Sun

What objects do you usually see in the sky? Sun Moon Birds Clouds Airplanes

Discussion Questions about the Sun Is the Sun always in the sky? How can you tell where the Sun is in the sky? When can you see the Sun? What is day? What is night? Where is the Sun at night?

Discussion Questions about the Sun’s movement? Where did the Sun come up this morning? Does the Sun move after it comes up? Where will the Sun go down tonight? How would you describe how the Sun travels across the sky? Does it follow the same path every day?

Compass

Compass What are the four main directions? North, South, East, and West What are the four intermediate directions northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest

Activity 1 Take the compass outside Find north

Activity 2 Stand facing north—Point to the sun—8:35, 11:30, and 1:35 Draw an arm on your paper pointing in the correct direction, label the time

Sun’s Movement Noon East West Evening Morning

Questions Does the Sun move during the day? No, the Earth is moving. What evidence do you have that the Sun changes positions throughout the day? It was at different places at different times. 3) What direction does the Sun appear to move towards? It moves towards the west.

Questions How do you know the Sun moved West? We saw it move from the east to the west. In which direction did the Sun set tonight? It will set in the west. How do you know (the answer to number 5)? It moves in that direction during the day.

Questions 7.) If we recorded the Sun’s movement every day for a year, would its movement always be the same? Yes, it would be about the same every day.

Sun’s Movement Does the sun really move? No, it only appears to move. Why does it appear to move? The earth spinning.

Earth Spins

What does the Earth spinning cause? The earth spinning causes day and night. Day and Night

Vocabulary Vocabulary What I learned today Sketch The star that rises in the morning, crosses the sky, and sets at night. Sun Tool used to determine directions. compass The four main points on a compass: north, south, east, and west. Cardinal directions

Vocabulary Vocabulary What I learned today Sketch The time when the sun appears in the sky, and it is light outside. day Is the time when there is no Sun in the sky, and it is dark outside. night

Shadows What is a shadow? Do you have a shadow all of the time? What do you need in order to have a shadow?

Shadows Where is the shadow? On the board. How did we make a shadow? The volunteer stood in front of the light and blocked the light from reaching the board. If I turn off the light, will there still be a shadow? No.

Shadows Outdoors Do you always have a shadow when you are outdoors? No. What do you need to make a shadow outside during the daytime? The Sun needs to be shinning to make a shadow.

Vocabulary shadow A dark area where an object has blocked the light. What I learned today Sketch A dark area where an object has blocked the light. shadow

Trace Shadow Activity One person is traced—student A One person is the tracer—student B Go outside face north—student A Student B traces student A’s shadow, label the shadow with your name and time Discuss with your partner– which directions is your shadow facing?

Shadow Activity Discussion What did you observe about your shadow? They changed shape(size) and direction. Why do you think your shadows changed? The Sun’s position changed.

Shadows

Seasons Why do we have different seasons? The tilt of the Earth cause the different seasons. The distance of Earth to the Sun does NOT cause the different seasons. Seasons

Seasons

Can you tell the difference between summer and winter?

Winter Northern hemisphere where we live receives less direct sun because of the tilt of the Earth

Summer Northern Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight because of the tilt of the Earth

Sun in the Seasons Look at the difference in the sun during the seasons…

Sun in the Seasons The Sun is higher in the sky during the summer The Sun is lower in the sky during the winter

Summer the sun is higher in the sky— Causes a shorter shadow Morning-sun rises in the east Shadow is longer in the morning Shadow is always on the opposite side of the sun

Summer the sun is higher in the sky— Causes a shorter shadow Noon—sun is directly above Shadow is shorter at noon Shadow is shortest at noon

Summer the sun is higher in the sky— Causes a shorter shadow Afternoon—sun is in the west Shadow is longer in the afternoon

The sun is lower in the sky— Winter The sun is lower in the sky— causes longer shadow Morning—the sun is in the east Shadow is longer Shadow is always on the opposite side of the sun

The sun is lower in the sky— Winter The sun is lower in the sky— causes longer shadow Noon—sun is directly above Shadow is shorter

The sun is lower in the sky— Winter The sun is lower in the sky— causes longer shadow Afternoon—sun sets in the west Shadow is longer

Shadows and Seasons Summer has shorter shadows Winter has longer shadows Longest shadow is in the winter in the morning or afternoon

Suns and Shadows Worksheet What two ways does the Sun’s position in they sky change? The Sun travels across the sky every day, rising in the east and setting in the west. It also changes its path from season to season, getting higher in the sky during the summer and lower in the winter.

Suns and Shadows Worksheet What are shadows and what causes them? Shadows are darkness. Shadows form (outdoors during the day) when sunlight is blocked by a person or an object. What causes shadows to change size and direction during a day? The height of the Sun in the sky affects the length of shadows; the direction from which light comes affects the direction a shadow points. As the Sun moves across the sky, its height and direction changes which change the length and direction of the shadow.

Suns and Shadows Worksheet Describe the Sun’s change of position in the sky during 1 day. The Sun rises in the east and travels west across the sky. It rises higher until it reaches noon. After noon the Sun continues to travel west, getting lower as it goes. The Sun sets in the west.

Suns and Shadows Worksheet Describe the Sun’s change of position in the sky during 1 year. The sun’s path across the sky changes with the seasons. The path is highest in the summer and lowest in the winter.