Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

Sunlight, Shade, and Sand

Subject Area

Science

Grade(s)

K

Overview

How can we protect the Earths' surface from the sun's rays?  Students will learn the nature of the sun and observe its effects on the Earth's surface.  Students will engineer a covering to reduce exposure to the sun.

This lesson was created as part of the 2016 NASA STEM Standards of Practice Project, a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

    Science (2015) Grade(s): KG

    SC15.K.7

    Observe and describe the effects of sunlight on Earth’s surface (e.g., heat from the sun causing evaporation of water or increased temperature of soil, rocks, sand, and water).

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SC15.K.7

    Vocabulary

    • Observe
    • Describe
    • Sunlight
    • Earth
    • Surface
    • Evaporation
    • Temperature

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Sunlight warms the Earth's surface.
    • Know different patterns of relative warmth of materials in sunlight and in shade (e.g., hotter, warmer, cooler, and colder)
    • Materials on the Earth's surface can be investigated (e.g., dirt, sand, water) and described.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Investigate the effects of sunlight on Earth's surface.
    • Observe the effects of sunlight on Earth's surface.
    • Describe the effects of sunlight on Earth's surface.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Sunlight causes an observable effect on the Earth's surfaces including: water, soil, rocks, sand, grass.

    Scientific and Engineering Practices

    Planning and Carrying out Investigations

    Crosscutting Concepts

    Cause and Effect
    Science (2015) Grade(s): KG

    SC15.K.8

    Design and construct a device (e.g., hat, canopy, umbrella, tent) to reduce the effects of sunlight.*

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SC15.K.8

    Vocabulary

    • Design
    • Construct
    • Device
    • Sunlight
    • Reduce
    • Effects
    • Create
    • Ask
    • Imagine
    • Improve
    • Plan

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • The problem.
    • The design solution.
    • What way the design solution uses the given scientific information about the warming effect of the Sun on Earth's surface.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Use tools and materials provided to design and build a device that reduces the effects of sunlight.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Structures can reduce the effects of sunlight on Earth's surface.
    • Whether or not a device meets expectations in terms of cause (device reduces effects of sunlight) and effect (less warming).

    Scientific and Engineering Practices

    Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

    Crosscutting Concepts

    Cause and Effect

    Primary Learning Objectives

    The students will:

    Be able to identify the sun, a model of earth, and some features of the earth's surface such as land and water.

    Discuss obvious effects of the sun on the earth's surface and natural objects that shield the earth from the sun.

    Observe evaporation and the effects of the sun on soil.

    Create an object to shield the earth from the sun.

    Procedures/Activities

    Introduction (30 minutes)

    What part of outer space can we see from the earth? (the sky) What do you know about the sky?  Tell me some things you might see in the sky. Make a "Things We See In The Sky" chart on a chart tablet.  (moon, stars, blue, clouds, rain, snow, lightning, sun, etc.) Show the video and learn the song.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNsXGB3Sp94

    What is the earth? Discuss and record on a chart tablet.  (our world, has water and land, a planet, it moves, etc.) Show a globe and tell them it is a model of our earth.  Locate the water and land on the earth.  Use an inflatable globe ball to play a water/land game.  Have the children show you their right thumb.  Once everyone knows the correct finger, tell them you are going to throw the ball to them and they need to tell you if their right thumb is touching land or water when they catch the globe.  Record their findings and determine whether they found land or water more or less by looking at the data after throwing the ball at least 10 times.  Look at the globe again and determine if there is more water or land on earth as a whole. Tell them the land is called continents-people, plants, and animals can live there; and the larger bodies of water are called oceans-plants and animals can live there. (If you want to teach them the names of oceans and continents, use the Dr. Jean CD-Going Green.)

    Tell them we all live on the earth and show them their state and city on a map or globe. (Google Earth would be a good tool to use here as a model of the earth.) If you have any students who've lived in other states or countries, point those out on the globe or map.  If not, ask them for any relatives or places they've traveled to point out. Tell them the sky connects all the places on the earth and discuss how we know this.  (Wherever we are we can look up and see the sky.)

