Working Document Sun-Earth-Moon
TEACHER'S GUIDE
December 2010
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Sun_earth_moon_guide.doc
Sun-Earth-Moon
June 2011
Working Document Description of the learning situation
MATERIALS
DURATION
Preparation
Activity 1 - Activate the students' knowledge
The teacher animates a discussion regarding what
the students know about the relationships
between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. (S)he
notes these concepts on the board. (S)he makes
the distinction between a star, a planet and a
satellite.
Activity 2 - Reading the suggested tale
The teacher reads Stella's story with the stops
suggested in the teacher's guide. The students
answer the three questions that Sam asks.
Cardboard for
posters
25 minutes
Book « Stella
princess of the
sky»
40 minutes
Activity 3 - Modeling the relationships between CDP Animation 20 minutes
the Sun, the Earth and the Moon
With the help of three students, the teacher shows
the movements carried out by stars as well as the
relationships between them. Next, the students
diagram these relationships.
Blue, grey and
yellow shirts to
represent the
three celestial
bodies
Realisation
Activity 4 - Reading and modeling two celestial Annex 1
phenomena
45 minutes
The teacher invites the students to read the texts
that will answer two of Sam's questions. (S)he may
read them aloud and question the students about
what they understand. The students must then
read the texts themselves and diagram the
information presented.
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Working Document Description of the learning situation – continued
MATERIALS
DURATION
Realisation (continued)
Activity 5 - Presentation of the students' models
The students must model two phenomena. First,
they note their ideas and get ready. Next, they
present one of their proposed models to the
whole class.
Various
materials, see
page 9
Activity 6 - Demonstration to explain "The colour of Various
the sky is red"
materials, see
75 minutes
30 minutes
page10
The teacher either reads out loud, or has the
students read two short texts about the colour of Annex 2
the sky. After the reading, the teacher performs a
demonstration
to
explain
the
red
sky
phenomenon. (S)he make the relation with the
texts that were read. The students write their
understanding of the phenomenon in their
booklet.
Integration
Activity 7 – Review of acquired knowledge
Annex 3
40 minutes
The students are invited to pick a question, which
they must correctly answer, from the tale. The
students fill in the review and note what they have
learned. The teacher re-explains the vocabulary
covered in the activity.
To go a little further
Other ideas…
40 minutes
Several activities could be experienced in relation
to this LES, in English as well as in math.
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Working Document PREPARATION
Here are some definitions translated from Antidote
Activity 1
Aim:
Star: Celestial body with its own productive, energy transmitting glow,
whose movement is imperceptible over a short observation period.
(The Sun is a star).
Activate the students' knowledge
Materials:
• Poster to note previous knowledge, optional
• Poster to note new vocabulary, optional
• Student booklet, page 6
• Theoretical capsule, pages 2 and 3
• CDP animation, see theoretical capsule, page 2
Planet: Celestial body with a significant volume, that does not emit
any light, which orbits around a star. (The Earth is a planet).
Satellite: Celestial body that orbits around a planet. (The moon is the
Earth's satellite).
Duration: 25 minutes
The teacher animates a discussion in order to bring forth the
students' previous knowledge regarding the Sun-Earth-Moon system.
(S)he notes the elements brought forth on the board or on a poster
in order to come back to it at the end of the situation.
Orbit: Curved trajectory drawn by a celestial body, the center of
which is another celestial body.
Revolution: Periodic orbital movement of a star (or a satellite) around
another of greater mass. (It is in fact the time it takes the star to
complete its trajectory around another star).
Once the students have shared their previous knowledge, the
teacher establishes a new vocabulary. The students take note of it
on page 6 of their student booklet.
Rotation: Movement of a body turning around a central point.
(Movement of an object that is turning on itself).
The teacher leads the student to distinguish between three types of
celestial bodies: stars, planets and satellites.
Atmosphere: Gaseous fluid layer that surrounds a planet. The
troposphere is the only layer of the atmosphere where there is life.
*It is important to mention to the students that in this case, a satellite
refers to a star, hence a natural satellite and not a satellite
launched into orbit by man.
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The students must transcribe a definition of their own on page 6 of the
student booklet at the appropriate time.
Sun-Earth-Moon
June 2011
Working Document PREPARATION
Activity 2
Aim:
Activate the student's knowledge in relation to three
specific questions.
