Professional Documents
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Learning Segment: 1
Lesson Name: Why Does the Sun Rise and Set? Duration of Lesson: 60 minutes
Grade Level(s): 1 Subject(s): SCIENCE
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to accurately describe what is
happening to the Earth that causes the sun to rise and set and apply these new ideas
to shift their prior misconceptions.
Misconceptions/Prior Knowledge:
Sun goes behind the earth at night and comes back up during the day- the sun does not
actually disappear, it is the Earth rotating away or towards the sun that makes the sun
seem like it is going down or away and coming up or back throughout the day.
Sun goes behind the mountains or water when it sets- The sun does not actually
disappear, it just appears to because the Earth is turning away from the direction of the
sun.
Moon covers the sun at night- the moon and sun are on opposite sides of the Earths
rotation so it is impossible for the moon to be overlapping the sun.
Materials Management: The teacher will be in possession of all materials. Students will
be given materials when they are needed in attempt to keep students engaged and
materials organized.
Grouping Structure: The lesson will be begin as a whole group, where students are
looking at images of sunrise and sunset. After the probing part of the lesson is finished,
students will work in small groups to create a picture diagram of what position the sun is
in the sky at different points of the day. This will be done by gluing the sun in its
appropriate spot based on the picture seen at each station. The teacher will walk around at
ES; DRCHMH Rev. STE 2013 1
that time to assist and ask guiding questions. Students will come together where the book
What Makes Day and Night will be read as a whole group. They will remain whole group
while watching the video and finishing the lesson.
References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l64YwNl1wr0,
http://larremoreteachertips.blogspot.com/2014/01/wrapping-up-day-and-night.html
Assessments:
Pre-assessment: Images of sunrise and sunset will be used to probe prior learning. The
purpose of this assessment is to discover misconceptions, so responses such as the sun
goes behind the hill is expected and feedback such as hmm, interesting, have you
seen this happen before? or why do you think that? will be given to either
acknowledge the misconception or try and discover even deeper thinking.
During: Students will be assessed after reading the book and watching the video by
writing what is happening to the Earth in each stage of their diagram. They will be
provided with sentence frames and will discuss with a partner what is happening to the
sun. The teacher will gather responses and help guide if necessary to explain the
phenomena. Responses such as the earth is going away from the sun might be a
response, in which feedback such as is where we live facing towards or away from the
sun? would hopefully help students redirect their answer and realize that at sunset, the
Earth is turning away from the sun, causing the sun to set. Feedback such as great job!
will also be provided.
After: After the lesson, students will be shown the same picture from the pre-assessment
and asked to describe what is happening to the sun and write their answer on a post-it
note. The teacher will compare these responses to the original misconceptions to help
students create understanding of their misunderstandings. Responses such as during
sunrise the earth is facing the sun might result, which would get feedback such as great
job clarifying that or does that make more sense than saying the earth is coming up
from the mountains? would be used to help show what the original thought was and how
students have gained understanding from the lesson.
The students will be shown pictures of sunrise and sunset, which are two events that most
students have witnessed during their lives. The teacher will pose questions such as what
is happening to the sun in this photo? Student answers will be collected and added to a
chart so that students may see how their ideas have changed from the beginning of the
lesson to the end.
Instruction [Closure/Evaluate]:
Students will be shown the same pictures from the engage portion and will write on a
post-it what is happening to the sun or what is happening in general. The teacher will
look at responses and write them down next to original ideas so that students can see how
much they have learned or what confusion still exists. This will also be a way for the
teacher to evaluate student learning and the effectiveness of the lesson.
Differentiated Instruction:
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Language frames will be provided for EL students, as well as any other student who
needs additional language supports. All students will also be able to use their project as a
graphic organizer. The magnets on the board will help students who need visual aid
understand the pattern of the Earths rotation in forming day and night, as well as
kinesthetic learners who can come up and move the earth themselves. Lastly, providing a
text and video example provides two mediums in which students are receiving
information. Students will also be placed in heterogeneous groups during the explore
stage so that more advanced students may help those who are struggling. This also goes
for the pair share during the elaborate stage, as students will be assigned a partner who
can help assist with language and or understanding.
Engage- images
Learning Segment: 2
Lesson Name: Why Half the World is Always Light Duration of Lesson: 60 mins
Grade Level(s): 1 Subject(s): SCIENCE
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson students will be able to indicate what parts of the Earth are
awake at certain times of night and show understanding of the pattern that one half
of the Earth is always dark and one half is always light.
Misconceptions/Prior Knowledge:
Moon covers the sun at night- the moon and the sun are on opposite sides of Earths orbit
so neither one can overlap.
The sun goes to sleep and it gets dark so we can sleep- the sun is constantly in orbit, it
just looks like it is disappearing because we are turning away from it at night.
The whole earth moves closer or farther away from the sun- the earth does not move
directly closer to the sun, it just rotates around at an angle. At certain points of its
rotation, it is pointing towards or away from the sun, which is why it appears dark or light
on Earth.
Materials Management: The teacher will be in charge of materials. Students will be given
use of all materials when the time comes in order to maintain organization and focus of
students.
Grouping Structure: During the introduction, students will be in a whole group reviewing
their learning from the pervious lesson. Then they will go back to their seats and finish
Handout 1, which probes their learning. After this, students will be pulled in small groups
References: http://www.eyeonthesky.org/lessonplans/05sun_daynight.html,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWkKSkI3gkU&t=28s, Space: Star Patterns and
Cycles by Sandy Turley
Assessments:
Before: Handout 1- probes whether students know that half the world is dark and light.