    Lesson 1 (30 minutes)

    Refer back to the chart on the sky.  Select the sun from the list as your focus.  Let them tell you some things they know about the sun.  (You can make a KWL-know, want to know, learned or OWL-observe, wonder, learn chart here to go back to as the class has more questions or gains more knowledge about the sun to record and assess learning).

    Read a trade book about the sun to obtain some background knowledge and confirm observations. (Check materials for suggested titles.)

    Sing Mr. Sun for some movement and literacy practice.  Use the YouTube video with words.  Listen for and look for sight words in the song.

    Lesson 2 (approximately 30 minutes)

    By a show of hands, check to see how many people have ever been outside on a sunny day.  Have them share some things they noticed happening as a result of the sun shining. (hot, warm, sweating,  people wearing shorts or sunglasses, bright, ground hot, beach water warm, etc.)  Add these observations to your chart.  Show a picture of people on the beach on a sunny day.  If they've ever been to the beach on a hot day, ask them what it felt like to walk on the sand or get in the water.  What about walking on a sidewalk or even in the grass on a sunny day?  Sun heats the earth's surface making things feel hot. Watch a video about the effects of sunlight on the earth's surface.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_DOM1OQoo

    Turn and talk to your partner about something you learned.  The teacher will listen to observations and make comments on their observations to guide their discussions.  Restate some of the comments the students made and tell them you'll be adding this new information in the "learned" section on the chart. 

    Students return to tables to draw a picture and write at least one new thing they learned about the sun in their science journal.  (quick assessment)

     

    Lesson 3

    Sing Mr. Sun to open up the lesson today.


    Explore and read this NASA website with your students.

    http://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/

    Briefly review the greenhouse effect and how it affects the earth's surface. (can lead to global warming; causes evaporation) Have the class tell you some natural ways to protect the earth's surface from the sun. (trees, clouds)  Have them draw this in their science notebook with a heading strip.  (See attachments)  You add this new information to the OWL or KWL chart.

    What if there were no trees or clouds?  Could scientists design and engineer something to help protect the earth against the sun?  Let them ponder this question.  Then have them show a thumbs up or down to indicate yes or no. 

    Lesson 4 (approximately 30 minutes)

    Tell them today they are going to work as engineers designing a device to protect the earth against the sun.  By a show of hands, find out how many have thought of something they might want to design.  Give them the option to work with a group, a partner, or individually.  You can let them sign up for groups or partners or assign them.  Explain the experiment and follow the steps below.

    Scenario: You are on a vacation at the beach.  The sand (or water)  is too hot to walk on.  Can you design a device to keep the sand (or water) in your area of the beach cool? 

    Provide a predetermined amount of sand (or water) for each group along with a thermometer.  Place each group's substance in a sunny place with a thermometer in it to measure the temperature. (They can also use their hands to feel the temperature) Check the thermometer before placing the cooling devices over, on, around, etc. the substance and record the temperature.  Once the entire group is ready to test, place the devices over the sand or water for a predetermined amount of time.  When time is up, check the thermometer and record the temperature. (Do a hand check as well.)  Determine whether or not your device was effective.  Is the temperature lower, higher, or the same?  What do you think caused the temperature variation?  Do you need to redesign?  Record this information on your recording sheet.

    Once in engineering groups:

    • Draw a picture or blue print of your device.  (only 1 blueprint per group)
    • Share blueprint with teacher for approval.
    • Select materials to create your design.
    • Build it.
    • Test it to see if it meets the requirements from the checklist.
    • Set it up for testing. (Take a picture for your science notebook.)
    • Test.
    • Record data from test.
    • Redesign.
    • Retest.
    • Collect data to determine if device is effective.