Materials:
o Book : « Stella princess of the sky» by Marie-Louise Gay
published by Groundwood.
o Student booklet, page 1
o Theoretical capsule, page 4
Duration: 40 minutes
The teacher reads a part of the story out loud, stopping at the
pages suggested below.
After reading pages 1 to 4, the students note their answer* to
question 1 in the student booklet.
After reading pages 5 and 6 the students note their answer* to
question 2 in the student booklet.
Pages 7 to 10 do not pertain to any concepts relating to the SunEarth-Moon system. The teacher may choose to read these
pages or not. After reading pages 11 and 12, the students note
their answer* to question 3 in the student booklet.
Once they have written their answers, a group discussion would
be desirable, in order to have a general idea of the student's
thoughts.
Mention to the students that they will be called upon to read
informative texts that will answer these questions.
*Draw the students' attention to the fact that they must write THEIR
answer, not Stella's.
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Working Document PREPARATION
Activity 3
Aim: Understand the relationship between the Sun, the Earth and
the Moon.
Materials:
• If possible, three t-shirts: blue, yellow and grey.
• Student booklet, page 2
• Theoretical capsule, pages 2 and 3
• CDP animation, Le jour et la nuit, … la Lune et les saisons (In
French only)
Duration: 20 minutes
One student, who will personify the Earth, is invited to wear a blue
t-shirt. Another student will wear the yellow shirt, playing the role
of the Sun. A third student, personifying the Moon, will wear the
grey shirt.
With these living models, the teacher explains to the students the
relationships that exist between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon.
It is important to mention to the students that this model has
certain limitations: the relative sizes of the celestial bodies, as well
as the distance separating them, are not respected.
The
distinction between rotation and revolution is made at this time.
Here is a (top view) diagram, showing the relationship between the three
celestial bodies. They are not proportional.
The teacher may present the animation produced by the CDP.
The students are then invited to represent, by a diagram, the
relationship between these celestial bodies.
A short presentation may be presented to the students so they
can learn the rudiments of diagramming.
What must a diagram contain?
o A title
o Simplified lines
o A different colour for each element illustrated
o The identification of each element
o Movement symbols
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Working Document Student traces to represent the cycle of day and night
REALISATION
Activity 4
Aim:
Understand the phenomena of day and night and the
phases of the Moon
Materials:
o Annex 1
o Student booklet, page 2
o Theoretical capsule, page 5
Duration: 45 minutes
The teacher invites the students to read texts that will answer two
of Sam's questions. (S)he may choose the manner in which the
students will work with these texts.
(S)he may read them aloud and question the students about what
they understood from them. The students then read the texts
themselves and must diagram the information presented.
Another possibility is for the first text to be read as a class in order
to work various strategies. Reading the second text could then be
done individually allowing the students to apply these strategies.
After the reading, the teacher reminds the students of the
elements to be considered during diagramming. They diagram
their understanding of the phenomenon.
Once they have all finished, the teacher reviews in order to ensure
that all students have the correct understanding of these
phenomena. Each student must receive and understand the
corrected version of his/her diagram before starting activity 5.
The Montreal Planetarium suggests activity sheets to observe lunar
phases throughout a full month.
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Sun-Earth-Moon
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Working Document *The student traces shown at right are from the first version of the
student booklet. The current version instructs the student to draw
a diagram, rather than to do a drawing.
Student traces to represent the phases of the Moon
The description of activity 3 in the previous pages gives guidelines
for carrying out a diagram.
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Working Document REALISATION
Consult the PowerPoint slideshow available on the CDP website to
see a variety of videos and other photos presenting students' models.
Activity 5
Aim:
Model a phenomenon using everyday objects.
Materials available in class:
• Balloons, balls or Styrofoam balls, ideally a single pale
colour
• 2 globes
• 3 or 4 flashlights
• 1 or 2 table lamps
• Chopsticks, sticks, pencils, brochette sticks
• Student booklet pages 3 and 4
Duration: 75 minutes
Having read the informative texts and using the materials at their
disposal, the students, in teams of two, suggest concrete ways in
which to explain the phenomena on pages 3 and 4 of the student
booklet.
Each team presents one of its models to the class. The teacher
either chooses the model to be presented, or lets the students
choose. A discussion may take place after each presentation in
order to see if the models accurately represent reality.
A whole class review should occur to place the concepts
properly.
The day and night cycle is caused by the Earth's rotation, while
the Moon's phases can be explained by the relationship between
the three celestial bodies and the capacity of the Moon to reflect
light.
