Big Kid Science
Measuring Shadows Using an Ancient Method
How did ancient peoples determine the height of really tall objects? Young scientists and mathematicians explore the concept of using shadows to measure height in a hands-on experiment. Paired pupils measure shadows, then calculate the...
Curated OER
The Shadow Knows: Student Worksheet
Pairs of pupils get together in order to measure the heights and lengths of their shadows. They use these measurements in order to predict the height of other friends in class. A good activity to practice measuring things that cannot be...
Florida Center for Instructional Technology
The Shadow Knows: Student Worksheet
How can you measure the height of a tree or telephone pole with only a short measuring tape? It's not a problem when you start by measuring your shadow and your height to create a ratio to use with taller objects. Additional...
Curated OER
Simple Measurements
Students determine the height of objects using shadows. In this math lesson, students discus methods of finding the height of items without directly measuring. Students measure shadows and figure the actual height of the object.
Mathematics Assessment Project
Deducting Relationships: Floodlight Shadows
Try to figure out what happens with shadows as a person moves between two light sources. A formative assessment lesson has individuals work on an assessment task based on similar triangles, then groups them based on their...
Curated OER
Shadow Casting
Eighth graders use a meter stick that is placed on a horizontal surface and an object is moved along it so that the shadow length can be measured at different distances from the light source. They solve real-world problems involving...
Curated OER
Countdown Challenge: Shadow Sleuth
In this shadow sleuth worksheet, students use proportions and indirect measurement to determine the measurement of given objects. This one-page worksheet contains three problems.
Curated OER
Sun and Shadows
Why do shadows look different in the summer than in the winter? What causes day and night? How can a sundial be used to tell time? Answer these questions and more through two engaging lessons about light and shadows. Fourth and fifth...
Curated OER
Measuring the Earth
Students use principles of geometry to measure the circumference of the Earth. In this applied geometry lesson, students use mathematics to determine scientific information. They make measurements, calculate the central angle, and...
Curated OER
Shadow Games
Students create different shapes by putting light on different objects. They change the distance from the object, the light source and angles to make the shadows different. They are to describe the relationship between the light, object...
Curated OER
The Shadow Knows: Student Worksheet
In this math worksheet, young scholars will work in small groups to measure the height of objects, such as trees, using their shadows. Students will be able to determine heights of objects that cannot be directly measured.
Curated OER
Just Me and My Shadow
Students take measurements throughout the day using a simple sundial called a gnomon. They record the results on a Data Log and convert from English units to metric (S.I.) units. Data points are plotted on the same graph and analyzed.
Curated OER
Shadow Chasing
The students compare themselves and their shadows to various objects big and small. Students use their data to set up proportions to solve.
Curated OER
"Bear Shadow" Activity Card
In this literature and science instructional activity, students listen to a family member as they read "Bear Shadow." They conduct experiments that with light, shadows, and measuring tools before recording the date they did the...
Curated OER
Shadows
Students conduct an experiment. In this shadows instructional activity, students record the height of a meter stick. Students then cast shadows and record their length. Students compare the length of the shadow with the actual height of...
Curated OER
The Tilt of the Earth And the Seasons
Fourth graders measure the change in the size of their shadow over time. They visit a fixed structure and record the date, the time, and the measurement of the length of their shadow. They do this over the course of the school year. They...
Curated OER
Shadows and Skyscrapers
Eighth graders explain the relationship between the position of the sun, a city's latitude and shadow length. Ratio's, geometry, and algebra are used to determine the shadow lengths and building heights. A sun angle (altitude) charts to...
Radford University
Georgia Peaches and California Dreamin’
Plant the fruits of trigonometry. Pairs work through the process of finding the best place to plant fruit trees on a piece of property. The scholars must take into consideration the location of the property and the solar zenith angle. To...
Curated OER
The Shadow Knows
Students pick different objects and measure the shadow they cast. In this geometry lesson, students experiment with shadows using a flashlight and an object to cast a shadow. They measure and differentiate between the shadow and the real...
EngageNY
Modeling Using Similarity
How do you find the lengths of items that cannot be directly measured? The 13th installment in a series of 16 has pupils use the similarity content learned in an earlier resource to solve real-world problems. Class members determine...
Curated OER
Indirect Measurement, Surveying Trigonometry
Young scholars measure distances using indirect measurements. In this geometry lesson plan, students apply proportion and ratios to measure heights of different objects. They differentiate between direct and indirect measurements.
Curated OER
Indirect Measurement
Students measure and apply their knowledge of proportion to solve problems. In this geometry lesson plan, students measure using a meter stick, small mirror and measuring tape. They compare and contrast their measurements to objects...
Curated OER
Angle Measurements
In this angle measurement learning exercise, 10th graders solve and complete 9 different word problems. First, they read the word problems carefully. Then, students draw a picture that represents each problem and solve. Finally, they...
Curated OER
Sunshine and Shadows
Students measure their shadows early in the morning, record direction of shadow, make marks in ground with chalk or tape, measure with ruler, and record results. Students repeat process at noon, and then later in afternoon. Students...