    Introduction (30 minutes)

    What part of outer space can we see from the earth? (the sky) What do you know about the sky?  Tell me some things you might see in the sky. Make a "Things We See In The Sky" chart on a chart tablet.  (moon, stars, blue, clouds, rain, snow, lightning, sun, etc.) Show the video and learn the song.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNsXGB3Sp94

    What is the earth? Discuss and record on a chart tablet.  (our world, has water and land, a planet, it moves, etc.) Show a globe and tell them it is a model of our earth.  Locate the water and land on the earth.  Use an inflatable globe ball to play a water/land game.  Have the children show you their right thumb.  Once everyone knows the correct finger, tell them you are going to throw the ball to them and they need to tell you if their right thumb is touching land or water when they catch the globe.  Record their findings and determine whether they found land or water more or less by looking at the data after throwing the ball at least 10 times.  Look at the globe again and determine if there is more water or land on earth as a whole. Tell them the land is called continents-people, plants, and animals can live there; and the larger bodies of water are called oceans-plants and animals can live there. (If you want to teach them the names of oceans and continents, use the Dr. Jean CD-Going Green.)

    Tell them we all live on the earth and show them their state and city on a map or globe. (Google Earth would be a good tool to use here as a model of the earth.) If you have any students who've lived in other states or countries, point those out on the globe or map.  If not, ask them for any relatives or places they've traveled to point out. Tell them the sky connects all the places on the earth and discuss how we know this.  (Wherever we are we can look up and see the sky.)

    Lesson 1 (30 minutes)

    Refer back to the chart on the sky.  Select the sun from the list as your focus.  Let them tell you some things they know about the sun.  (You can make a KWL-know, want to know, learned or OWL-observe, wonder, learn chart here to go back to as the class has more questions or gains more knowledge about the sun to record and assess learning).

    Read a trade book about the sun to obtain some background knowledge and confirm observations. (Check materials for suggested titles.)

    Sing Mr. Sun for some movement and literacy practice.  Use the YouTube video with words.  Listen for and look for sight words in the song.

    Lesson 2 (approximately 30 minutes)

    By a show of hands, check to see how many people have ever been outside on a sunny day.  Have them share some things they noticed happening as a result of the sun shining. (hot, warm, sweating,  people wearing shorts or sunglasses, bright, ground hot, beach water warm, etc.)  Add these observations to your chart.  Show a picture of people on the beach on a sunny day.  If they've ever been to the beach on a hot day, ask them what it felt like to walk on the sand or get in the water.  What about walking on a sidewalk or even in the grass on a sunny day?  Sun heats the earth's surface making things feel hot. Watch a video about the effects of sunlight on the earth's surface.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_DOM1OQoo

    Turn and talk to your partner about something you learned.  The teacher will listen to observations and make comments on their observations to guide their discussions.  Restate some of the comments the students made and tell them you'll be adding this new information in the "learned" section on the chart. 

    Students return to tables to draw a picture and write at least one new thing they learned about the sun in their science journal.  (quick assessment)

     

    Lesson 3

    Sing Mr. Sun to open up the lesson today.


    Explore and read this NASA website with your students.

    http://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/

    Briefly review the greenhouse effect and how it affects the earth's surface. (can lead to global warming; causes evaporation) Have the class tell you some natural ways to protect the earth's surface from the sun. (trees, clouds)  Have them draw this in their science notebook with a heading strip.  (See attachments)  You add this new information to the OWL or KWL chart.

    What if there were no trees or clouds?  Could scientists design and engineer something to help protect the earth against the sun?  Let them ponder this question.  Then have them show a thumbs up or down to indicate yes or no. 

    Lesson 4 (approximately 30 minutes)

    Tell them today they are going to work as engineers designing a device to protect the earth against the sun.  By a show of hands, find out how many have thought of something they might want to design.  Give them the option to work with a group, a partner, or individually.  You can let them sign up for groups or partners or assign them.  Explain the experiment and follow the steps below.

    Scenario: You are on a vacation at the beach.  The sand (or water)  is too hot to walk on.  Can you design a device to keep the sand (or water) in your area of the beach cool? 

