9. Pictures in the Sky: Constellations
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This week our astronomers learned that stars weren't always looked at as things that sparkle in the sky. Students learned that many years ago, explorers used the stars as a map to guide them in their travels. We also learned that the stars created pictures in the night sky called constellations. These constellations often came with a myth that explained what happened. We describe constellations as a group of stars that create a picture in the. sky. Students also observed that it appears as if the stars are moving. This happens because the Earth is spinning on it's axis. The video below provides a quick glimpse at what the kids experienced.
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8. Phases of the Moon
05/11/15
Over the past few weeks, students have been looking at the moon and recording what it looks like, We kept a log in class that showed students the shape of the moon. For those students who weren't able to collect data, we retrieved it from NASA's website. Students observed that the shape of the moon appeared to change over time. They created a list of many questions after making this discovery. We learned that some of these shapes have names including full moon, new moon and quarter moon.
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6. What is the Sun?
04/13/15
This week we discussed that the Sun is actually a star. The kids learned that it is an average size star. It only appears to be very small due to the distance away it is from us. I had students stand right in front of me and explain what size I looked like. Slowly I walked backwards and asked the students to continue observing what happened to my size. Some students said I got much smaller while others said nothing. By the time I walked to the other end of the building, my students could barely see me. We made this comparison between us and the earth. Students were able to quickly see that things that are farther away seem much smaller.
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5. Patterns in the sky!
03/23/15
There is evidence all around us that earth is spinning. They key is being able to find it and draw conclusions about what it all means. Students had a chance to see pictures of the movement of the sun across the sky as well as movements of the moon across the night sky. They discussed with one another what must happen next if the moon seems to disappear in the west. They began noticing that both the sun and the moon appear to rise in the east and set in the west. This is becasue we are turning in the same direction everyday. Therefore any object in space will continuously appear to be "moving " across our sky. Later this week (When the clouds clear) our astronomers will go outside and be able to see for themselves that the sun appears to be moving across the sky becasue we are in fact turning.
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4. Looking at day and night from a new perspective!
03/17/15
Even after making our models, some scientists still felt that the sun make day and the moon mad night. To help clear this up further I had students wear science goggles with index cards taped to the sides. The rotated in a circle facing outwards. I put a giant yellow circle on the Smart Board. When the sun came in their line of sight they raised their hand and kept it up until they could no longer the see the sun. We discussed how they were spinning on the equator of the earth. As their spot on earth turned towards the sun, they experienced day. As their spot on earth turned away form the sun they experienced night.
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3. What causes day and night? Making a model
03/02/15
Day and night is a tricky concept! The very idea that the earth is currently spinning is hard to grasp since we cant feel the movement. Instead we decided to look for evidence and develop our own models to see if we could understand how day and night works.
Students were given materials and asked to work with a partner to create a model that explained how they thought night and day happened. Each team of students received:
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2. Rotate vs. Revolve
02/23/15
Students began examining the way in which earth can move. Earth is special in that it can:
These are two very difficult ideas for students to grasp. We remember that objects that rotate seem to spin, like a ballerina or a top. Objects that revolve are those that go around another object like runners on a track or a train circling the base of a tree. Students had an opportunity to draw pictures and develop examples of things that rotate and revolve. Then we had a chance to test out the movement ourselves. |
1. How are Earth, Sun and Moon alike and different?
02/17/15
This week our first grade scientists became astronomers! They began to share what they know about space! We recorded a list of ideas that many scientists felt were true. As the unit continues we will modify this list and add additional facts. Here is what first grade knowns about the Earth, Sun and Moon:
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Ms. Lohitsa
Lover of ALL things Science!
Effective teammates:
1) kind
2) responsible
3) share ideas
4) respect others
5) include everyone
Guided questions:
1) What are some patterns in the sky?
2) What is the structure of our solar system?
3) What is happening during sunrise and sunset?
4) How does the amount of sunlight change on our planet? What happens as a result of that?
5) Why does the moon look like it has different shapes?
Links:
Lover of ALL things Science!
Effective teammates:
1) kind
2) responsible
3) share ideas
4) respect others
5) include everyone
Guided questions:
1) What are some patterns in the sky?
2) What is the structure of our solar system?
3) What is happening during sunrise and sunset?
4) How does the amount of sunlight change on our planet? What happens as a result of that?
5) Why does the moon look like it has different shapes?
Links: