K-3 Lesson 2

Sunrise...Sunset - Bilingual Telemation Unit

K-3 Lesson 2:
Comparing Times of the Day

Background:

Day begins as earth rotates on its axis, and the sun appears on the eastern horizon. The sky lightens and the air begins to warm. The height of the sun in the sky varies not only with the time of day and year, but also with the distance of the observer from the equator.

Concept:

When the sun is up, it is daytime; daylight comes from the sun. When the sun is down, it is nighttime and the stars can be seen.

Purpose:

To determine the cause of day and night.

Objectives:

Students will demonstrate that the movement of the earth causes day and night.

Students will make daily observations of the sun in the morning or evening and illustrate what they see.

Inquiry Activities:

When is it time to sleep?

When is it time to wake up?

Where is the sun at night?

Why is it nighttime at some places of the earth and day time at other places?

Does the sun rise and set at the same time and at the same location?

What patterns can we observe from the sunrise and sunset?

Materials:

1 60-watt light - no shade

1 25-foot extension cord

Globe or model of the earth

Small dot or figurine to represent the student

Drawing paper, crayons, markers

Directed Lesson:

Read the stories "Night is Coming", and "Where does the Sun Go at Night?"
Discuss the stories with the class.
Have one student hold the globe a short distance from the light source.
Place a small dot or cut-out figure to represent the class or the individual student's position on earth.
Place the light source in the middle of the room and ask the children what does the light source represent (sun).
Have students take turns rotating the globe and have the class call out what time of the day it is for the small dot or figure on the earth.
Make daily observations of the location of the sun in the morning or when school starts compared to the location of the sun at the end of school. (Warn children not to look directly at the sun.) Discuss the movement of the sun. Have students become suns in the classroom and imitate the direction of the sun's movement.
Discuss and draw pictures of the sunrise/sunset. What changes in color occur? Have students bring in the newspaper or watch local newscasts to document the time of sunrise/sunset. (This may be recorded over a one or two month period to help students collect data showing the change in the arch of the sunrise/sunset).

Evaluation and Student Assessment:

Out on the yard, ask the students to point to the direction that the sun rises. (Use a compass if the sun is not visible.) Have the students make an illustration to show where the sun rises and where it sets, using the location of their school. This can also be done in a diorama or video.

Extensions:

Science:
Do experiments that illustrate that plants need sunlight; solar energy- make solar snacks, sun tea.

Art:
Light from the sun can create rainbows (using prisms), shadows, and reflections on the wall.

Resources:

Laserdiscs:

Windows on Science, by Optical Data Primary Science 3.

Teacher's Guides:
"How the Earth Works," Reader's Digest, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1992.
"Invitations to Science Inquiries," by Tik L. Liem, Science Inquiry Enterprises, 1987.
"El Sol, la luna, y las estrellas," by Jo Ellen Moore & Joy Evans, Evan-Moor Corp., 1992.

Literature:
"The Earth and Sky, A First Discovery Book," Scholastic Inc.
"Play with the Sun," by Howard E. Smith, Jr., McGraw Hill Co., NY, 1975.
"Where Does the Sun Go at Night?" by Mirra Ginsberg, Mulberry Publishers.
"What makes Day and Night?" by Franklyn Branley, New York: Crowell, 1986.

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