Week 1: April 6-10

Learning Goal:

Recognize patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows as a result of day, night, and season change.

I can: identify what time of day it is based on the shadow of an object.

Estimated Time for The Week: 1 hour total (increments of 10 minutes)

Type of Lesson:

Shadows & Seasons

Materials:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Tape Measure, ruler, yardstick (if you have one). If not, use hands, feet or household items.
• Chalk (optional)
• “Shadow Challenges” paper attached (optional)
• “Response Sheet Investigation 1” paper attached (optional)
• access to Foss online curriculum through clever or fossweb.com (optional)

Overview:

Shadow Scavenger Hunt: This activity is best done every hour. Suggested times of day are 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00. If students would like to go look at the shadows every hour, they are encouraged to do so.)

Parent/Student Background Knowledge:

This week you will be reviewing content about shadows. The lesson will work best if completed in increments and observations are made throughout the week. Key points to remember:

• A shadow forms when light is blocked by an opaque object
• the sun rises in the east and sets in the west
• a shadow is opposite the direction of the sun
• revolution vs. rotation
• shadows are longest in the early morning and afternoon while shortest at mid-day

Learn & Practice:

1. Go outside and find three or more different shadows. On your paper, record what the objects are. Use sidewalk chalk or your pencil to make a mark on the ground where the tip of each shadow is at each time of day. You should do this with all three of your shadows.
2. On your piece of paper, where you listed the three objects that formed a shadow, write the direction the shadow is facing each time of day.
3. Measure the change in distance of each shadow at each of the times listed. You can use any of the measuring tools mentioned above or your foot, hand, fingers, etc.
4. Create a bar graph or chart to show the change in length of the shadows at the different times of the day.

Reflection:

• How did the lengths of the shadows change each time you checked them? Did they increase or decrease?
• Did the lengths increase or decrease equally? Ex: Did they increase or decrease the same each time you checked?
• Could you predict the change in length 2 hours later based on the data you collected?

Summary:

Reflect back on the placement of where the shadows were at different times of the day at the beginning of the school year. In the summer, the Sun is at its highest point, making shadows short. In August/September, the Sun is lower in the sky which makes the shadows longer. In December, the Sun is at its lowest position of the year which makes shadows the longest. After December, the Sun begins to climb higher again so the shadows begin to decrease in length.

Optional Extension Materials:

1. Read pages 3-6 and 11-13 of the FOSS Earth and Sun books (found on these Google Slides here).
2. Watch the 4 minute video for a better understanding: Video
3. Practice the different shadow challenges and complete the response sheet that is attached below.
4. Upload any pictures of your fun to your class Seesaw, Class Dojo, or Google Classroom account. You may also email your teacher any pictures or drawings if you would like!

Learning Goal: To encourage understanding of the Four C’s of Engineering: collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication.

I can think like a safety and hazardous materials (HAZMAT) trainer and create a safety mask to be worn by personnel that work in locations with hazardous materials.

Estimated Time for The Week:

30 to 60 minutes

Type of Lesson:

Hands-on

Materials:

• Various household materials - no need to purchase items (examples: cardboard, plastic bottle, pipe cleaners, rubberbands, fabric, tape, scissors, aluminum foil, egg cartons, string, paper plates, paper, coffee filters, paper towels, etc.)
• Room spray or perfume or anything that is safe with a strong smell
• Downloadable & printable handouts over Hazardous Materials, Safety Masks, Investigating Hazardous Locations, Designing a Safety Mask (optional!)

Learn & Practice:

Step 1: Background Information (5 Minutes)

Safety and HAZMAT trainers are responsible for teaching classes and creating equipment for workers that work in dangerous or hazardous conditions. For example, safety and HAZMAT trainers create personal protective equipment (PPE), which is designed to protect workers from hazardous materials. Personal protective equipment includes gloves, face masks, and overalls. Hazardous materials are materials that can be dangerous for a person’s health. Chemicals like pesticides that kill bugs and herbicides that kill weeds are examples of hazardous materials. (Show Handout: Hazardous Materials)

• Think of some other examples of hazardous materials you want to avoid breathing in.
• Why is filtering air important? How could you protect yourself and filter out dangerous particles?

Step 2: Hazardous Locations (5-10 minutes)

Location 1: Caves in Ecuador

Scientists want to figure out what life is like in caves in Ecuador. However, there are many different hazards in the caves, including particles in the air from the feces of bats that live in the caves. This mask must protect workers from these airborne particles so it must have a spot to attach a cavelight or flashlight.

Location 2: Underground Shopping Center in France

Construction workers want to create an underground shopping center in France. The underground shopping center will be underneath a big city in France. When the construction workers are clearing rock and dirt, they can be exposed to viruses that live in the soil. One disease is anthrax, which is a deadly disease that causes skin and lung lesions, leading to death. This mask must protect workers from breathing in dirt and other debri so it must have a protective cage to prevent the person’s face from being hit with rocks.

Location 3: Farms in the United States

Farmers in the United States often use fertilizers to give their plants nutrients to help them grow. One very effective fertilizer is called anhydrous ammonia. Anhydrous ammonia can cause burning of the eyes, nose, and throat after breathing even small amounts. With higher doses, coughing or choking can occur,and if the dose is high enough, it can suffocate the lungs, causing death. This mask must protect farmers from breathing in anhydrous ammonia fumes so must be thin to be able to be stored in a truck or tractor toolbox.

Choose a location and think of a scenario where one of these hazardous materials puts people at risk. (Show Handout: Investigating Hazardous Materials)

Step 3: Designing a Safety Mask for Hazardous Locations (5-10 minutes)

Discuss the different features of safety masks:

Surgical Masks

Doctors and nurses often wear surgical masks to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. These masks are worn over the nose and mouth and help prevent the spread of disease from person to person.

Face Shields

People who work with dangerous equipment can wear face shields. These shields cover the whole face and block any flying debris from hurting the wearer.

Ventilation Masks

Firefighters and other people that work around unsafe air wear ventilation masks to make sure that they have access to clean,unpolluted air. These masks cover the whole face and are connected to a clean air supply.

• How is your mask going to filter the air coming in? (Show Handout: Safety Masks)
• Brainstorm some ideas & sketch a design of a safety mask on paper making sure to label important parts and features.

Step 4: Creating a Safety Mask for Hazardous Locations (10-20 minutes)

• Create a model of a safety mask with the various household materials you have available. (Show Handout: Designing a Safety Mask)

Requirements:

• Must have a filter to filter air that is breathed in.
• Must cover the mouth and nose of the person wearing the mask.
• Must have a strap(s) to hold the mask on the face.
• Consider any other important features needed for the environment

Step 5: Testing the Effectiveness of the Safety Mask (5 minutes)

Test out your mask. Spray room spray or perfume or anything that is safe with a strong smell and put on the mask to check if it is still breathable without allowing the scent (hazardous materials) through.

Step 6: Extension: Review and Revise the Safety Mask (5-10 minutes)

• Improve your original design or modify it by thinking about a different location like a Desert, Jungle, Antarctic, Underwater, etc.
• Do you need to make adjustments or add elements to the mask due to environmental factors to make it work properly?
• Do you think safety masks are important in other careers? Think of some examples.
• Test and retest as many times as you need.

Document your experience as you go and upload your work to Class Dojo, Seesaw, Google Classroom, or whatever format you are using for your teachers to see! Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!

Click the link below for printable instructions & handouts.

Safety Mask Lesson