Activities inspired by children’s literature

Sunrise, Sunset, and Shadows

By Christine Anne Royce

ecember brings the winter solstice, the day with tions on Earth receives. In addition to the amount of sun- the shortest amount of sunlight for the northern light being extreme, the book highlights one of the results Dhemisphere. Students can notice the pattern of of that phenomenon, which is that this area also has great days getting darker earlier across the United States up to temperature extremes throughout the year. this point and then notice as the amount of sunlight starts to increase in the following months. Through making ob- servations and collecting data about sunrise and sunset, Curricular Connections students can begin to develop an understanding of the Within the first activity and through the reading of Sun Earth’s place in relationship to the Sun. Up, Sun Down, students “collect data that can be used to make comparisons” and “use [these] observations to This Month’s Trade Books describe patterns in the natural world in order to answer scientific questions” (NGSS Lead States 2013, p. 14). Sun Up, Sun Down Through both activities, students make their own obser- By Gail Gibbons vations of shadows and the amount of daylight through ISBN: 978-0-15-282782-3 using available media and previously collected data. Then Voyager Books students are able to “[m]ake observations at different 32 pages times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of Grades K–4 year” (NGSS Lead States 2013, p. 14). Older students are able to take information about the Synopsis time of sunrise, sunset, and amount of daylight Fairbanks, Alaska, receives to “[r]epresent data in graphical displays to This book provides an overview of many different ideas reveal patterns” (NGSS Lead States 2013, p. 49). The abil- related to the Sun, ranging from the apparent movement ity to display available data in a graphical representation of the Sun in the sky as the day goes from dawn to dusk and research data for their own location allows students to to how shadows are formed to how sunlight helps living analyze and interpret data, thus allowing them to visualize things on Earth. the relationships associated with the amount of daylight in Arctic Lights, Arctic Nights a location and the season or time of the year, and in the case By Debbie S. Miller of Fairbanks, Alaska, the impact on the average tempera- Illustrated by Jon Van Zyle ture. In the explain phase, helping students to connect the ISBN: 978-0-8027-9636-3 amount of daylight with the position of the Earth in its orbit Walker and Company around the Sun will aid students in better understanding 32 pages the observable patterns. Finally, by using the Alaska loca- Grades 3–5 tion, their own location, and a location closer to the equator, students are able to see how latitude affects the amount of Synopsis daylight received and the resultant pattern. ■ Different animals are featured in this story as Fairbanks, Christine Anne Royce ([email protected]) is a profes- Alaska, is used to provide the basis for examining the sor at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Penn- drastic variations in the amount of sunlight different loca- sylvania.

16 Science and Children Materials Grades K–2: My Shadow From • Sun Up, Sun Down • student data sheet (see NSTA Connection) the Sun • flashlight per pair of students • small solid object (e.g., stack of blocks, candle, Purpose soda can) • sidewalk chalk Students investigate how the location of a light source af- • compass to locate south fects shadows. Students will track their own shadow at dif- ferent points in the day to make observations. Engage Ask the students if they have ever seen their shadow when they were outside on a sunny day and to describe what they have seen. Many comments will focus on how the shadow seems to get bigger or smaller at points, or that it “follows” the student. Have the students watch the “What causes a shadow” video up to the 2:46 point (see Internet Resources). Ask the students to think about what the characters stated: that the Sun causes a shadow when someone is outside. Explore Read Sun Up, Sun Down to the students and stop at the appropriate pages to ask questions. • The page where the girl is out of bed and pointing K–5 – Integration of Knowledge and Ideas). at the floor: Has anyone seen patterns on your floor Allowing students to manipulate the flashlight to rep- made by the Sun like that? What are these patterns resent the Sun will help them understand that the location called? of the Sun in the sky is the reason for the different lengths • The pages where the girl and the cat are running of the shadows. The story helps students understand that in summer and winter: Look at the shadows in the a shadow occurs when an object gets between the Sun and pictures and the position of the Sun. Where are the cat the surface of the Earth. and the girl located in relationship to the Sun and the shadow? (They are between the Sun and the shadow.) Explain • The pages where the girl and the cat are standing Using the student data sheet, ask the students to illustrate with their back to the Sun: What happens to the girl’s each shadow length when the flashlight is held near the shadow when the Sun is directly overhead? edge of the table, directly above the object, and in between • The pages where Sun is almost set and girl’s shadow the table and directly overhead. Have the students explain is much longer: What happens to the length of the how each illustration they drew from their investigation is girl’s shadow when the Sun is setting or closer to the similar to the girl’s shadow in the book (CC ELA: Read- horizon? ing Standards for Informational Texts K–5 – Integration of Knowledge and Ideas). After reading the book, ask pairs of students to inves- tigate how shadows are created using a flashlight to repre- sent the Sun and a small object. Ask them to create shad- Elaborate ows that represent the types of shadows the young girl saw in the story. Specifically, ask them to recreate the scenes Using classroom volunteers or parents to help, take the where the girl’s shadow is very long (Sun low in the sky students outside to an area on a playground where they at the end of the book), shorter (when the girl is running), can use sidewalk chalk. Students will work in pairs and and nonexistent (when the Sun was directly overhead) this activity will be repeated three times during the school (CC ELA: Reading Standards for Informational Texts day—first thing in the morning, midday when the Sun is at

December 2015 17 directly at the Sun. Record the time in the shadow. Repeat for the different partner and then repeat at the remaining two points in a day. If traced cor- rectly, students will be able to see the length of the shadow vary based on the time of the day and also the movement of the shadow due to the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky from east to west. If the students are facing south, east is at their left, meaning the first shadow will be to their right and will move behind them and to their left through- out the day. Students should record how their shadow changed during the day after making observations. Evaluate Through questions during the short video introduction and the reading of the text, you will be able to develop initial understanding of what students know and think about shadows as well as their understanding of how the its highest point, and once at the very end of the day. Ask shadow changes based on the position of the Sun in the them to work with their partner and take turns outlining sky. Students are also asked to illustrate their understand- their own shadows. Select one direction for the students ing of shadow length based on light source position using to face, such as south, and have them stand there while their data sheets. Finally, in the elaborate section, students their partner identifies their shadow. Using the sidewalk are asked to use the evidence from their own shadow to chalk, the partner should trace the shadow on the ground explain their observations about the movement of the and then also note where the Sun in the sky is in relation shadow over time. to the shadow. Remind students they should never look

Connecting to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013): 1-ESS1 Earth’s Place in the Universe www.nextgenscience.org/1ess1-earth-place-universe

Science and Engineering Practice Connections to Classroom Activity Students: Planning and Carrying Out • manipulate a flashlight to create shadows of different lengths similar to Investigations the ones in the story. • trace their partner’s shadow to determine how their shadows change throughout the day. Disciplinary Core Idea ESS1.A The Universe and Its Stars • trace their partner’s shadow to determine how their shadows change Patterns of the motion of the Sun, throughout the day. Moon, and stars in the sky can be • observe that their shadow gets shorter as they move toward noon and observed, described, and predicted then longer again. (1-ESS1-1). Crosscutting Concept Patterns • observe that their shadow gets shorter as they move toward noon and then longer again. • observe that when facing south, their shadow moves from their right to their left throughout the day representing the apparent movement of the sun from east to west.

18 Science and Children