Feedback such as interesting or why did you decide to color it that way? will be
given to show acknowledgement of thinking or probe for further thinking.
During: Students will be asked to move the certain parts of the world towards light or
dark. They will be instructed to use the language frame above to show their partner
understanding and the teacher will listen in and give feedback such as why? or great
job or what did your partner say?
After: Students will be given handout 4 as an assessment, which tests their understanding
that it is night time in one half and day time on the opposite half of the world. Since it
asks to circle, responses will be either right or wrong and teacher can give feedback such
as think about it or how do you know? or why do you think that? to assess further.
INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE
Go back to the chart made during the previous lesson and review what was learned
yesterday. Probe students with Handout 1. This handout asks students to color the day
part of the Earth green and blue and the night-time part black. This assesses
understanding from yesterday: that the part facing the sun should be lit up, and also starts
to build their understanding that the Earth has a distinct pattern of having half of its
hemisphere be light and half be dark. The teacher can walk around and assess
understanding and probe students with questions such as How do you know that part is
supposed to be green? or why did you color that part black? to get further insight of
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student understanding.
Instruction [Closure/Evaluate]:
Handout 4. Students will complete the handout by circling the part of the earth that is
awake at certain times. This will show the teacher if students understand the pattern
discussed and also allow students the chance to compare to their probe and see if they
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have any new ideas. They will then look at ideas from the beginning of the lesson and
evaluate themselves and how much they have learned.
Differentiated Instruction:
Sentence Frames will be provided for ELs, as well as any other student who needs extra
language support. Students will be given hands on instruction during the explore stage,
and also during the elaborate through the use of a model (handout 3) and movement. The
evaluation paper will contain labeled pictures to accommodate for students struggling in
reading.
Turn Earth.
Name: ________________
Circleyellowaroundthepart of theEarth
that wouldbeawakeduringthetimes listed
below:
12:00aminNorthAmerica
3 :00aminAfrica
4 :00pminMexico
Learning Segment: 3
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Lesson Name: Seasonal Patterns of Sunrise and Sunset Duration of Lesson: 60 mins
Grade Level(s): 1 Subject(s): SCIENCE
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and describe which seasons
would have the most and least amounts of sunlight.
Misconceptions/Prior Knowledge:
The whole earth moves closer or farther away from the sun- the Earth itself is rotating
around the sun, but it is not getting any closer or farther as a whole. Different sides are
facing towards the earth at different times of day and due to the axial tilt, certain
hemispheres are in more direct alignment with the sun at different times a year.
The sun is hotter during the summer and colder during the winter- The Earths alignment
with the sun results in more or less direct rays of concentrated heat/light.
Materials Management: The teacher will be in charge of all materials, and iPads and
worksheets will be distributed when necessary in order to maintain focus and
organization.
Grouping Structure: The students will be given a probe as a whole class on the carpet.
They will be asked to pair share while on the carpet about ideas from the probe. After
sharing answers with the teacher, the students will be placed into pre-planned
heterogeneous groups during the explore portion of the lesson. After interacting with
iPads, students will come back to the carpet as a whole group while the explaining and
elaborating is being done. They will go back to their desks to independently complete
handout 6, the evaluation of the lesson.
References:
http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/science/earthandbeyond/sun
risesunset/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUU7IyfR34o,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b25g4nZTHvM
Assessments:
Before: Students will be shown a picture of pool hours during the summer and winter and
asked to think about why pools are open for longer during the summer and not during the
winter. They will talk with a partner, then share their thoughts for the teacher to record.
Responses like it is hotter in the summer or kids do not have school in the summer
may be given, and feedback like interesting or can you explain a little more? would
be given to try and encourage deeper thinking.
During: during the explain portion, students will be asked to turn to a partner and explain
what they found out during the explore section. They will be given sentence frames like
the ones listed above to help if necessary. Students will also help in creating a graph to
show the amounts of sunlight during each season. Reponses should follow the sentence
frame provided and feedback will be given as the teacher walks around and listens for
responses. Good or interesting or how do you know? is feedback that will be given
during this time.
After: Students will be given a handout that asks them to circle the season that would
have more sunlight and why. This will show the teacher student understanding and if
another lesson is needed on the material discussed.
INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE-
Show students pool hours. In summer the hours of the pool are 10-8pm, but now the pool
hours are 9-5pm. Why does the pool close so much later during the summertime?
Students will likely mention because they have more time to play during the summer or
because it is cold during the winter, but try and guide students to mentioning more or less
light. Record responses on chart paper so that students can see misconceptions and prior
knowledge and use information learned to help turn them into understanding.
Instruction [Closure/Evaluate]:
Handout 6. This assesses if students are aware of which season would have the most and
Differentiated Instruction:
Language frames are provided for ELs, as well as other students in need of additional
language support and the frames vary in complexity. Students are also heterogeneously
paired during explore section to provide extra assistance and allowing more advanced
students to help those who are struggling. The students will be shown videos as a means
of explanation and will be engaged in hands on learning during this time as well. The
evaluation page has pictures to help assist in providing clarity for those who struggle with
language, and a small group will be pulled for the evaluation so that the teacher can help
facilitate and transcribe if necessary.
Sunrise Sunset
Sunrise: ___:___
Sunset: ___:___
Tuesday Sunrise Sunset
Sunrise: ___:___
Sunset: ___:___
Wednesday Sunrise Sunset
Sunrise: ___:___
Sunset: ___:___
Thursday Sunrise Sunset
Sunrise: ___:___
Sunset: ___:___
Friday Sunrise Sunset
Sunrise: ___:___
Sunset: ___:___