Hello Sun, Goodnight Moon

Designed by: Emily Carpenter       School: A. C. Moore

Grade Level: Kindergarten            Subject: Science

Core Curriculum Objectives: 

Earth-Space Science 
Identify the sun, moon and earth  (KSES-1)

Explore how day changes into night and night changes into day  (KSES-5)

SC Science Standards  
Plan and conduct a simple investigation (IB1)

Overview 
The lesson will begn with the story 9 O'Clock Lullaby by Marilyn Singer, Scholastic Publications. The story begins in New York a 9 o'clock pm and tells the story of the time and activities taking place around the globe at the exact time that a mother reads a bedtime story to her child. As the children hear the story, it will become obvious that when it is night in America, it is day somewhere else in the world. The teacher will introduce the concept of day and night using a lamp without a shade and a globe to simulate the sun and the earth. The teacher will lead a discussion about what is happening and how the students think it is possible. The students will identify a globe and point out the moon, the earth and the sun on a poster of the solar system. The students will explore the concept of time zones and do an investigation of their shadows at three different times during the day. A culminating activity will be to make a picture showing the earth and the sun, with the correctly darkened side not receiving sunlight. The students will label the picture with day or night under the appropriate picture.

Focus/Essential Questions

1. Can you point to the earth in the picture? 
2. Can you point to the sun in the picture? 
3. Can you point to the moon in the picture? 
4. What gives the earth daylight and night? 
5. What happens to our shadows during the day?

Time Frame 
Two lessons of about 40-60 minutes each. You may extend the lesson if more time is needed to observe shadows or create banner.

Resources/Materials: 
Copycat Magazine May/June 1994 

9 O'Clock Lullaby by Marilyn Singer, Scholastic Publications 

Materials: 
globe, lamp, picture of the solar system, drawing paper, crayons, pencils, 9 O'Clock Lullaby, sun visor pattern, digital camera, the sun. 

Literature Connections: 
Welcome Back Sun by Michael Emberley (Little, Brown, 1993) 

The Sun's Day by Mordical Gerstein (Harper Collins 1989) 

Hildllid's Night by Cheli Druan Ryan (Macmillan 1986) 

Day and Night (Usborne Talk About Books) H. Aamery 

Day Light Night Light Where the Light Comes From by Franklin Mansfield Branley, Stacey Schutte 

Morning, Noon and Night by Jean Craighead George 

Night/Day: A Book of Eye-Catching Opposites by Herve Tullet 

Technology: 

Science Blasters CD level K-1 

www.scholastic.com - click on Children's Books 

www.amazon.com - Click on books, children's books, search for title 9 O'clock Lullaby 

Compton's Learning: Real Science CD 

Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Space and Universe CD 

Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System CD

Culminating Assessment Rubric

Instructional Activities: 

Lesson One 
The teacher will begin the lesson by reading the book 9 O'Clock Lullaby. The teacher will lead a discussion about what is taking place in the book and if anyone knows why or how the time can be different in various locations around the world. After the book has been completed the teacher will ask for theories as to how night changes into day or day into night. The teacher will display the picture of the solar system and ask for someone to point out the sun, the earth, and the moon. The teacher and students will explore things prior knowledge about the sun. The teacher will introduce the concept of shadows if not mentioned by the students. Ask what the students think might happen to our shadow during the day. Explain that the sun rises on one side of the earth in the east and sets on the other side, the west. Site examples of how the sun shines into the classroom on one side in the morning and on the other side in the afternoon. The teacher will take the students out to investigate their shadows. Using a digital camera, the teacher will assist students with taking pictures of the students standing facing east so that the shadow is cast behind them in the morning. Make sure that the students stand in the same place for all three investigations of the movement of their shadows. When the students return to the classroom, resume the discussion about how day changes into night. Introduce a globe and explain for those who do not know that a globe is a model of the earth. Demonstrate how the globe can spin. Place a lamp next to the globe, turn the lights out in the room. Ask the students to tell you what they can about what they see. The lighted side of the globe will represent day, and the dark side of the globe will represent night. Discuss that the earth rotates (turns) every 24 hours on its axis to create day and night. When it is night for us, we are in the shadow. Demonstrate this concept by turning the globe until the opposite side is in the lamplight. The teacher will check for understanding and clarify any concepts as needed.

At lunchtime the teacher will again take the students outside and have them stand where they previously stood. The students will observe the changes in their shadows. The students should observe that the shadows have changed positions and are smaller. The teacher will discuss why this has taken place. (The earth is moving and the sun is now shining directly overhead.) Take a digital photo of the changes in the shadows. Repeat the process for the third time as late in the day as possible before dismissal. Record changes with digital photos. Lesson Two After, reviewing the previous learning about how we get day and night and what we observed about our shadows, the teacher will distribute drawing paper to the students. The teacher will instruct the students to trace or draw (student choice) a circle in the center of their paper to represent the earth. Demonstrate if needed and monitor student understanding of the directions. After the students have traced the circle (which represents the earth), instruct them to fold the paper in half. Upon opening the paper, the circle should be divided in half by the fold line. Instruct the students to draw the sun on the paper and color the circle that represents earth to show day and night according to the position of the sun. For example, if they draw the sun on the right, the left side of the circle would be night. The students should label the two sides day and night. After the digital photos are printed, the students will write about or dictate about the changes that took place in their shadows during the day. The students will work cooperatively to make a banner with the pictures and the writings to display in the hall showing the results of our simple science investigation about shadows in direct relationship to how we get day and night. This investigation will serve as an example of a Kindergarten science concept to all who observe it hanging in the hall. Parents, students, teachers, and visitors can enjoy viewing our culminating activity for the science lesson.

Extension 
As extension activities, the students can make a paper sun visor to wear out in the sun to be decorated as they wish. A Social Studies extension can be to use a world map to flag the countries written about in the story 9 O'clock Lullaby.

A Social Studies extension can be to use a world map to flag the countries written about in the story 9 O'Clock Lullaby.

The teacher will take the children out to investigate the changes in their shadows at noon and before they leave for the day. A follow -up discussion can be held the next day.