day using pictures and words.

Instructional Activities

Phenomenon: Day to Night timelapse Show students this video. Give them an opportunity to discuss what they saw ​ ​ ​ ​ and what they feel is happening in the video. Secondary Phenomenon:

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 Lesson 1: 1. Day to Night timelapse Show students this video. Give them an opportunity to discuss what they saw and ​ ​ what they feel is happening in the video. 2. Put on a robe and slippers, and settle in a chair with a pillow or stuffed animal and a bedtime storybook. 3. Explain to students that it’s time for a bedtime story and then everyone will need to go to sleep. Students might respond that it isn’t time for bed or it isn’t nighttime yet. 4. Facilitate a discuss about why it isn’t time for a bedtime story. Chart responses. a. Is it day or night when you are sleeping? 5. Instruct students to sir around the edge Instruct students to sit around the edge of the carpet. Put two hula-hoops in the middle of the carpet. 6. Take off the slippers and robe, and put them in one of the hoops. Put the stuffed animal and bedtime story in the same hoop. 7. Inform the students that these are things that some people use at night. Label the hoop with a card that says “night.” a. Ask: What do we call the time that is not night? (Day) 8. Label the other hoop with a card that says “day”. 9. Inform students that they will be looking at some pictures of objects (from Teacher Resource: Is It Day or Night?) and deciding if the pictures belong in the hoop labeled “day” or the hoop labeled “night”. 10. Students are still sitting on the carpet, so using “shoulder partners” will work for the next activity. 11. Pair students up, and give each pair a picture or object from your bag of day or night objects. Partners discuss what they have and when it is used or seen. They decide if the object or picture goes in the hoop labeled “day” or “night”. Some objects (pillow, toothbrush) could go with either day or night and so might be placed in the intersection of the two circles. 12. Give the students a few minutes to discuss. Walk around and listen to conversations, clarifying, guiding, or redirecting as needed. 13. After a few minutes, each pair shares with the class. Students tell what they have and what it is used for or when it is seen. They should decide which hoop to put it in and justify their choice.

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 14. Briefly discuss each picture and choice of placement, as needed. 15. When every group has shared, review the items in each hoop, and discuss any that may need to be changed and why.

Lesson Files: ● Is it Day or Night? pictures ● Comparing Day or Night Journal Template

Additional Activity: Let students paint or draw day or night pictures. Children will draw a picture with crayons on ​ white paper and then paint a thin black wash (watered down black paint) over it so it looks like it is night or a think blue wash (watered down blue paint) so it looks like day. Be sure to color the Moon and stars with the white crayon or the sun with a yellow crayon so they will show up when painted. Remind students to color dark and fill in all the area of the part they are coloring so the crayon will resist the paint. Science Journal Entry: Comparing Day and Night Template ​

Lesson 2: 1. Demonstrate how to make a night and day response paddle by putting one together in front of the students (see Advance Preparation). 2. Put the yellow dot in the middle of the blue circle, and make it look like the Sun in the sky. Write the word “day” near the bottom of the circle. Put the sticker stars on the black circle, and write the word “night” near the bottom of the circle with a white crayon. Tape one end of the craft stick near the middle of the back of one of the circles. Glue the two circles together. The craft stick should stick out like a handle, and the paddle will look like a big lollipop with night on one side and day on the other. 3. Prepare and display a chart page showing the steps for students’ reference. Model using the chart as you follow the directions to make your sample. 4. Give students their materials, and assist them as needed. (Early finishers who do it correctly can become your “experts” and help those who need extra assistance.) Make sure students also write their names on Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 one side. 5. Discuss the day/night pattern. Explain to the students that it is daytime when the part of the Earth where we live is facing the Sun. It is nighttime when the part of the Earth where we live is facing away from the Sun. The Earth is always turning so we experience this pattern: day, night, day, night and so on. It takes approximately 24 hours for the Earth to complete one day/night rotation. 6. Students can turn the craft stick to show day, night, day, night, day, night. Facilitate a discussion. Can you show me how many days and nights are in one week? After some students share their ideas, refer to the calendar and “act it out” with the paddles. How is day and night a repeating pattern? We know because of the Earth’s rotation; we will have daytime when our place (city, town or house) on Earth faces the Sun and nighttime when we are not facing the Sun. 7. Collect the student paddles.

Lesson Files: ● DIrections to Make Day and Night Paddles Science Journal Entry: Ask students if they like daytime or nighttime better? Why? Have them draw a picture and write a response to the question. Lesson 3: 1. Use a space that is large enough for students to make a large circle. 2. Place a beach ball in the center of the circle. Label it “Sun” 3. Inform students they will stand so their left hand is toward the lamp. (One way to do this is to have students make an “L” with their thumb and forefinger, and then extend that arm toward the beach ball.) 4. Demonstrate the process of turning (shown in the diagram below) before students get up to practice.

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1

5. Say: In this position, you are the Earth at “sunrise”. 6. Now, have them turn a quarter turn counterclockwise so they are facing the Sun. 7. Say: This position, when we are facing the Sun, is “daytime”. When the Sun is directly overhead, it is about noontime. 8. Turn a quarter turn counterclockwise (so their right hand is facing the Sun). 9. Say: This position, when we are turning away from the Sun, is “sunset”. 10. Complete the turn (moving counterclockwise), so their back is toward the Sun. 11. Say: In this position, the Earth is not facing the Sun. We call this is “nighttime”. 12. Students should turn again to practice the pattern of day and night. As they turn each quarter turn have them say “sunrise, daytime, sunset, nighttime” so they understand and identify the pattern of day and night and what it means. 13. Facilitate a discussion about how the day and night pattern takes 24 hours because that is how long it takes for the Earth to make one complete turn (rotation on its axis).

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 14. Read a story about day and night. 15. Ask: What is it called when the Earth is facing the Sun? Daytime What is it called when the Earth is not facing the Sun? Nighttime How many times does the day-and-night pattern repeat in a 24 hour period? It happens only one time in a 24 hour period. Daytime and then nighttime. The number of hours of light and dark will vary during the year.

Science Journal Entry: Have students draw a picture of the daytime/nighttime pattern and write a sentence, label, or dictate a response to their picture.

Lesson 4: (Anchor Chart) 1. Tell a simple story to let students practice using the paddle. Read another book about day and night, the story from the Handout: Day and Night Story, or make up one of your own. Let the students use their paddles to interact as you read. They should change their paddle from day to night when they hear something in the story to indicate one or the other, or you can pause after each sentence and let them show you if they think it is day or night. 2. Distribute a piece of plain paper to each student. 3. Say: You will draw a picture of yourself showing something you do during the day. 4. Allow time for students to complete this picture. 5. Explain that they will draw a picture at home. They will draw a picture showing something that they did at night. If you think some students may not have coloring materials at home, give the class time to color their pictures at school tomorrow.

Lesson Files: ● Day and Night Story

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 Science Journal Entry: Children should draw a picture of something they do during the day. They should draw, write, label, or dictate their responses.

Culminating Task Lesson 5: Students will demonstrate understanding of things that happen at sunrise, daytime, sunset, and ​ nighttime. First, students will cut out pictures that correspond with each of the four times of day. They will glue it in the correct box to show that they understand which picture represents each term. Then, students will draw a picture of something that they do during each of the four given times. This will show that students make the relationship between their daily lives and the time of day.

Lesson Files: ● Culminating Task Cut/Paste

Other lessons provided by the Georgia Department of Education:

Activity Title Summary Materials ● 1 Sky Gazers

Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1 ● 2

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Troup County Schools 2017-18 Kindergarten Science Quarter 1