Smithsonian Science for the Classroom™: How Can We Predict When the Sky Will Be Dark? 3-Use Module

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Grade 1. Module Highlights: In 10 lessons over 12 class sessions, students observe the phenomenon of a girl in bed when the sky appears to be dark and a girl in bed when the sky appears to be bright. To begin to explain why the pictures are different, students analyze and interpret observations of the sky at different times of the day and find the pattern that the Sun is visible only during the daytime, the stars are visible only at night, and the Moon can be visible during the daytime or at night. To explain why we see the Sun only in the daytime, students investigate why we see objects at all and figure out that we see objects when light shines on them or if they give off their own light. By modeling the Moon, students figure out that we see the Moon because light shines on it. To identify the daily pattern of the Sun's motion, students observe 360-degree photographs of the sky taken throughout one day. Students plan and carry out an investigation to identify the pattern of daylight throughout the year. Students can now explain that the two pictures from the beginning may have been taken at the same time of day, but on different days of the year. Students complete a science challenge to identify the times of the year that it will be dark when kids walk to and from school in a specific town. They recommend a light source to use so objects can be seen when kids walk to school in the dark.

This module includes a teacher guide, 16 Smithsonian Science Stories student readers, and enough materials for 32 students to use 3 times.

Alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards*
Performance Expectations

• 1-ESS1-1: Use observations of the Sun, Moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
• 1-ESS1-2: Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.
• 1-PS4-2: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects in darkness can be seen only when illuminated.

Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars

• Patterns of the motion of the Sun, Moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, and predicted.

ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System

• Seasonal patterns of sunrise and sunset can be observed, described, and predicted.

PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation

• Objects can be seen if light is available to illuminate them or if they give off their own light.

Science and Engineering Practices
Focal:

• Developing and using models
• Planning and carrying out investigations
• Analyzing and interpreting data
• Constructing explanations

Supporting:

• Using mathematics and computational thinking
• Engaging in argument from evidence
• Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Crosscutting Concepts
Focal:

• Patterns
• Cause and effect
• Scale, proportion, and quantity

Concepts and Practices Storyline
Lesson Summaries
Lesson 1: Oksana, Issa, and Layla
The Sun and Moon can be visible during the daytime and the Moon and stars can be visible at night.
Students analyze and interpret observations to identify patterns of the Sun, Moon, and stars in the sky.
Lesson 2: Too Dark to See
We see objects when light shines on them.
Students carry out an investigation in order to explain that we see objects because light shines on them.
Lesson 3: Locating the Light
We see objects when they give off their own light.
Students explain whether we see different objects because light shines on them or because they give off light.
Lesson 4: Mysterious Moon
We see the Moon because light shines on it.
Students compare two models of the Moon to decide which model better represents the observed patterns of the real Moon.
Lesson 5: Sunlight on the National Mall
The Sun appears to move across the sky in an arc pattern.
Students estimate the relative location of the Sun on 360-degree photos to develop a model of the Sun's daily pattern of motion.
Lesson 6: Moon Motion
The Moon appears to move across the sky in an arc pattern.
Students develop models of the Moon and Sun's daily pattern of motion.
Lesson 7: Dining in Daylight or Darkness
Data can be represented by symbols in an investigation.
Students plan an investigation, including how to model daylight and night on a data table, to determine the pattern of daylight throughout the year.
Lesson 8: Pattern of Daylight
There is more daylight in the summer and less daylight in the winter.
Students carry out an investigation to identify the pattern of the most daylight in the summer and the least daylight in the winter.
Science Challenge
Lesson 9: Oksana’s Walk to School Part 1
At certain times of the year, it can be dark when kids arrive at or leave school.
Students develop and use a model of the Sun's daily pattern of motion to identify the times of the year that it will be dark when kids walk to and from school.
Lesson 10: Oksana’s Walk to School Part 2
Objects that give off light can help kids see and be seen in the dark.
Students explain how different light sources cause objects to be seen.

*Next Generation Science Standards® is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.