    Provide a predetermined amount of sand (or water) for each group along with a thermometer.  Place each group's substance in a sunny place with a thermometer in it to measure the temperature. (They can also use their hands to feel the temperature) Check the thermometer before placing the cooling devices over, on, around, etc. the substance and record the temperature.  Once the entire group is ready to test, place the devices over the sand or water for a predetermined amount of time.  When time is up, check the thermometer and record the temperature. (Do a hand check as well.)  Determine whether or not your device was effective.  Is the temperature lower, higher, or the same?  What do you think caused the temperature variation?  Do you need to redesign?  Record this information on your recording sheet.

    Once in engineering groups:

    • Draw a picture or blue print of your device.  (only 1 blueprint per group)
    • Share blueprint with teacher for approval.
    • Select materials to create your design.
    • Build it.
    • Test it to see if it meets the requirements from the checklist.
    • Set it up for testing. (Take a picture for your science notebook.)
    • Test.
    • Record data from test.
    • Redesign.
    • Retest.
    • Collect data to determine if device is effective.

    Introduction (30 minutes)

    What part of outer space can we see from the earth? (the sky) What do you know about the sky?  Tell me some things you might see in the sky. Make a "Things We See In The Sky" chart on a chart tablet.  (moon, stars, blue, clouds, rain, snow, lightning, sun, etc.) Show the video and learn the song.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNsXGB3Sp94

    What is the earth? Discuss and record on a chart tablet.  (our world, has water and land, a planet, it moves, etc.) Show a globe and tell them it is a model of our earth.  Locate the water and land on the earth.  Use an inflatable globe ball to play a water/land game.  Have the children show you their right thumb.  Once everyone knows the correct finger, tell them you are going to throw the ball to them and they need to tell you if their right thumb is touching land or water when they catch the globe.  Record their findings and determine whether they found land or water more or less by looking at the data after throwing the ball at least 10 times.  Look at the globe again and determine if there is more water or land on earth as a whole. Tell them the land is called continents-people, plants, and animals can live there; and the larger bodies of water are called oceans-plants and animals can live there. (If you want to teach them the names of oceans and continents, use the Dr. Jean CD-Going Green.)

    Tell them we all live on the earth and show them their state and city on a map or globe. (Google Earth would be a good tool to use here as a model of the earth.) If you have any students who've lived in other states or countries, point those out on the globe or map.  If not, ask them for any relatives or places they've traveled to point out. Tell them the sky connects all the places on the earth and discuss how we know this.  (Wherever we are we can look up and see the sky.)

    Lesson 1 (30 minutes)

    Refer back to the chart on the sky.  Select the sun from the list as your focus.  Let them tell you some things they know about the sun.  (You can make a KWL-know, want to know, learned or OWL-observe, wonder, learn chart here to go back to as the class has more questions or gains more knowledge about the sun to record and assess learning).

    Read a trade book about the sun to obtain some background knowledge and confirm observations. (Check materials for suggested titles.)

    Sing Mr. Sun for some movement and literacy practice.  Use the YouTube video with words.  Listen for and look for sight words in the song.

    Lesson 2 (approximately 30 minutes)

    By a show of hands, check to see how many people have ever been outside on a sunny day.  Have them share some things they noticed happening as a result of the sun shining. (hot, warm, sweating,  people wearing shorts or sunglasses, bright, ground hot, beach water warm, etc.)  Add these observations to your chart.  Show a picture of people on the beach on a sunny day.  If they've ever been to the beach on a hot day, ask them what it felt like to walk on the sand or get in the water.  What about walking on a sidewalk or even in the grass on a sunny day?  Sun heats the earth's surface making things feel hot. Watch a video about the effects of sunlight on the earth's surface.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_DOM1OQoo

    Turn and talk to your partner about something you learned.  The teacher will listen to observations and make comments on their observations to guide their discussions.  Restate some of the comments the students made and tell them you'll be adding this new information in the "learned" section on the chart. 

    Students return to tables to draw a picture and write at least one new thing they learned about the sun in their science journal.  (quick assessment)

     

    Lesson 3

    Sing Mr. Sun to open up the lesson today.


