OBJECTIVES:
Students will discover what happens to the stars during the daytime.
Day and night are reoccurring patterns.
RELATION TO MISSOURI FRAMEWORKS:
K-4: VA2 The sun, moon and stars have reoccurring patterns.
K-4: VB1 Objects in the sky move.
I would use this lesson at the end of a unit on day and night. This will help to reinforce the concepts stated above in the Missouri Frameworks.
CONTEXT:
Grade Level: K-2
PREREQUISITE:
Students should have the opportunity to observe the day and night
skies.
MATERIALS:
StarLab Portable Planetarium
Starfield Cylinder
Arrow pointers
PROCEDURE:
1. Before entering the StarLab review some of the activities that we
have done in the previous lessons pertaining to day and night.
2. Have the sidelights on and use the starfield cylinder with the full
moon ready to go.
3. Seat the students by using the flashlight to show them where to
sit.
4. Tell the students that right now this represents the daytime.
Discuss some of the things that we see, hear and do during the daytime.
5. Use the red pointer to show the students the directions: North,
South, East, and West.
6. Slowly turn the sidelights down and turn on the rotator. Discuss
what we do, see, and hear and different times of the day. For example,
noon, one o’clock, etc…
7. When it begins to get dark start to discuss what we do, see, and
hear in the evening and night. Discuss the stars and moon.
8. Turn the lights all the way off and discuss what we see.
9. Use the pointer to show the motion of the stars and discuss.
10. Slowly start to turn the lights back on. Discuss what we
hear, do, and see early in the morning.
11. Discuss what is happening to the stars and moon. Ask the
students where are the stars and moon. Why?
12. Why do we see the stars during the night, but not during the day?
13. Slowly turn the lights back down and discuss the stars and motion
again. Use the pointer to demonstrate this. Tell the students
that the stars are rising in the east and setting in the west.
14. Slowly turn the lights back up. Notice the stars start to
fade.
15. Discuss that the stars are still here; we however, cannot see them
because of the sunlight.
16. Discuss the pattern of day and night.
17. Compare and contrast what we see, hear, and do from day to day.
18. Compare the similarities and differences that we observe
from day to night.
19. Review what we have discussed and thank the students for being
such a wonderful audience.
REFERENCE:
AIMS. Cycles of Knowing and Growing. California:
Novelli, 1998.
Scholastic Science Place. Day and Night. New York: Scholastic,
1993.
EXTENSIONS AND/OR ADAPTATIONS:
During the next few weeks do several lessons on shadows or on
the earth rotating.
CONTENT BACKGROUND:
Stars appear to move in the night sky rising in the east and
setting in the west. This is due to the rotation of the earth.