STEAM – WEEK 4 October 4th

SUN – EARTH – MOON

C1/C2:Read about the Sun, Earth, and Moon in the National Geographic Kids Book, “Little Kids First Big Book of Space”. (Pages 13 – 25)

Conduct classroom understanding of the Earth’s rotation. (Taken from http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/46329)

1. The teacher will write the definition for rotate on an overhead. Rotate is to spin around. Then the teacher will rotate in a circle.

2. The teacher will then discuss rotating in a clockwise direction with a demonstration.3. A counterclockwise rotation will then be demonstrated by the teacher. The teacher will

emphasize that this is the direction that the earth actually rotates on its axis, from west to east.

4. The teacher will ask the following: What would happen if the earth didn't rotate? One side of the earth would have constant sunlight and the other half would have no sunlight at all.

5. Next, the teacher will discuss how the earth rotates on its axis every day. This movement creates night and day for us. The part of the earth facing the sun experiences daylight. During that same time, the other part of the earth experiences night time because there is no sun. However, the earth does not rotate with its axis vertically. The earth's axis is actually tilted 23 degrees.

6. The teacher will ask the following? What would happen if the earth did not tilt? We would not have different seasons.

7. The teacher will take a small earth-like stress ball and insert two paperclips in the top and bottom of it to represent the earth's axis. A 23 degree tilt is almost 1/3 of a 90 degrees angle. A student will be called up to hold an orange to represent the sun. The teacher will tilt the stress ball and demonstrate counterclockwise rotation of the earth with a tilt of 23 degrees. Note that the tilt remains the same as it rotates on its axis and revolves.

8. The teacher will write the definition of revolve on an overhead. Revolve is to move around another object. The teacher will tie in the word orbit with the earth's revolution. The orbit for the earth's revolution is the path that it takes around the sun. The teacher should draw a yellow circle on an overhead and draw an elliptical path around the sun showing the earth's orbit. Then the teacher will demonstrate revolving by walking around the student holding the sun. Note that the earth revolves also in a counterclockwise direction too. (This is on page 14 of the National Geographic Book referenced above.)

9. A complete demonstration of the earth rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun will be done by holding the stress ball, tilting it 23 degrees, rotating it counterclockwise while walking in a counterclockwise direction around the student holding the sun (orange).

The teacher will ask the following question: How many times does the earth rotate on its axis to complete one revolution of the sun? Hopefully, one of the students will answer 365 times which creates one year for us.

(If time permits) Conduct additional classroom learning by having the students act as the Earth and rotate around a Sun.

1. The students will be asked to stand up and rotate (in one place) counterclockwise by their chair. This is how the earth rotates daily.

2. The students will then be asked to pull out their chair from their desk far enough so that they can walk around it. Note that safety must be adhered to by clearing the floor of all backpacks, lunchboxes etc. Without tilting, the students will be asked to revolve (no rotating) in a counterclockwise direction around the chair (sun), like the earth revolves around the sun.

3. The students will then be asked to put the rotation and revolution together demonstrating the counterclockwise rotation and counterclockwise revolution of the earth around the sun. The rotation occurs daily and a complete revolution of the sun occurs each year.

C1/C2: A Model of the Earth and Moon’s Orbit of the Sunhttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/Space-Model-of-Earth-Moons-orbit

Supplies Needed:Crayons, markers, or colored pencilsGlue SticksBrads FastenersScissors

C3 (only):Mystery Science Lesson 1: Why Does the Sun Rise and Set? https://mysteryscience.com/astronomy/mystery-1/day-night-earth-s-rotation/73?r=4503230

Sky ViewerSupplies Needed:a Sky Viewer templatescissors2 paperclips/studentcolored markers or pencilsa ruler