    Explore and read this NASA website with your students.

    http://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/

    Briefly review the greenhouse effect and how it affects the earth's surface. (can lead to global warming; causes evaporation) Have the class tell you some natural ways to protect the earth's surface from the sun. (trees, clouds)  Have them draw this in their science notebook with a heading strip.  (See attachments)  You add this new information to the OWL or KWL chart.

    What if there were no trees or clouds?  Could scientists design and engineer something to help protect the earth against the sun?  Let them ponder this question.  Then have them show a thumbs up or down to indicate yes or no. 

    Lesson 4 (approximately 30 minutes)

    Tell them today they are going to work as engineers designing a device to protect the earth against the sun.  By a show of hands, find out how many have thought of something they might want to design.  Give them the option to work with a group, a partner, or individually.  You can let them sign up for groups or partners or assign them.  Explain the experiment and follow the steps below.

    Scenario: You are on a vacation at the beach.  The sand (or water)  is too hot to walk on.  Can you design a device to keep the sand (or water) in your area of the beach cool? 

    Provide a predetermined amount of sand (or water) for each group along with a thermometer.  Place each group's substance in a sunny place with a thermometer in it to measure the temperature. (They can also use their hands to feel the temperature) Check the thermometer before placing the cooling devices over, on, around, etc. the substance and record the temperature.  Once the entire group is ready to test, place the devices over the sand or water for a predetermined amount of time.  When time is up, check the thermometer and record the temperature. (Do a hand check as well.)  Determine whether or not your device was effective.  Is the temperature lower, higher, or the same?  What do you think caused the temperature variation?  Do you need to redesign?  Record this information on your recording sheet.

    Once in engineering groups:

    • Draw a picture or blue print of your device.  (only 1 blueprint per group)
    • Share blueprint with teacher for approval.
    • Select materials to create your design.
    • Build it.
    • Test it to see if it meets the requirements from the checklist.
    • Set it up for testing. (Take a picture for your science notebook.)
    • Test.
    • Record data from test.
    • Redesign.
    • Retest.
    • Collect data to determine if device is effective.

    Introduction (30 minutes)

    What part of outer space can we see from the earth? (the sky) What do you know about the sky?  Tell me some things you might see in the sky. Make a "Things We See In The Sky" chart on a chart tablet.  (moon, stars, blue, clouds, rain, snow, lightning, sun, etc.) Show the video and learn the song.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNsXGB3Sp94

    What is the earth? Discuss and record on a chart tablet.  (our world, has water and land, a planet, it moves, etc.) Show a globe and tell them it is a model of our earth.  Locate the water and land on the earth.  Use an inflatable globe ball to play a water/land game.  Have the children show you their right thumb.  Once everyone knows the correct finger, tell them you are going to throw the ball to them and they need to tell you if their right thumb is touching land or water when they catch the globe.  Record their findings and determine whether they found land or water more or less by looking at the data after throwing the ball at least 10 times.  Look at the globe again and determine if there is more water or land on earth as a whole. Tell them the land is called continents-people, plants, and animals can live there; and the larger bodies of water are called oceans-plants and animals can live there. (If you want to teach them the names of oceans and continents, use the Dr. Jean CD-Going Green.)

    Tell them we all live on the earth and show them their state and city on a map or globe. (Google Earth would be a good tool to use here as a model of the earth.) If you have any students who've lived in other states or countries, point those out on the globe or map.  If not, ask them for any relatives or places they've traveled to point out. Tell them the sky connects all the places on the earth and discuss how we know this.  (Wherever we are we can look up and see the sky.)

    Lesson 1 (30 minutes)

    Refer back to the chart on the sky.  Select the sun from the list as your focus.  Let them tell you some things they know about the sun.  (You can make a KWL-know, want to know, learned or OWL-observe, wonder, learn chart here to go back to as the class has more questions or gains more knowledge about the sun to record and assess learning).

    Read a trade book about the sun to obtain some background knowledge and confirm observations. (Check materials for suggested titles.)

    Sing Mr. Sun for some movement and literacy practice.  Use the YouTube video with words.  Listen for and look for sight words in the song.

