Have you ever wondered why it is sometimes light out but other times dark during evening events, like going for a walk? Do you sometimes notice the Moon or stars in the sky, but not all the time? Have you experienced the Sun shining in your eyes sometimes, but not others? Students begin by noticing and wondering about these phenomena. They make observations of the Sun in the sky to identify patterns in its changing locations and use these to support claims about the Sun’s predicted location in the sky. Students use images and video of the Moon and describe the same pattern of apparent motion as the Sun. Students make observations of the sky and objects in it to describe patterns of what makes it daytime or nighttime. Finally, students describe patterns in the length of daytime and nighttime on different days, figuring out that daytimes are shorter or longer in different seasons because of changing sunrises and sunsets. They use these patterns to support claims about the season in which specific morning/evening events occur.
What patterns of the Sun, Moon, and stars can we observe, describe, and predict?
Lessons
Lesson Set 1: How can the Sun be in my eyes sometimes, but not all the time?
Lesson Set 2: When and where do we see the Moon and stars?
Lesson Set 3: How can evening events sometimes happen in the daytime and sometimes in the nighttime?