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I really like this activity as it gives children the opportunity to observe the moon directly and record their own findings. Comparing observations over time is a great way to develop their understanding of the moon’s phases while also encouraging curiosity and discussion.
Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium/ WorldWide Telescope
As it could be fairly problematic to use this resource fully, given that school access during the hours of darkness might not be available, I decided to concentrate on how to work around this dilemma:
1. Stellarium could be used as part of a wider project on the planets. Pupils could pick a planet to work on, as per any school project, but could use Stellarium to track that planet’s distance from Earth throughout the school year. This data could then be added to the core project, and would give pupils a better understanding of the relative motion of the planets.
2. Pupils could download Stellarium for home use and upload their findings/screenshots etc to our Google Classroom pages.
3. A class project on Venus would allow Stellarium to be used in class during the winter months, as it may be visible (or at least above the horizon) for a part of the school morning.You have planned a very engaging and hands-on lesson. I particularly like the use of the KWL chart, as it allows the children to share their existing knowledge and reflect on what they have learned. Working in groups and using Chromebooks will also encourage collaboration and research skills.
Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
Our school has a large fenced off percolation area near our playing areas which would be an ideal location for this activity as it is on a height and receives direct sunlight from dawn until dusk.
As a trigger for the activity I would show the pupils a video of life in medieval times (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVMvl05hCrI which focuses on the life of children in the Middle Ages.) I would use this as a starting point for discussing such questions as “How did he know it was time to get up? How did he know it was time for his Heraldry lesson?” and so on, thus leading into the necessity for a means of telling time and how that would have been accomplished before the advent of mechanical clocks.Once the idea of sundials had been introduced, the activity could take place outdoors. As a follow up to the activity, we could log our results and then repeat the activity 6 months later, when the day is shorter/longer and compare the new results. This could lead to an exploration of why our days get longer/shorter throughout the year