    Lesson 2 (approximately 30 minutes)

    By a show of hands, check to see how many people have ever been outside on a sunny day.  Have them share some things they noticed happening as a result of the sun shining. (hot, warm, sweating,  people wearing shorts or sunglasses, bright, ground hot, beach water warm, etc.)  Add these observations to your chart.  Show a picture of people on the beach on a sunny day.  If they've ever been to the beach on a hot day, ask them what it felt like to walk on the sand or get in the water.  What about walking on a sidewalk or even in the grass on a sunny day?  Sun heats the earth's surface making things feel hot. Watch a video about the effects of sunlight on the earth's surface.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_DOM1OQoo

    Turn and talk to your partner about something you learned.  The teacher will listen to observations and make comments on their observations to guide their discussions.  Restate some of the comments the students made and tell them you'll be adding this new information in the "learned" section on the chart. 

    Students return to tables to draw a picture and write at least one new thing they learned about the sun in their science journal.  (quick assessment)

     

    Lesson 3

    Sing Mr. Sun to open up the lesson today.


    Explore and read this NASA website with your students.

    http://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/

    Briefly review the greenhouse effect and how it affects the earth's surface. (can lead to global warming; causes evaporation) Have the class tell you some natural ways to protect the earth's surface from the sun. (trees, clouds)  Have them draw this in their science notebook with a heading strip.  (See attachments)  You add this new information to the OWL or KWL chart.

    What if there were no trees or clouds?  Could scientists design and engineer something to help protect the earth against the sun?  Let them ponder this question.  Then have them show a thumbs up or down to indicate yes or no. 

    Lesson 4 (approximately 30 minutes)

    Tell them today they are going to work as engineers designing a device to protect the earth against the sun.  By a show of hands, find out how many have thought of something they might want to design.  Give them the option to work with a group, a partner, or individually.  You can let them sign up for groups or partners or assign them.  Explain the experiment and follow the steps below.

    Scenario: You are on a vacation at the beach.  The sand (or water)  is too hot to walk on.  Can you design a device to keep the sand (or water) in your area of the beach cool? 

    Provide a predetermined amount of sand (or water) for each group along with a thermometer.  Place each group's substance in a sunny place with a thermometer in it to measure the temperature. (They can also use their hands to feel the temperature) Check the thermometer before placing the cooling devices over, on, around, etc. the substance and record the temperature.  Once the entire group is ready to test, place the devices over the sand or water for a predetermined amount of time.  When time is up, check the thermometer and record the temperature. (Do a hand check as well.)  Determine whether or not your device was effective.  Is the temperature lower, higher, or the same?  What do you think caused the temperature variation?  Do you need to redesign?  Record this information on your recording sheet.

    Once in engineering groups:

    • Draw a picture or blue print of your device.  (only 1 blueprint per group)
    • Share blueprint with teacher for approval.
    • Select materials to create your design.
    • Build it.
    • Test it to see if it meets the requirements from the checklist.
    • Set it up for testing. (Take a picture for your science notebook.)
    • Test.
    • Record data from test.
    • Redesign.
    • Retest.
    • Collect data to determine if device is effective.

    Assessment Strategies

    Observation

    Journal Entries

    Recording Sheet/Test Outcome

    Acceleration

    Give the students a copy of the song, Mr. Sun, to illustrate and have them highlight sight words.

    Intervention

    Allow students to work in partnerships or groups and use their personal strengths to assist the group (artist, writer, photographer, etc.)

    Provide books for students to do picture "research"  on their own to gain a deeper understanding or partner with a reader who can read the book.

    Approximate Duration

    Total Duration

    Greater than 120 Minutes

    Background and Preparation

    Materials and Resources

    Materials and Resources

    Globe

    World map

    Chart tablets

    Markers

    Dr. Jean's Going Green CD

    Trade Books (suggested list in attachments)

    Inflatable globe

    Science journal

    Picture of people on a beach (see attachments)

    Set of thermometers

    Technology Resources Needed

    Access to the internet to view videos on YouTube and to view websites from NASA and other sources

    Camera

    Google Earth

    ALSDE LOGO