1. Hello Sun! The sun is our primary source of heat here on Earth

2. Group Members: Lauren Quaintance & Laura Brazeika Standard: E.ES.01.11-Identify the sun as the most important source of heat which warms the land, air, and water of the Earth. Grade: First

3. Engage! To engage our students we will ask them questions like: What does the sun look like? Where is the sun located? Do you feel warmer or colder when the sun is out? Why is the sun important to us here on Earth? We will write their responses on the board and teach the class a song by Lauren Mayer called A Plant Will Grow http://www.songsforteaching.com/curriculumrock s/aplantwillgrow.htmhttp://www.songsforteaching.com/curriculumrock s/aplantwillgrow.htm To engage our students we will ask them questions like: What does the sun look like? Where is the sun located? Do you feel warmer or colder when the sun is out? Why is the sun important to us here on Earth? We will write their responses on the board and teach the class a song by Lauren Mayer called A Plant Will Grow http://www.songsforteaching.com/curriculumrock s/aplantwillgrow.htmhttp://www.songsforteaching.com/curriculumrock s/aplantwillgrow.htm

4. Explore Write or draw a picture of the sun on the board. Write the word "Energy" in it and ask: What kinds of energy do we get from the sun? Write their responses on the board. It's important to accept all reasonable examples of energy.The idea is for children to see that the sun is the primary source for a lot of different things (i.e., food, wood, coal, oil, gas, light, plants, trees, heat, wind.)

5. Explore Craft Have each student: Cut out a circle for the sun. Write the word "Energy" in the center. Cut out 7-8 "sunbeams". Write an energy word (from the board) on separate beams with a marker. Glue the beams to the circle. Punch a tiny hole in the sun, insert a piece of string, and hang it from the ceiling or attach the sun to a bulletin board.

6. Explain! We will talk to our students about how everything on Earth needs energy to survive (plants, animals, people). The sun is our primary source of energy (heat, light). Discuss how the sun’s rays reach Earth to warm the land, water, and air. Discuss the sun’s role in plant growth.

7. Elaborate! Create groups of 4-5 students for this activity Students will be growing plants Before doing the activity have your students predict what will happen if one of the plants gets soil, water, and sunlight and the other plant receives soil and water, but NO sunlight.

8. Materials: –8 beans (pinto or lima) –2 paper cups –Potting soil –Water

9. Procedure Fill each paper cup half full with soil Plant four beans in each cup Cover the beans with about 1/2in. of soil Place one cup in a sunny spot Place the other cup in a dark place (or cover with aluminum foil) Water the soil in each cup just enough to dampen the soil Check cups daily to make sure they are moist and add water as needed Watch the beans as they grow Have students record observations each day

10. Evaluate We will evaluate our students based on their participation during group assignments. We will also look over their predictions, and observations from the elaborate activity, and provide a grade based on what they have concluded from the activity

11. References A Plant Will Grow Song http://www.songsforteaching.com/curriculumrock s/aplantwillgrow.htm http://www.songsforteaching.com/curriculumrock s/aplantwillgrow.htm Plant Experiment http://library.thinkquest.org/15215/Resources/Pr ojects/plantexperiment.htmlhttp://library.thinkquest.org/15215/Resources/Pr ojects/plantexperiment.html Explore Activity http://www.nrel.gov/docs/gen/fy01/30928.pdf