Sun earth moon guide - Commission scolaire de Laval€¦ · students' previous knowledge regarding the Sun-Earth-Moon system. (S)he notes the elements brought ... relationships that

Centre de développement pédagogique Sun-Earth-Moon Sun_earth_moon_guide.doc June 2011

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Sun-Earth-Moon

TEACHER'S GUIDE

December 2010


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Description of the learning situation

MATERIALS DURATION

Preparation

Activity 1 - Activate the students' knowledge

The teacher animates a discussion regarding what the students know about the relationships between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. (S)he notes these concepts on the board. (S)he makes the distinction between a star, a planet and a satellite.

Cardboard for posters

25 minutes

Activity 2 - Reading the suggested tale

The teacher reads Stella's story with the stops suggested in the teacher's guide. The students answer the three questions that Sam asks.

Book « Stella princess of the sky»

40 minutes

Activity 3 - Modeling the relationships between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon

With the help of three students, the teacher shows the movements carried out by stars as well as the relationships between them. Next, the students diagram these relationships.

CDP Animation Blue, grey and yellow shirts to represent the three celestial bodies

20 minutes

Realisation

Activity 4 - Reading and modeling two celestial phenomena

The teacher invites the students to read the texts that will answer two of Sam's questions. (S)he may read them aloud and question the students about what they understand. The students must then read the texts themselves and diagram the information presented.

Annex 1

45 minutes


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Description of the learning situation – continued

MATERIALS DURATION

Realisation (continued)

Activity 5 - Presentation of the students' models

The students must model two phenomena. First, they note their ideas and get ready. Next, they present one of their proposed models to the whole class.

Various materials, see page 9

75 minutes

Activity 6 - Demonstration to explain "The colour of the sky is red"

The teacher either reads out loud, or has the students read two short texts about the colour of the sky. After the reading, the teacher performs a demonstration to explain the red sky phenomenon. (S)he make the relation with the texts that were read. The students write their understanding of the phenomenon in their booklet.

Various materials, see page10 Annex 2

30 minutes

Integration

Activity 7 – Review of acquired knowledge

The students are invited to pick a question, which they must correctly answer, from the tale. The students fill in the review and note what they have learned. The teacher re-explains the vocabulary covered in the activity.

Annex 3

40 minutes

To go a little further

Other ideas…

Several activities could be experienced in relation to this LES, in English as well as in math.

40 minutes


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PREPARATION

Activity 1

Aim: Activate the students' knowledge Materials:

• Poster to note previous knowledge, optional • Poster to note new vocabulary, optional • Student booklet, page 6 • Theoretical capsule, pages 2 and 3 • CDP animation, see theoretical capsule, page 2

Duration: 25 minutes The teacher animates a discussion in order to bring forth the students' previous knowledge regarding the Sun-Earth-Moon system. (S)he notes the elements brought forth on the board or on a poster in order to come back to it at the end of the situation. Once the students have shared their previous knowledge, the teacher establishes a new vocabulary. The students take note of it on page 6 of their student booklet. The teacher leads the student to distinguish between three types of celestial bodies: stars, planets and satellites. *It is important to mention to the students that in this case, a satellite refers to a star, hence a natural satellite and not a satellite launched into orbit by man.

Here are some definitions translated from Antidote Star: Celestial body with its own productive, energy transmitting glow, whose movement is imperceptible over a short observation period. (The Sun is a star). Planet: Celestial body with a significant volume, that does not emit any light, which orbits around a star. (The Earth is a planet). Satellite: Celestial body that orbits around a planet. (The moon is the Earth's satellite). Orbit: Curved trajectory drawn by a celestial body, the center of which is another celestial body. Revolution: Periodic orbital movement of a star (or a satellite) around another of greater mass. (It is in fact the time it takes the star to complete its trajectory around another star). Rotation: Movement of a body turning around a central point. (Movement of an object that is turning on itself). Atmosphere: Gaseous fluid layer that surrounds a planet. The troposphere is the only layer of the atmosphere where there is life. The students must transcribe a definition of their own on page 6 of the student booklet at the appropriate time.


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PREPARATION

Activity 2

Aim: Activate the student's knowledge in relation to three specific questions.

