Reasons
for Seasons
Exploring Seasonal Shadows and Sunlight
A Schoolyard Investigation
Time
few periods over course of school year
Materials
outdoor fence post or other vertical object, sticks, stones or
chalk, tape measure or yard sticks, data
sheet (below) |
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Standards
Teacher
Background |
Overview:
By measuring shadows from fall through spring, students discover that
they are longer in the winter and summer, and shorter in the spring
and fall. They begin to grasp that longer shadows mean that the our
hemisphere is tipped toward or away from the sun. This lays the groundwork
for understanding the reasons for seasons and making sense of Mystery
Class photoperiod and longitude clues.
Preparation
Start this activity in September. Involve students in choosing an area
in the schoolyard or playground that gets a lot of sunlight. Select
a vertical object (e.g., stick, flagpole, fence post) that has a clear
area to the north so students can easily measure shadows. (You may already
have done this if you conducted the activity, Exploring
Hourly Shadows and Sunlight.)
Laying
the Groundwork
- What
do you think happens to shadows outdoors over the course of a year?
- Are
shadows in the winter about the same as they are in the summer? Explain.
- What
have you noticed or experienced? What questions do you have about
shadows and sunlight?
Exploration
- Ask
students to hypothesize how long their object’s shadow will
be around the first day of fall (the equinox) and explain their thinking.
They can write down the measurement or stand where they predict the
end of the shadow will be and mark it with a stake.
- On the
fall equinox, have the class chart the date, time, and shadow length.
Older students can also track sunrise and sunset times. Students can
make their own data sheets or use this printable
version above.
Thinking
Like Scientists
Before students gather data, ask, How can we keep this
investigation “fair” as we measure the shadow from
season to season? If necessary, share one of the following examples
to spark students’ thinking: measure at same time of day,
use the same starting point (bottom of shadow of same object),
use the same measuring tool. |
- After
measuring shadows on the fall equinox, ask, How long do you think
our object's shadow will be on the winter solstice, and why?
- Repeat
these steps on the winter solstice and spring equinox. Note:
Because Daylight Savings Time (DST) has ended since the fall
observation, winter solstice measurements should be taken one hour
later.
Making
Connections — Discussion and Journaling Questions
- What
patterns did you notice?
- How
would you explain them?
- What
general statement(s) could you make about shadows and sunlight?
- What
questions do you still have?
Seasonal
Shadows: What to Expect
Students should discover that the shadow gets longer
in the winter and shorter in the spring. If they took a measurement
on the summer solstice, it would be even shorter. From there,
it begins to lengthen again as we head toward fall. Explain
that the sun’s rays are more direct in your location during
the summer and more angled during the winter. They’ll
have a chance to explore this later.
(Read more background on the reason for seasons.) |
Assessment
- Assess
the degree and accuracy to which students are able to justify their
explanations of the changes in shadows in relationship to the sun's
seasonal position.
- Draw
a tree and a sun on a reproducible response sheet. Write in several
different months. Ask students to draw approximately where they think
the tree's shadow will fall at each month indicated.
Related
Activities
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