Earth and Space
Students begin to fully understand the relationships of the Earth, moon, and sun
during this hands-on science activity.
Curriculum/State Standards
The students understand the interaction
and organization of the solar system and
universe.
Materials
The students participated in hands-on
activities in the lab as well as classroom
activities. In the classroom the students
were introduced to the topic by reading
various trade books and big books
and explored the topic in their science
centers. In the lab they utilized the solar
system models, their bodies and other
manipulatives to simulate the movement
of the earth, moon and planets.
Flashlight, small globes or balls, a
small Styrofoam ball for each student,
Styrofoam ball (painted half black and
half white), Astro Lab Planetarium
(Planets can be removed and added
as needed. Also can be used as an
earth- moon – sun model), Star Theater,
Illuminated Orbiter Planetarium,
Inflatable solar system set, solar system
transparencies, Picture Perfect Science
Lessons consisting of The Changing
Moon section, and the books: Rise the
Moon; The Moon Book; and Papa, Please
Get the Moon for Me, Somewhere in the
World Right Now.
Objectives
Readiness Activity
Overview
The student will know that the tilt of the
earth on its own axis as it rotates and
revolves around the sun causes changes
in the seasons, length of day and energy
availability.
The student will know that the
combination of the earth’s movement
and the moon’s own orbit around the
earth results in the appearance of cyclical
phases of the moon.
The student will know that the sun is a
star and its energy can be captured or
concentrated to generate heat and light
for work on earth.
The student will know that the planets
differ in size, characteristics and
composition and that they orbit the sun
in our solar system and understand
the arrangement of planets in our solar
system.
The student will know that, in addition to
the sun, there are many other stars that
are far away.
Science Lab:
Engage the students with the topic by
reading, Somewhere in the World Right
Now.
Ask:
• Is it true that somewhere in the world
it is already tomorrow?
• How can the sun be rising and setting
at the same time?
• How can all of these things be
happening in the world right now?
Explore and explain the topic of day and
night by giving each group of students
a flashlight and globe (ball). Before
they begin the activity, ask the students
the following questions they will need to
explain after exploring with the flashlight
and ball.
• How doe the earth move?
• What do the movements of the earth
have to do with how we keep time?
• Which movement do you think causes
day and night?
Have the students explore using
THIS WINNING PROJECT IDEA SUBMITTED BY:
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Cassandra Wagner
Culver Elementary
Culver, OR
3-5
GRADE LEVEL
6
WEEKS
$432
TOTAL BUDGET
Earth and Space
....continued....
the flashlight and ball. Let
the groups report on their
discoveries.
Elaborate by setting up the room
with a yellow balloon taped on
the floor in the middle of the
room. Invite the students to
join you in a circle around the
sun on the floor. Each student
will represent earth. Their
chest is North America. Have
the students face the sun. Ask:
Is North America having day
or night? (Day) In fact it is
12 p.m. (noon) when the sun
is directly overhead. Have the
students turn one quarter so
their right shoulder is closer to
the sun. Use the term rotate on
your axis and demonstrate. The
children need to face forward.
Ask: Is North America having
day or night? (Accept guesses).
Explain that the sun is still visible
only if we turn our heads so it
appears that the sun has moved.
Ask: Did the sun move? (No,
the earth moved). Our rotation
has North America now about
6 p.m. where the sun is setting
(dusk). Have the students
rotate on their axis one quarter
so their backs are closer to the
sun. Ask: Is North America
having day or night? (Night)
Why? (because the sun is behind
us.) Yes, in fact it is now about
12 a.m. (midnight) Even if we
turn our heads from side to side
we cannot see the sun. North
America is totally in the dark.
Have the students rotate on
their axis one quarter so their
left shoulder is closer to the sun.
Again the children need to face
forward. Ask: Is North America
having day or night? (accept
guesses) Explain that the sun is
visible only if we turn our heads
so it appears the sun is rising
in the east. Our rotation has
North America now about 6 a.m.
(dawn). Have the students rotate
one more time so they are once
again facing the sun. Ask: What
is the movement called for earth
to have day and night? (rotation
on its axis).
Back in the classroom:
In the science center allow the
students to continue to explore
using the flashlight and the globe.
Provide task that will involve them
identifying cities that are having
day when they are having day.
Identify countries having night
when we are having night. Give
a specific time of day for our time
zone and have them tell what
time it is at specific locations.
Read other fiction and nonfiction trade books on day and
night. Have them create their
own picture book to explain what
causes day and night and what
causes the sun to appear to move
across the sky each day.
Do sun observation for three days
utilizing the shadow of an object
and the sun location.
Strategies/Activities
Lab 2
Use the yellow moon on the floor
model. Add the four seasons
and months of the year signs
positioned correctly with the
seasons. Invite the students to
form a circle on the floor again.
Review day and night having
the students demonstrate the
movement. Encourage them
to use the phrase rotation
on earth’s axis to explain the
movement. Using a globe, circle
the sun. Ask the students what
is the movement called as the
Earth moves around the sun?
(accept responses) Explain that
it is called an orbit or revolution.