Materials:

o Book : « Stella princess of the sky» by Marie-Louise Gay published by Groundwood.

o Student booklet, page 1 o Theoretical capsule, page 4

Duration: 40 minutes The teacher reads a part of the story out loud, stopping at the pages suggested below. After reading pages 1 to 4, the students note their answer* to question 1 in the student booklet. After reading pages 5 and 6 the students note their answer* to question 2 in the student booklet. Pages 7 to 10 do not pertain to any concepts relating to the Sun-Earth-Moon system. The teacher may choose to read these pages or not. After reading pages 11 and 12, the students note their answer* to question 3 in the student booklet. Once they have written their answers, a group discussion would be desirable, in order to have a general idea of the student's thoughts. Mention to the students that they will be called upon to read informative texts that will answer these questions. *Draw the students' attention to the fact that they must write THEIR answer, not Stella's.


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PREPARATION Activity 3 Aim: Understand the relationship between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. Materials:

• If possible, three t-shirts: blue, yellow and grey. • Student booklet, page 2 • Theoretical capsule, pages 2 and 3 • CDP animation, Le jour et la nuit, … la Lune et les saisons (In

French only) Duration: 20 minutes One student, who will personify the Earth, is invited to wear a blue t-shirt. Another student will wear the yellow shirt, playing the role of the Sun. A third student, personifying the Moon, will wear the grey shirt. With these living models, the teacher explains to the students the relationships that exist between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. It is important to mention to the students that this model has certain limitations: the relative sizes of the celestial bodies, as well as the distance separating them, are not respected. The distinction between rotation and revolution is made at this time. The teacher may present the animation produced by the CDP. The students are then invited to represent, by a diagram, the relationship between these celestial bodies. A short presentation may be presented to the students so they can learn the rudiments of diagramming. What must a diagram contain?

o A title o Simplified lines o A different colour for each element illustrated o The identification of each element o Movement symbols

Here is a (top view) diagram, showing the relationship between the three celestial bodies. They are not proportional.


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REALISATION

Activity 4

Aim: Understand the phenomena of day and night and the phases of the Moon

Materials:

o Annex 1 o Student booklet, page 2 o Theoretical capsule, page 5

Duration: 45 minutes The teacher invites the students to read texts that will answer two of Sam's questions. (S)he may choose the manner in which the students will work with these texts. (S)he may read them aloud and question the students about what they understood from them. The students then read the texts themselves and must diagram the information presented. Another possibility is for the first text to be read as a class in order to work various strategies. Reading the second text could then be done individually allowing the students to apply these strategies. After the reading, the teacher reminds the students of the elements to be considered during diagramming. They diagram their understanding of the phenomenon. Once they have all finished, the teacher reviews in order to ensure that all students have the correct understanding of these phenomena. Each student must receive and understand the corrected version of his/her diagram before starting activity 5. The Montreal Planetarium suggests activity sheets to observe lunar phases throughout a full month.

Student traces to represent the cycle of day and night


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*The student traces shown at right are from the first version of the student booklet. The current version instructs the student to draw a diagram, rather than to do a drawing. The description of activity 3 in the previous pages gives guidelines for carrying out a diagram.

Student traces to represent the phases of the Moon


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REALISATION

Activity 5

Aim: Model a phenomenon using everyday objects. Materials available in class:

• Balloons, balls or Styrofoam balls, ideally a single pale colour

• 2 globes • 3 or 4 flashlights • 1 or 2 table lamps • Chopsticks, sticks, pencils, brochette sticks • Student booklet pages 3 and 4

Duration: 75 minutes Having read the informative texts and using the materials at their disposal, the students, in teams of two, suggest concrete ways in which to explain the phenomena on pages 3 and 4 of the student booklet. Each team presents one of its models to the class. The teacher either chooses the model to be presented, or lets the students choose. A discussion may take place after each presentation in order to see if the models accurately represent reality. A whole class review should occur to place the concepts properly. The day and night cycle is caused by the Earth's rotation, while the Moon's phases can be explained by the relationship between the three celestial bodies and the capacity of the Moon to reflect light. In the theoretical capsule, we suggest various references in order to familiarise yourself with these phenomena.

Consult the PowerPoint slideshow available on the CDP website to see a variety of videos and other photos presenting students' models.


