Concepts: the Sun Provides Light and Heat to the Earth

Susan Prieto

Peak to Peak Charter

For this project, I used parts of an instructional sequence from the National Energy Education Development Project, The Sun and Its Energy, 2013-2014 andadapted it to a kindergarten level. Ialso include the PhET simulation “Energy Forms and Changes.” The learning progressions have been designed thoughtfully to help students connect to each activity.There are three activities and the simulation included: Solar Beads,Melting Cubes, and Solar Balloon.

Standard: Earth Systems Science- Apply an understanding that energy exists in various forms, and its transformation and conservation occur in processes that are predictable and measurable.

Concepts: The sun provides light and heat to the Earth.

Driving Questions: Why do we need the sun? What does it give us?

Instructional Sequence

Activity 1- What Light? Solar Beads

Related Goals-Students will be able to:

Explain[1] and illustrate that sun provides light to the Earth.
Plan and carry out investigations (that show how UV beads change color due to sunlight).
Justify or tell reasons that explain results of investigations.
Describe how patterns in nature can be observed and measured, like the solar system, or more specifically day and night on Earth.
Observe that objects have many observable properties, including size, weight, shape, color, temperature, and the ability to react with other substances or energy like sunlight.

Introduction (Day 1):

Begin by gaining background knowledge as well as previous lessons about the sun providing light.[2]

Prompts:

What makes light in the day?

Why is it dark at night?

How do we see at night? (artificial lights)

 How are cloudy days different than sunny days?

Read the book,Sun Up, Sun Down by Gail Gibbons.

Turn off the lights, pull shades, and have students notice that it is harder to see without light. Use think/pair/share format.[3]

How we can make it light without turning on the lights?

Where is the light coming from

How can you prove it?

What would our world be like without the sun?

It may be a stretch for kindergarten students to think about how to prove their thoughts.

In their notebooks, titled “The Sun,”[4] have students draw picture during the day showing sunlight and another picture at night without the sunlight.
Throughout this unit students will keep a science notebook, “as much as possible, students should be interacting with materials and investigating individually or with partners. Students each have their own notebook, (or teachers may choose to create a classroom guide or science notebook.) Drawing scientific or realistic pictures should be modeled to the students and (should be) attempted (by students) in their work. Students should be encouraged to label pictures with as many sounds as they can hear, even if this is only the initial consonant at first. (Students’ individual observations can be glued into a classroom notebook made of large construction paper or chart paper.) The teacher should write a summary sentence or two in the class science notebook based on the students’ discussion and observations. While the teacher can assess students’ pictures, listening to students to gauge their understanding is important. Parent volunteers can be a valuable resource during this unit, helping with investigation management, preparing materials, and being a scribe for students.”[5]

The Beads (Day 2):

1.Hand out beads and have students put them on chenille or string (don’t tell them there is anything special about the beads). Take the kids outside. Let them discover the color change in the beads. Once they notice the change, bring the kids back inside, the beads will begin to change colors back to white.

2.Have the students think/pair/share

What happened?

What’s happening now?

Where were you when the beads were white?

Where were you when the beads changed color?

What makes the beads change color?(beads should be turning back to white)

How can we prove that the beads are changing color from “being outside” (or whatever they say)?[6]

3. If they think that it’s from being outside, prompt with,

“What is different about being outside compared to inside?”

Brainstorm ideas. [7]

4.Help students plan and carry out their investigation. i.e.: We’ll go outside, some kids will put the beads in the sun, and the others will put them in the coat pocket. After two minutes we’ll look at the sunlit beads and the shaded/pocket beads. Before going outside, have the students make predictions. They can record their predictions in their Sun Notebooks.

5.Carry out the investigation. Have students come inside and share what they noticed. Think/pair/share what happened.

What did you see?

How can you explain what happened?

What are you wondering now?[8]

Have students record their results in their sun notebooks.[9]

How Long (Day 3)

1.Review with the students what they learned about the beads. Think/pair/share,

How long does it take for the beads to change color?

How do we know?

How can we find out?

2.Encourage students to plan an investigation to see if there is a difference in the beads after they’ve been in the sun for a given interval, like every 30 seconds.[10] The beads may have different colors; the teacher may need to suggest putting like colored beads together. Have students make predictions and explain why they made these predictions.

