Card 2 - Year 3 Earth and Space Sciences

Science Understanding Earths rotation on its axis causes regular changes, including night and day (ACSSU048). Elaboration Modelling the relative sizes and movement of the Sun, Earth and Moon. Science as a Human Endeavour Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE050).

Science Inquiry Skills Questioning and Predicting With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and predict what might happen based on prior knowledge (ACSIS053).

Planning and conducting Suggest ways to plan and conduct investigations to find answers to questions (ACSIS054).

Processing and analysing data and information Use a range of methods including tales and simple column graphs to represent data and to identify patterns and trends (ACSIS057).

Declarative Knowledge The students will understand:D1 D2 How day and night occur on Earth. The sizes and movements of the Sun, Earth and Moon. Australia experiences day and night as the Earth spins on its own axis once every 24 hours.

Procedural Knowledge The students will know:P1 Create and label diagrams of the Sun, Earth and Moon. Compare observations with predictions about the size and position of the Sun, Earth and Moon. Plan and conduct an investigation of the effect of time of day on length and direction of shadows. Discuss and compare observations with peers. Construct a graph to represent results.

P2

D3

P3

P4

P5

Teacher Information Page The unit is scaffolded using the Primary Connections 5 Es model. This allows students to work scientifically as they:

Pose questions and make predictions. Collect and represent data. Analyse evidence Relate evidence and conclusions Develop further investigations. Lesson Outline Focus question - Is every day the same? Read childrens book What makes day and night by Franklyn M Branley. Brainstorm the differences between day and night and record them on a T-bar chart. Use questions such as: What is meant by day? How long is a day? Is every day the same length as every other day of the year? What is meant by night? How long is a night? Is every night the same length as every other night of the year? Where is the sun during the day? Where is the sun during the night? What causes day and night?

Phase Engage

Individuals draw a labelled diagram to record their ideas about the position and sizes of the Sun, Earth and Moon and how they might move in space. Students share their diagrams and ideas in pairs using the Think-Pair-Share strategy.

As a whole class construct a KWHL chart on the whiteboard, recording the students ideas of what they think they know and what they want to learn. Brainstorm words about the Sun, Moon and Earth for the word wall. Use 3D spherical objects to investigate the sizes and positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon. View images of the Sun, Earth and Moon in relation to each other. Students conduct investigation into changes in direction and length of shadows at 1 hour intervals. Planning a fair test students pose questions, test predictions, collect and interpret evidence and draw conclusions. Identify one thing (variable) to change, another variable to measure and variables to keep the same. Observe and discuss changes in shadows around the school. Explain to students they will be working in pairs to explain their understanding about what causes day and night. Introduce Prezi to students and play You Tube video to whole class, as a stimulus Day and Night and Earths rotations In pairs students use online simulations to explain day and night.

Explore

Explain Session 1 Digital Task Card

http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/spacesciences/observingsky/moti on1.htm http://www.absorblearning.com/media/item.action?quick=9y Learning Manager scaffolds a simulation for whole class recording predictions and observations the whiteboard.

http://econtent.thelearningfederation.edu.au/ec/viewing/L696/ind

ex.html Explain Session 2 Investigating Shadows In teams the students plan and conduct an investigation on shadows, what happens to the length and direction of shadows during the day? When are shadows at their longest and shortest? Learning manager support is required to discuss and model completing the investigation planner. Learning manager support is required to provide sticks, plasticine, magnetic compass and a sunny area with marked compass directions. Teams to measure the shadow length and direction throughout the day at one hour intervals (including noon). Provide teams with digital cameras to record results. Results are recorded into a table and represented as a column graph. Discuss and summarise results of investigation. Hands on activity- Recreate night and day in Australia (Torch/Globe). If is it night here what is happening in......... Review beginning of the unit, what the students thought about day and night. Provide students with another sheet to complete. Students create a poster about the Sun, Earth and Moon to communicate what they have learnt during the unit and for display for parent teacher night.

Elaborate

Evaluate

Teacher background information

The Sun, Earth and Moon belong to the Solar System which is part of the Milky Way Galaxy (AAS, 2007). The Earth is a planet in orbit around the Sun, a medium sized star (AAS, 2007). One orbit around the Sun takes approximately 365.5 days, slightly more than a year, this is why an extra day is added to our calendar every fourth year, called a leap year (AAS, 2007).

The Sun is always heating and lighting the Earth but only the side facing the Sun experiences daylight (AAS, 2007). Day and night is the result of the Earth spinning on its own axis, one complete rotation on its axis takes approximately 24 hours therefore the side of the Earth facing the Sun is in daylight and the side facing away is in the Earths shadow called night (AAS, 2007). The Earth spins in an anti-clockwise direction when viewed from the North Pole (AAS, 2007).

Resource Australian Academy of Science (AAS) (2007). http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/early_middle/kla_sci_sbm_eb_401.pdf http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/science/environment_earth_universe /astronomy_space/revise4.shtml Shadow stick investigation planner resource sheet http://holdfastclusterpc.wikispaces.com/file/view/Shadow+stick.pdf