In the theoretical capsule, we suggest various references in order
to familiarise yourself with these phenomena.
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Sun-Earth-Moon
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Working Document REALISATION
Activity 6
Aim:
Following a demonstration, understand why the sky is
sometimes red at sunset.
Materials for the demonstration* in class (dimly lit room):
• A clear bowl
• Water
• An eye-dropper or a spoon
• Milk
• Flashlight
• Blank sheet of paper
• Student booklet, page 4
• Annex 2
• Theoretical capsule, page 6
Duration: 30 minutes
Annex 2 is read in class as a group. The teacher then performs the
demonstration that will allow the students to understand why the
sky is red at sunset.
Before carrying out the demonstration, it is important to determine
with the students that white light is composed of seven colours.
Mention to the students that these are the colours of the rainbow.
It is possible to demonstrate them with a CD on which you project
(on the mirrored side) a ray of light (with the flashlight) that is
directed onto a white sheet of paper. Then you may perform the
demonstration.
To understand these images, it is important to consider the eye and
the arrow. They represent the position of the observer looking
towards the Sun. The black arrow represents the part of the
atmosphere crossed by the sun's light.
*Demonstration drawn from:
BOURGEOIS, Paulette. Le Soleil, éditions Scholastic, 1996, page 29
First, the teacher fills the bowl with water and adds a few drops of
milk in order to make the water cloudy. Stir. The sheet of paper is
placed behind the bowl. The flashlight is then placed so that the
light passes through the bowl of water and is reflected onto the
paper.
The colour red should appear on the paper, just like a sunset. The
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Working Document milk in the water acts like the dust and gases (atmospheric
pollution) in the atmosphere, dispersing the light.
The students are then invited to complete the bottom of page 4 in
the student booklet.
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Working Document INTEGRATION
Why is the sky red?
The Sun's white light is made up of seven colours. These are the seven
colours of the rainbow. When light crosses the atmosphere, it absorbs
certain colours and reflects others.
When the sky is blue, all the colours have been absorbed by the
atmosphere, except the blue, which is reflected. When the sky is red,
all the colours except the red have been absorbed.
Activity 7
Aim:
Answer one of the initial questions with the newly acquired
knowledge.
Materials:
• Student booklet, pages 5 and 6
• Initial questions on strips of paper, annex 3
• Theoretical capsule, page 4
Where does the Sun sleep?
The Sun does not sleep. It is a star that shines continuously. The cycle
of day and night is determined by the Earth's rotation (around its own
axis). This rotation gives us the impression that the Sun sets, but in
fact, it is simply out of our sight.
Duration: 40 minutes
Each student is invited to pick one of the three initial questions out
of a hat. (S)he glues this strip, with the picked question written on
it, to page 5. (S)he must then answer the question correctly, in light
of the newly acquired knowledge, referring to his/her previous
knowledge.
What is the Moon doing in the sky?
The Moon is a natural satellite to the Earth. It thus turns around the
Earth, while rotating on itself.
The students then completed the gapped text at the bottom of
page 5.
They then determine what they have learned and understood
during the learning situation, at the top of page 6.
Finally, the teacher re-explains the vocabulary seen in the course
of the activity. The students complete the lexicon that contains
the new vocabulary words.
It is important to review their previous knowledge in order to allow
the students to see the evolution of their knowledge.
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Sun-Earth-Moon
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Working Document To go a little further
-
Writing poems about the Sun, Earth and Moon (reference
books: Autour de la Lune et Autour du Soleil de Gilles Tibo,
Éditions Dominique et compagnie, 2002)
-
ICT / mathematics – A web based research could be
carried out regarding the daily hours of sunshine or number
of sunny days in various cities. The data gathered could
be presented in the form of a graph (on paper or using the
computer).
-
Read and write legends about the Moon, having been
inspired by a book (reference : CHASTENAY, Pierre. La Terre
la Lune et le Soleil. Éditions Michel Quintin. Collection AstroJeunes. 2004). Possibility of links with social sciences.
-
Science: activity sheets from the Planetarium (the solar
system in your neighbourhood)
http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/planetarium/Education/f
iches_a.html
-
Grammar: using the Stella book, the teacher can create
an exercise on pronouns or other themes currently being
studied.
-
Writing a text in the manner of Marie-Louise Gay: reply, in a
silly way, to questions on another subject, then research
the actual answers.
-
Writing and Art: invent an extra terrestrial character, draw,
describe and write a story about it.
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