3.Working with a partner, one can keep track of time, while the other takes a picture of the beads, using iPads or cameras. Collect the data and bring it inside. Upload the photos so that students can see the results on the overhead projector side by side.[11] Think/pair/share about what we see.

What happened? How can you tell?

Why do you think that happened?

What does our evidence (results) tell us about what happens when you stay out in the sun for a long time?

4. Record data in “Sun Notebooks” as a chart or graph, modeled by the teacher since it is kindergarten.[12]

Sunscreen and Beyond (Days 4-6)

1.Start applying sunscreen. When they notice, ask,

Why people wear sunscreen?

What happens when we don’t wear it?

2.Do a think/pair/share.

What have you learned about the beads?

What else are you wondering about?

How could we use the beads to find out about sunscreen?

What are these SPF numbers on the sunscreen?

Have them share their ideas with the class. (You may need to drop hints about the sunscreen).[13]Choose one experiment for context with the following discussion. Explain to the students that scientists repeat experiments to make sure that they get consistent results. Explain that usually in an experiment everything is set up the same (controlled variables-or simplify to just “control”) except for one thing (the thing that changes/varies- or the variable)[14].In this case, the independent variable is the SPF value of the sunscreen.

3.To investigate the effect of sunscreen, we can put beads in a mini 2 Liter soda bottle (like plastic test tubes). Think/pair/share,

How we can test our ideas?

How can we find out if sunscreen really works? [15]

How can we find out how well it works?

4.Help students design their investigation. Have the students work in pairs to plan and carry out their investigation.(I would probably limit it to two specific SPFs like 15 and 50 or higher.)If needed, suggest that they put all 3 bottles, including the control, outside at the same time. Kids can watch the magic and record their data, again iPads or cameras may work well for comparison since the beads turn back to white when out of the sun.

5.Using a projector, display the photographed results. In a think/pair/share format, compare and analyze the data by asking questions, toward the purpose of getting them to justify, and create new questions themselves.

What happened?

Why do you think that happened?

Did the beads change color in the bottle without sunscreen?[16]

Did the other beads change color?

Why?

 How can you prove it?

How does your evidence support your conclusion?

How do you know?[17]

What could be wrong with our experiment?

How can we make our experiment better?

Where else could we put the sunscreen?(on the beads themselves)

6.Students record observations in their sun notebooks. Students draw each result and label it. The teacher can ask what they have learned as they are writing and drawing.[18]

7.Give students some background about the harm of sunlight ,UV rays,…the reason we use sunscreen using Appendix A. Use the think/pair/share format to ask about sunscreen.

Why do people wear sunscreen?

(Think/pair/share)How can we design sunscreen that is more effective?[19]

What else can you do to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays?

They could design another iteration of the sun beads. The more students experiment with an idea and materials, the stronger their learning and the deeper their understanding,[20]as long as it is purposeful and continues to follow a progression. Student may suggest wearing clothes. Students can plan and carry out an investigation with different types of clothing.

8.Plan and carry out an investigation on a cloudy day.

9.After each investigation, analyze, interpret and record the data. Be sure to collaborate with pairs and the group to evaluate what happened and communicate it their thoughts.

10.For a related extension, have students experiment with sun sensitive paper.

Activity 2- What Heat? Melting Cubes

Related Goals- Students will be able to:

Explain and illustrate that the sun provides heat/warmth to the Earth.
Plan and carry out investigations to illustrate that sun provide heat/warmth to the Earth.
Justify or tell reasons that explain results of investigations.
Observe that objects have many observable properties, including size, weight, shape, color, temperature, and the ability to react with other substances or energy like sunlight. Those properties can be measured using tools such as rulers, balances, and thermometers.
Describe how sun light makes some things hotter than others depending on the color of the object (light is reflected or absorbed by certain objects, listing examples of items that do either; colors can play a role in an items absorption or reflection and temperature).
Describe solid and liquid forms of water and how changes occur.

Introduction (Days 7& 8):

Show pictures of cows standing under shade of a tree, people reading book under shade of a tree.[21]Think/pair/share,

What do you notice about these pictures?

Why do you think they are in the shade?

How can we prove your ideas?

What do we need to set up an investigation to prove it?

