Sun, Shadow, and Shade

Students learn how sun, shadow, and shade affect the Earth's surface using the story booklet "Sun, Shadow, and Shade" as a model. They will plan how to conduct a fair test of this idea by feeling temperature with their hands on sunny and shady spots that are side by side. They will compare these differences and what they mean and communicate their work in a poster.  

Driving Question - Driving Question - Why did the cows go to the shade?

Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI) K- PS3-B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Sunlight warms Earth's surface. Demonstration of Understanding K- K-PS3#1 - Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth's surface. Science and Engineering Practice Planning and Carrying Out Investigations. Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that may be used to make comparisons .... Cross Cutting Concept Cause and Effect. Events have causes that generate observable patterns.

This lesson has 6 parts - Each part is intended to take about 20 minutes, though time will vary with student skills and readiness. If it takes two or three periods to work through all the activities in a part, that is ok. If some sections don't take all the time allotted, it is ok to move along to the next part or spend time reviewing or practicing writing and illustrating vocabulary words.

1. Get Ready Students share what they already know about sun, shadow, and shade, and learn about some of the words in the story booklet.
2. Ask Questions Students listen to the story Sun, Shadow, and Shade and answer and ask questions about it. With help, they develop a research question: " Why did the cows go to the shade?"
3. Make a Plan. Students, with help, make a plan for investigating whether it is cooler in the shade than in the sun by answering How, When, Where, and Who questions.
4. Investigate. Students carry out their plan and test the temperature of side by side sunny and shady spots with their hands in three different places.
5. Make Sense of Results. Students compare results of testing temperature in places where sunny and shady spots are side by side.  They explore the idea of cause and effect.
6. Share Results. Students create and share posters of their results and what they mean.

Contents: Lesson pp.2-7; Alignments, List of Printables, List of PDFs, Readability p. 8, Printables pp p. 9 -11

• Download a pdf of the lesson
• Download the colored version of the story booklet
• Download the black and white version of the story booklet

Supplies and Equipment: index cards, pencils, story booklet (color and bw versions), poster blank