This was an enjoyable module, as it contains lessons and activities that I can see myself using in the classroom next year.
I chose the Sun and Shadows activity set as this is so hands on.
This would obviously be best done in the late spring or Summer time when the sun shines high in the sky.
Firstly, I would read the Moon Bear shadow book as described here, or the book, The Day I met my Shadow, then get the children talking about the book, about shadows, the sun etc. We would brainstorm all these ideas and I would write / draw them on our flipchart, for reference – basically, a KWL chart!
Then, we would all go outside the next morning. In pairs or more if necessary, the children would stand in the brightest part of the school yard and observe their shadows. The others in their pairing or group would trace the outline of their shadows – this is a favourite with all kids I believe! We would then go out twice more in the day – at midday when the sun is high in the sky and later, before the children go home. We would compare the position of the shadows and discuss how this happpened – all answers taken and a little explanation from the teacher.
We could also extend this by taking it indoors, giving pairs of children a small lamp each and using the 3D of the bear/figure on a sheet, the children could experiment and explore how the shadow of the figure moves across the page.
This might lead to another lesson on how the earth goes around the sun. This would be a separate lesson, like the one here with the two bears living on different sides of the world. This might also reinforce how the sun moves and therby how our shadows move across the ground.
We would finish with making shadow puppets on the whiteboard. The light from the projector would be perfect for this.
Also, we would return to our KWL chart and fill in what we learned. New vocabulary and language would be highlighted and children encouraged to use it.
I usually ask the chidlren to draw or write what they have learned -obviously this is limited with Junior and Senior Infants, but I would give them all the opportunity to do so.
I fully intend to do this lesson next year, as it is so engaging and fun filled.