Supply thermometers, timers (students will need instruction on using timers), shady and sunny areas to work. Show students how to read a basic thermometer as needed.[22]Instruction on use of thermometers and timers may take the remainder of thelesson for the day.
Working in pairs, have students create and execute an investigation to prove what they think about sun and shade (lack of sun). Students may use their arms to detect temperature or may use thermometers. They probably won’t use the stop watch/timers without prompting.Before they begin, students predict what they think and why. Predictions can be recorded in their sun notebooks.
As students carry out their investigations some pairs will be in the sun and some in the shade.In think/share/pair format ask students what they found out.

What did you find out?

Students record data in their sun notebooks. They can use the thermometers in appendix C to color, cut and paste into their notebooks. Repeat the investigation except reverse where pairs go, if they were in the sun, they’ll go to the shade and vice versa. Share out the results. Think/pair/share,

Why is it warmer in the sun than in the shade?

 Explain how you know.[23]

What other things get hot in the sunlight? (ie: slide, pavement, chairs, benches, ice cream, etc.)

Students record their results in their sun notebooks.[24]

What to Wear (Day 9):

Have students imagine it’s a really hot summer day. Think/pair/share to discuss:

What color clothes should you wear?[25]

What if it is a chilly day?

How do you know?

How can we find out or prove our ideas?

Working in pairs, have students design an investigation to prove their theories. Have a variety of black and white thin socks with toes cut out so they can slip them over their arms. Students can write/draw their predictions in their sun notebooks.
Have pairs share their results and claims[26] with the class.

What happened?[27]

Have students record their results in their sun notebooks.[28]
Introduce a variety of colors and patterns of socks with toes cut out. Allow students to plan and executeother iterations of their investigation to find out how sunlight affects different colored objects. Discuss and record the iterations as listed above.

Cube melt (Day 10):

Put some ice cubes on the table in front of 4-6 students. (It will probably start to melt on the table.)

Ask what they know about ice?

Why does it melt?

How do you know?

What does it turn into when it melts?

How is water different from ice?

How does water turn back to ice?

Think/pair/share ideas for a challenge–

How can you make the ice melt faster using the energy from the sun?

Share ideas with the whole class. Put out different colored socks and plastic baggies.

How can the paper help speed up the melting process?

In groups of 4, have students design an investigation to make ice melt faster using sunlight and 4 different colored socks. Remind students that they need a control, a cube that doesn’t get sunlight. Let students write their predictions in their sun notebooks. Have students carry out their investigation.
After some of the ice has melted, but some ice remains on at least three of the, socks, have students record what has happened using iPads or photosso they can refer to the pictures as they are recording results in their sun notebooks.
Project the pictures for the class to see. Have groups take turns sharing.

How much of the ice melted?

How did the sun affect the ice?

Did the ice in the sun melt faster than the ice in the shade?

What happened to the ice in each color?

Explain why this happened.[29]

Give students a small square of colored paper (approximately 2”x2”)to represent the colored sock in the experiment. Give students congruent pre-cut ice cubes (approx. 1”x1”) to represent the ice cube before it melted.Show students how to cut offpart of the paper ice cubes to show how much melted away. It should match the approximate remainders of the ice-cubes in their results. Show fractions of the ice cubes as a great comparison.[30]
Display Appendix D on the projector. Open the discussion about why the workers are putting white roof on a building in Atlanta, GA. This could lead to a geography lesson as well as discussion about how sunlight plays a role in where people choose to live.

Activity 3- Capturing Solar Energy: Solar Balloon

Related Goals, Students will be able to:

Explain and illustrate that the sun makes things warm/hot (it produces solar energy that is captured with solar collectors that convert the energy into heat).
Describe a pattern in nature, hot air rises as seen in smoke, steam, upstairs or attic of a house and hot air balloons.
Carry out investigations to illustrate that sun heats objects on or near the earth.
Justify or tell reasons that explain results of investigations.

Introduction (Day 11):

Show pictures of hot air rising, appendix E. Think/pair/share,

What do you notice?(Show one picture at a time.)

What is the same about all of the pictures?

What is happening?

What is happening to the smoke, steam and balloon?

Can you see air?

When can you see air?

 What if the air has tiny drops of water in it like steam or particles like smoke?

What do you notice happens to air when it gets hot?

Can you think of other times when you feel hot air rising? (Upper floor of a house, attic, above a woodstove or heater, above a black road, etc.)

Have students draw a picture to show hot air rising in their sun notebooks.[31]

Capturing Solar Energy: