Earth & Space Systems
Grade 6: Earth & Space Systems
Space
For PDSB Educators: if you are looking to reach out to the Peel Field Centres for further ways to connect your learning to the environment visit the PDSB Field Centre Share Point site.
Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...
Nature Journaling is an incredible tool for students to investigate the night sky through observation of the moon and stars. Their nature journal allows them to write/draw their observations helping to cement the concepts being taught.
At this age all three prompts "I notice..., I wonder...?, and "It reminds me of..." become very intuitive. However the last statement becomes very important for connection making. Encourage students to begin writing using single words, simple sentences, lists, point form, paragraphs and even poetry. Please note that spelling is not a focus in the nature journal. At this age you may start to see art fears - please ensure you are re-iterating it is not about a pretty picture. It is about their observations. Please see the link feedback at the bottom of this lesson for tips on this. Using words, pictures and numbers allows the students multiple tools to document their observations. With permission Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website as she has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.
Here are some more ideas to get you started.
Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)
Make leaf prints ( paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)
Make leaf rubbings
Trace the items they are looking at
Add leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc.
Measure as much of the phenomena as the students can using non standard and standard units of measurement.
Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission. "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."
GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie
NOTE: You are encourage to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling. However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.
Build a sundial
A sundial is a device that uses the position of the sun to reflect the time. An upright stick called a gnomon, is positioned to cast a shadow. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow also moves.
Here is what you need to do
Method 1 - using sticks and stones
Find a straight stick about 60 cms (2 feet) long, 12 stones, a marker to write on the stones and something to tell you the time.
Find a place that gets sun all day long and plant the stick. Push one end of the stick into the ground. If you know which direction North is tilt the stick slightly in this direction. HINT- if you have a cell phone there should be a compass or direction finder on it. You could also plant the stick in a bucket of dirt or sand.
Start at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. ;the sun needs to be fully risen above the horizon line. Place a rock where the end of the shadow from your stick is. Mark the rock with the time or put a piece of paper under it with the time.
Return to the stick every hour. Place a new rock at the end of the sticks shadow with a number on it that matches the hour. The shadow will move in a clockwise direction.
Continue this process until dusk or the sun is no longer shining.
You will now have a clock to tell the time as long as the sun is shining.
Method 2 - using a paper plate and straw
Gather the things you will need: crayons or markers, a paper plate, a sharpened pencil, pushpins, a ruler and a straight straw or chopstick.
Write the number 12 on the very edge of the plate. Use the sharpened pencil to make a hole in the centre of the plate. Remove the pencil so you are left with a hole.
Use a ruler to draw a straight line from the hole to the number 12. This number represents 12 o’clock noon.
Take your plate, straw or chopstick outside in the sun a few minutes before noon. Use a cell phone or compass to determine which direction North is. Place your plate on the ground. Insert the straw or chopstick in the hole in the middle. It should be inserted on a slight angle so its shadow falls directly on the 12 when it is 12 noon.
Secure the plate to the ground with pins or something else. It is important that it does not move.
Return to the plate every hour. At 1 o’clock mark 1 on the plate where the shadow is pointing. Continue this every hour until the sun goes down. Get up early the next morning and continue the process.
With either method the challenge is to go back the next day or next sunny day and tell the time. Does it match the time the watch or cell phone says that it is?
How do sundials work? Think about how the earth and sun move around each other. Use vocabulary including tilt, axis, rotation, revolution, sun, moon and planets. Share this knowledge with a parent, sibling or friend.
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.
Observing the Moon
Let’s observe our nearest neighbour in space, our Moon!
Even though the moon looks so bright in the night sky, it actually does not have any light of its own. It's a reflection of light from the sun. The moon appears to have a different shape every night. This is referred to as “phases”. As the moon orbits around the earth and the earth orbits around the sun, this causes us to see different parts of the moon.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the moon is visible during the day? Why is that?
Watch this video, from Turtlediary, that explains the phases of the moon: Phases of the Moon
Once you have viewed the video, create a chart with 31 circles to represent a moon on a blank sheet of paper.
Pick a date to start observing the moon. This activity can be done outside or inside by a window. (Although, keep in mind sometimes you can't always see the moon from the same window). Look at the moon and take a quiet moment to observe it.
1) On your worksheet:
Record the date and time of your observation under each circle
Observe the moon and fill in the circle according to how the moon looks. Write down the phase of the moon
Try to predict what phase the moon will be the next night
Remember to do this until the moon looks like it did on the first day of your observation.
2) Now watch this next video, by Inside Science, about what Earth would like if there were no moon: What Would Happen if there were No Moon?
Think about how our climate would be different if the moon didn't exist. How different would it be for you and where you live?
Now that you know the importance of what the moon does for our planet, share with someone what you have learned and encourage them to also chart the moon and observe it.
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.