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Return to the classroom and ask the children why they think the shadows are dark? Do you always have a shadow? How do you think shadows are formed? Where is the light coming from?
Really interesting questions to get the children thinking and curious
I have started a lesson on the sun and shadows before with a video on shadow puppets and letting the children explore and discuss how to create the best shadow. I have then taken the lesson outside to play a game of shadow tag. Usually, some children will figure out how a shorter shadow makes it more difficult to catch them. You can pause the game to explore and discuss this drawing the children’s attention to the position of the sun before letting them continue the game and see if they can apply this knowledge to shorten their shadow to make it more difficult to catch them.
I liked the idea of getting the children to bring in a teddy as a scientific buddy to trace it’s shadow and check through the day how the shadow has moved.
Older classes I have had have really engaged with the story of Aristotle noticing how something round cast a shadow on the moon and deduced from that that the earth is a sphere and not flat.
I have made sundials before with paper plates stapled together weighted down with sand or pebbles and using a shortened barbecue skewer. They worked ok but blew away easily even when weighted down. The kids really enjoyed designing their own sundials though and looking at past designs.
I really liked the wording of what a shadow is. “A shadow is a dark shape that appears when an object blocks light. Using chalk and teddys or objects familiar to the children is a lovely way of engaging the children in the activity.
My name is Niamh. I will have 2nd class next year. I have had 3rd and 4th class for several years and they have always really enjoyed hands on science activities. Two space facts I found interesting were that about 14 tonnes of space dust falls on earth everyday landing on all of us and that precious metals like silver and gold are forged when dead stars collide.
Based on materials I already have and on the curriculum, I chose an enquiry based lesson on meteorites
Wondering : to get them thinking about what is in space and if space material lands on earth.
Exploring : A collection of different rocks. Background knowledge of space and planets using videos and the internet.Starter Question : Which rocks could come from space / be meteorites?
Predicting : Encouraging the children to look at colours, marks, hardness to apply their knowledge of space to their guess.
Pick: Encourage the children to explain their choices and record their prediction.
I don’t actually have a meteorite but I think leaving it unanswered can be a valuable part of a lesson at times. It can promote curiosity and critical thinking without the focus on correct or incorrect answers. It can encourage the children to look at the world with imagination and to think of the magic in the things around us. Perhaps not very scientific but …It may also introduce the idea of hypothesis. We could develop the lesson by searching for meteorites on the internet and finding out how they were discovered. The connection to the extinction of dinosaurs could also be explored.Love this idea. I like that the materials are simple enough that each child can design and participate with their own mouse. Sometimes during group experiments quieter children can get a little sidelined.