How long does it take for earth
to make a full orbit? (1 year,
12 months, 365 days) This is
correct. Ask: Do we have the
same temperatures all year
long? (No) What causes us to
have different temperatures and
weather conditions on earth?
(Accept responses) Show that
if earth moved around the sun
with the North Pole pointing
straight up we would receive
the same amount of the sun’s
energy all year round and would
not experience any difference in
the temperature. Mark a spot on
the globe (where you live) and
tilt the earth 23 ½ degrees on
its axis. Now demonstrate the
movement of the earth while it
is tilted. Stop at each season
and discuss how the amount of
the sun’s heat energy is different
causing the temperatures to
be colder or warmer than the
previous season. To reinforce
this concept have each student
represent the earth again. North
America is their chest and the top
of their head is the North Pole.
The children are still standing in a
circle. Have each child tilt (23 ½
degrees) their North Pole toward
a designated spot in the room
(one already selected so they tilt
away from the sun in winter and
toward the sun in summer). Go
around the room and explain the
weather conditions on earth for
each season. Orbit the sun to the
next season. Have the students
tilt again toward the same spot
and let them explain the changes
on their earth. Continue to
Earth and Space
....continued....
orbit until you have moved the
group completely around the
sun. Review by asking: What
causes earth to have a year?
(earth’s orbit around the sun)
What causes earth to have the
seasons? (earth’s tilt as it orbits
around the sun.) Use the
Illuminated Orbiter Planetarium to
demonstrate the rotation of earth
on its axis and its orbit around
the sun. Allow the students
to explore using the Astro Lab
Planetariums with just the sun,
earth and moon. (I have one per
table group)
Back in the Classroom:
Engage the students with a read
aloud of Rise the Moon. Explore
the moon phases by keeping a
moon journal.
Lab 3
Read, The Moon Book and use
the moon journals to explain the
moon’s cycle. Have the students
sit in the middle of the room.
They represent earth. Use the
foam ball (half white / half black).
Circle the group demonstrating
how the moon orbits earth. As
you move slowly turn the moon
¼ so it appears that the white
side faces the students all the
time. (The moon’s rotation on
its axis is almost the same as its
orbit so we always see the same
side of the moon.) Ask: Does
the moon rotate on its axis?
(Yes, about every 28 days.) Ask
the students to explain how the
moon appeared to them. (They
should talk about seeing the full
moon, quarter moon, gibbous
moon and crescent moon.)
Explain it takes 29 ½ days for the
moon to complete a cycle. Give
each child a pencil and foam ball.
Put a bright light in the middle
of the room (overhead projector
works great.) The foam ball
on the pencil is a model of the
moon. The light is the sun and
each students’ head is earth.
Turn out the lights. With their
faces toward the light, students
hold the balls slightly above their
heads so that they have to look
up a little to see them. In this
position, students cannot see
the lighted side of the ball. This
is called a new moon. Tell the
students to turn their bodies
slightly to the left while still
looking at the ball and holding
it a little above their heads.
They should turn until they see
a crescent moon. Instruct the
students to keep turning to the
left and observe the effects on
the ball. After they have explored
the cycle have them explain their
findings.
Facts to point out:
• The moon’s light is coming from
the sun.
• No matter where they are in the
moon’s orbit, half of the moon is
always lighted by the sun.
• The portion of the moon we see
from earth depends on where the
moon is in its orbit around the
earth.
Back in the classroom:
Elaborate and evaluate on this
portion by reading, Papa, Please
Get the Moon for Me. Explain this
book is not written as a science
book and may be scientifically
incorrect. Read it one time for
fun. The next time have the
students indicate what they think
is incorrect and explain their
reasoning.
Lab 4
Set up each table (4) with the
Astro Lab Planetariums. Have
the planets off the Planetariums.
Discuss how the group will
add the planets to the model.
Add each planet starting with
Mercury to the model. Explain
the characteristics of each planet
as you add them using the solar
system transparencies. Have
the students keep the planets
in line so they can compare the
similarities and differences of the
planets. After all the planets are
on the model, have the students
separate the planets and work
together to move the planets
around the sun. Have them
explain the differences in the
orbits.
Lab 5
Use the Inflatable solar system
set. Take the students outside
to the playground. Give the
inflatable sun and planets to the
students and space them out
to demonstrate the distance (in
proportion) to the sun. If room
have them orbit the sun. Return
to the room and have them
explain the differences in the
orbits. (Works best if you have
time to outline the orbits on the
ground so the students don’t
cross orbits.)
Culminating Activity
In the classroom
Read several stories about the
constellations.
Lab 6
Use the Star Theater to show the
constellations. Turn the overhead
lights on while the theater is still
on to show that the stars are
always in the sky, but our sun’s
light is so bright during the day
Earth and Space
....continued....
we cannot see the other stars.
Allow the students to share tales
about the constellations with the
class.
Evaluation Method
In the classroom the students
completed models of the solar
system as a performance based
evaluation. They received a unit
review written test that included
multiple choice questions as well
as short and extended questions.