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REALISATION

Activity 6

Aim: Following a demonstration, understand why the sky is sometimes red at sunset.

Materials for the demonstration* in class (dimly lit room):

• A clear bowl • Water • An eye-dropper or a spoon • Milk • Flashlight • Blank sheet of paper • Student booklet, page 4 • Annex 2 • Theoretical capsule, page 6

Duration: 30 minutes Annex 2 is read in class as a group. The teacher then performs the demonstration that will allow the students to understand why the sky is red at sunset. Before carrying out the demonstration, it is important to determine with the students that white light is composed of seven colours. Mention to the students that these are the colours of the rainbow. It is possible to demonstrate them with a CD on which you project (on the mirrored side) a ray of light (with the flashlight) that is directed onto a white sheet of paper. Then you may perform the demonstration. First, the teacher fills the bowl with water and adds a few drops of milk in order to make the water cloudy. Stir. The sheet of paper is placed behind the bowl. The flashlight is then placed so that the light passes through the bowl of water and is reflected onto the paper. The colour red should appear on the paper, just like a sunset. The

To understand these images, it is important to consider the eye and the arrow. They represent the position of the observer looking towards the Sun. The black arrow represents the part of the atmosphere crossed by the sun's light. *Demonstration drawn from: BOURGEOIS, Paulette. Le Soleil, éditions Scholastic, 1996, page 29


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milk in the water acts like the dust and gases (atmospheric pollution) in the atmosphere, dispersing the light. The students are then invited to complete the bottom of page 4 in the student booklet.


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INTEGRATION

Activity 7

Aim: Answer one of the initial questions with the newly acquired knowledge.

Materials:

• Student booklet, pages 5 and 6 • Initial questions on strips of paper, annex 3 • Theoretical capsule, page 4

Duration: 40 minutes Each student is invited to pick one of the three initial questions out of a hat. (S)he glues this strip, with the picked question written on it, to page 5. (S)he must then answer the question correctly, in light of the newly acquired knowledge, referring to his/her previous knowledge. The students then completed the gapped text at the bottom of page 5. They then determine what they have learned and understood during the learning situation, at the top of page 6. Finally, the teacher re-explains the vocabulary seen in the course of the activity. The students complete the lexicon that contains the new vocabulary words. It is important to review their previous knowledge in order to allow the students to see the evolution of their knowledge.

Why is the sky red? The Sun's white light is made up of seven colours. These are the seven colours of the rainbow. When light crosses the atmosphere, it absorbs certain colours and reflects others. When the sky is blue, all the colours have been absorbed by the atmosphere, except the blue, which is reflected. When the sky is red, all the colours except the red have been absorbed. Where does the Sun sleep? The Sun does not sleep. It is a star that shines continuously. The cycle of day and night is determined by the Earth's rotation (around its own axis). This rotation gives us the impression that the Sun sets, but in fact, it is simply out of our sight. What is the Moon doing in the sky? The Moon is a natural satellite to the Earth. It thus turns around the Earth, while rotating on itself.


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To go a little further

- Writing poems about the Sun, Earth and Moon (reference

books: Autour de la Lune et Autour du Soleil de Gilles Tibo, Éditions Dominique et compagnie, 2002)

- ICT / mathematics – A web based research could be

carried out regarding the daily hours of sunshine or number of sunny days in various cities. The data gathered could be presented in the form of a graph (on paper or using the computer).

- Read and write legends about the Moon, having been inspired by a book (reference : CHASTENAY, Pierre. La Terre la Lune et le Soleil. Éditions Michel Quintin. Collection Astro-Jeunes. 2004). Possibility of links with social sciences.

- Science: activity sheets from the Planetarium (the solar

system in your neighbourhood) http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/planetarium/Education/fiches_a.html

- Grammar: using the Stella book, the teacher can create

an exercise on pronouns or other themes currently being studied.

- Writing a text in the manner of Marie-Louise Gay: reply, in a

silly way, to questions on another subject, then research the actual answers.

- Writing and Art: invent an extra terrestrial character, draw,

describe and write a story about it.

Documents

Sun earth moon guide - Commission scolaire de Laval€¦ · students' previous knowledge regarding the Sun-Earth-Moon system. (S)he notes the elements brought ... relationships that