What causes the changes we see in the sky each day, month, and year, i.e. lights, shadows or positions of objects?
Introductory Level Guiding Question
Big Idea 1.1Educator Background
Earth orbits the Sun; the Moon orbits Earth. These motions, caused by gravity, create patterns of night and day, months, years, and seasons.
Learning Constraints
At this level students know that the Sun is the center of the solar system, and that the planets revolve around it. By grade 5 students are using data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily and seasonal changes seen in the sky, and begin to form a model of the solar system (5-ESS1-2). Students know that the gravitational force of Earth acts upon objects on Earth's surface because of the size of Earth (5-PS2-1).
Connect to Heliophysics
Connect to the Sun by emphasizing to students that it is the Sun's size that makes it the most gravitational object in the solar system. This is an opportunity to have students explore the size of Earth compared to the Sun, using different types of models. Ask students, if big objects like Earth have gravity, what kind of gravity do you think the Sun has?
Extend Exploration
Extend student exploration of scale to the size of other objects in the Solar System, like Jupiter, and even to the size of other stars in our galaxy. Try using a basketball and a pea to model the scale size between the Sun and Earth.
Differentiate for Beginner Learners
Support beginner/younger students observing patterns in the sky (1-ESS1-1,2) by modeling, collecting data, and making predictions.
Differentiate for More Advanced Learners
Challenge students at the next level by having students describe the motions of objects in the solar system that explain their observations of patterns in the sky.
Featured Introductory Resources
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Heliophysics Resouce Database
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