Students become familiar with the causes for formation of shadows. They create shadows, compare the size and shape of the shadow with the actual object, engage in shadow play theatre, and discover what happens to shadows when there is...

Students investigate how the sun can be used for energy. They read a handout, discuss the pros and cons of passive solar building design, develop flashcard questions, and identify jobs that can be helped by solar energy.

Young learners recognize a shadow and witness how shadows occur when light is blocked. They access streamed video, standard video, and websites in order to engage in their study of how light is naturally blocked to create shadows. An...

Five steps walk budding artists through the process of drawing a dinosaur. A drawing guide showcases four dinosaurs—stegosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops, and allosaurus. 

The included excerpt would be a perfect contrary follow-up to reading, Rudyard Kipling's White Man's Burden. Journalist E.D. Morel composed the statement against imperialism in 1920. Black Man's Burden is a wonderful primary source...

Ninth graders explore how Aristarchus used the position of the half-full Moon to estimate the distance to the Sun, and how he made a great error, but still figured out that the Sun is much larger than Earth.

Students describe the movement of the Earth as it relates to the sun and formulate a hypothesis for the movement and the changing length of the shadow. They express the relationship between the sun and the Earth and how that causes the...

This activity requires the pupils to follow a teacher activity, so more-than-the-usual preparation for a practical is needed. Looking at a globe as it rotates and receives "sunlight" from a flashlight, pupils are able to observe the...

Students collect and analyze data relating to seasonal changes. They view a video, research web sites and build a sundial to collect their data.

Students explore the movement of the sun across the sky. In this science lesson, students use clear plastic hemispheres and markers to record how the sun moves across the sky. Students write directions so the activity could be repeated.

Young scholars create a shadow clock. In this time lesson, students make their own shadow clock or sundial from tag board. They place it on the ground and check it every hour to mark where the shadow lies.

Young scholars examine sunspots. In this sunspot instructional activity, students use applets to investigate the movement of sunspots. Young scholars research sunspots and evaluate the rotation of the sun. Lesson references outside...

Third graders experiment to gain understanding of the shape and rotation of the Earth. In this Sun and Moon science instructional activity, 3rd graders understand that the Earth rotates on its axis and how that explains the appearance...

Students examine how Christopher Columbus determined his latitude.

Combine math and science with fun in the sun! Scientists build a solar gnomon using reusable materials to calculate relative air mass. Mathematicians measure the pole's shadow and use the data to solve for relative air mass....

Get crafty this Groundhog's Day with a hands-on activity that combines creativity and making predictions. Scholars color, cut out, and put together a friendly image of a groundhog and showcase whether they feel the weather will be sunny...

Students apply the process of scientific inquiries or technological design to explore the explanations of the daily patterns of the Earth's rotation. They record different shadow lengths showing the apparent movement of the sun through...

Sixth graders conduct a controlled investigation to determine the length of the sun's shadow on a fixed object (i.e., flagpole, telephone pole, etc.) over a three-day period (one day in the fall, one in the winter, and one in the...

Students explore how the amount of sunlight and heat change in areas that are shaded.

In this moon image activity, students determine the scale of an image taken by the LRO satellite of the Apollo 11 landing site. Students calculate the sun's angle at the time of the photograph using the shadow of the Lunar Lading Module,...

Students examine the use of a sundial to tell apparent time. For this sundial lesson, students watch a teacher demonstration using a flashlight to create shadows. They discuss what happens to shadows of different objects as the position...

Learners determine how to find North using a watch and their shadow. In this finding North lesson, students go outside on a sunny day and work with their shadow and a wrist watch to find out which direction that North is. They examine...

Students participate in an online lesson to determine how light travels from a source, and to explain that shadows form when light travelling from a source is blocked.

Pupils use online websites to inquire about the cycle of day and night. In this web based lesson, students are able to see the movement of the sun and Earth. Pupils can look at different parts of the Earth as if they were on the Sun or...