Rosie Guerrera 42156882

Lesson 4 - Recording changes in shadows during the day Unit of work Out of this world! Exploring the science of Space. Stage 2: Year 4 Term: N/A Week: N/A Key Scientific Knowledge: Shadows are a dark image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting the path of light. The shadows cast outdoors will change according to the position of the Sun in the sky. As the earth spins, the angle of sunlight changes. The Suns apparent movement is due to the Earth rotating on its axis, as the Sun remains stationary. The length and direction of the shadow indicates the Earths position with respect to the sun. Time is a measure of this positional change. The time of day when shadows are shortest is when the Sun is due north (Museum Victoria, 2013). Shadows of people almost disappear when the Sun is directly overhead; this is only in the areas of Australia that are north of the Tropic of Capricorn (Museum Victoria, 2013). Resources - Coloured chalk - Metre ruler - Compass - Watch - Outdoor area (in open sunlight and on concrete)

Outcomes NSW Science Syllabus: - ES S2.6 - INV S2.7 - VA1, VA2, VA3, VA5 NSW Science Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum: - ST2-9ES - ACSSU048

KLA integration: NSW English Syllabus - TS 2.1 - TS 2.2 NSW English Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum - EN2-1A NSW Mathematics Syllabus - MS 2.1 - DS 2.1 NSW Mathematics Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum - MA2-9MG - MA2-18SP

Lesson description: - 10 min: Brainstorm with the class about what they can recall about Earths rotation. Discuss the statement that the sun moves across the sky throughout the day, drawing on their understandings that the earth rotates on its axis, while the sun remains stationary. Explain that the class will be participating in an activity to observe shadows as the position of the sun changes. This activity requirea that the students observe changes throughout the day, so students will need to record in 1 hour intervals. - 5 min: The students will walk outside and stand in a circle to observe the sun and the shadows it creates. The teachers will ask students what they notice about their shadow, where students will begin to make

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observations that their shadow is on the opposite side of their bodies that the sun is on. - 20 min: Students will work in pairs to find north on the compass, and take turns to trace the other persons shadow in a scarecrow position facing north. Write the time of the day and mark the directions north, south, east, west on your shadow. Record the length of the shadow on the tracing. Return to the same position another 4 times throughout the day, using a different coloured chalk to trace the shadows. - 15 min: Ask the students to predict what will happen to their shadow throughout the day in relation to size and direction. Watch the following animation to discuss how the shadow will change depending on the suns position - http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/astro/esm/shadows . The students will observe that the sun is at its highest point in midday, when it casts its shortest shadow. - 10 min: To conclude, discuss how the shadow stick or people shadows could be used as a clock. How reliable is it? Why will it change depending on where you are on Earth? Each pair will have an opportunity to discuss their ideas. Simplification: - The teacher can group children based on their abilities, i.e. a creative child may work with a child who has adept speaking or writing skills. Alternatively, the teacher can pair weaker children up with more academic children to scaffold and enhance learning. Extension: - If children finish the task quickly, the students can record measurements of the length of their height and the length of the shadow and record the difference in findings.

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References Museum Victoria (2013) Shadows Activities, Retrieved 25th October, 2013 from http://museumvictoria.com.au/pages/8025/the-seasons-shadows-activites.pdf National Schools Observatory. (2013), Daytime Shadows, Retrieved 25th October, 2013 from http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/astro/esm/shadows Plesser, R & Heffernan (n.d), Light and shadows: Shadow-Tracing: The Earth and Sun Investigation for the third grade, Learn NC, Retrieved 25th October, 2013 from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/earth-sun/6568