North Star Science Unit Term 3, 2012

Unit Title: Content Focus:

Out In Space

Class:
Year 3/4/5/6

Built Environments Information & Communication Living Things Physical Phenomena Earth and its Surroundings

Term:
3, Weeks 1 - 10, Lessons 1-10

Outcomes:
Knowledge & Understandings
The sun is the source of most forms of energy in our solar system and on earth There are various part to the physical environments, eg, stars, planets, earth, air and water Information can be represented in a number of different forms, including graphics, sounds and texts People try to control the conditions in the environments they build There are many physical phenomena which change the environment. The passing of time and the natural events that make people aware of this passing, eg, daily cycles, lunar cycles and seasons Make detailed observations using appropriate technologies Modify and apply their understanding in the light of the investigation. Use identification techniques to identify opportunities. Select and refine ideas and justify choices. Use appropriate equipment and tools to carry out a particular task. Understand the tech. used to record and present ideas Exhibit self direction in their own learning Show flexibility and responsiveness to ideas Gain satisfaction in their efforts to investigate and use technology Be curious about and appreciate the natural and made environment. Appreciate education as a continuing process Appreciate the scientific and technological contributions made by Australians and other members of the global scientific community

Indicators:
Identify
investigation which involve discoveries leading to unexpected outcomes Show some relationship between the process of investigation and the process of design and make Evaluate solar activity in terms of environment al costs and benefits and the planetary system at large

Skills:

Values & Attitudes:

Subject Matter:
The Solar System Sun, Earth & Moon Sunrises and Sunsets Seasons Moons Stars Planets

Teaching Strategies/Tasks/Outcomes:
Illustrate patterns of change observable on Earth caused by the relationship between the sun, earth and the moon (3.3) Understand our Solar System and recognise that the earth, sun and moon are spheres Recognise the length of days differ between seasons Recognise the link between the tilt of the earths axis and the seasons Relate the phases of the moon to the relative positions of the sun, earth and moon

Student Assessment
Simulate our Solar System Experiment with torch light to show the suns energy Tabulate and graph sunrise and sunset data Experiment with thermometers to show seasonal differences Show the earths moon in relation to our solar system Assess the planet Pluto and the stars

Resources
K-6 Syllabus and Teacher Kit Primary Science - Book E; Blackline Masters, R.I.C Publications Developing Science Developing Scientific skills and knowledge, Upper Primary - Book 1. By Christine Moorcroft Understanding Science by Peter Clutterbuck. Middle and Upper Primary Cococabana Public School web site science Units of work Learnthings Ltd

Unit Summary
Les 1 WK 1.

Title
Solar System

Aim
Introduction - What is our Solar System. The Solar System & The Flat Earth Solar System Simulation Understand the daily movement of the earth and sun Learn that the sun rises and falls at different times of the day determined by the time of year Investigating how seasons are a part of our solar system Understanding how the moon moves orbiting the earth

Activity
Discussion about our Solar System with brainstorming. Our Flat Earth origins, multimedia display of the solar system and student draw the solar systems using the planet pictures Making own solar system with balls. Making a sun dial Moorcroft pg 65 Day & Night Activity Clutterbuck Middle pg 103 Graph the data

2 3 4

2 3. 4.

Sun Earth & Moon Sun Dial Sunrises & Sunsets

5 6 7 8 9 10 10

5. 6. 7. 8 9 10 10

Seasons The Moon

Activity The Seasons Clutterbuck pg 105 - Middle Thermometer experiment Introduction & Eclipses Clutterbuck pg 101 &110 Charting the moon Moon Quiz Activity Clutterbuck pg 105 Upper Brian Pennington pg 8 Stage 3 experiments Brain Pennington pg 8 Stage 2 experiments

Stars Eclipses Solar Cooking Assessment

Lesson 1, Week 1
Title:
The Solar System

Aims:
Understand the shape of our earth and how it is a part of the Solar System.

Resources:
K-6 Science syllabus Primary Science Blackline masters Book E Understanding Science Peter Clutterbuck (Upper Primary) Cococabana Web site science Interactive planet units of work

Organisation
Whole class Discussion 10 mins

Activities
Introduce the topic The Sun, Earth & Moon. Brainstorm the topic and see what the students already know. Write a few of the key ideas and words up on the board. Class discussion on the shape of the earth. What is it? Invite a student to come up to the board and draw what they think the earth looks like, Think about history and what people knew of the world 50 years ago. Think of the sailing ships sailing off the end of the seas and why people thought this. Activity worksheet, Flat Earth. Sheet 39 Developing Science by Christine Moorcroft How is our earth a part of the Solar System? Discuss what the solar system is. Brainstorm a few ideas to assess what prior knowledge of the solar system they already have Multi media display using the Cococabana Web site and the units of work on the earth and its surrounds. Go to the Interactive Planets unit of work and discuss it. Talk about each of the planets and go through each one from the closest to the sun to the furtherest away. Activity - Hand out a copy of the group of planets from the Planets starter unit of work explaining that they are to draw their own solar system as according to the multi media display and using the planets to stick on to their own diagram. Label each of the planets and put them on their corresponding ring orbiting the sun. Homework - give out the moon watch worksheets. Ask students to record and monitor the moon for the next 4 weeks each night for a lesson later in the term

Outcomes & Indicators

Earth and Beyond 3.3. Illustrate patterns of change observable on earth caused by the sun, earth and moon Recognise that the earth is spherical Recognise that the earth is part of a much larger system, the solar system

10 mins 5 mins 10 mins

15 mins

Lesson 2, Week 2
Title:
The Sun Earth & Moon

Aims:
Understand how the sun, earth, moon and the planets interact together.

Resources:
K-6 Science syllabus Primary Science Blackline masters Book E Understanding Science Peter Clutterbuck (Upper Primary) Cococabana Web site science earth, sun and moon units of work

Organisation
Whole class Discussion 5 mins

Activities
Revise the topic The Sun, Earth & Moon and the solar systems we drew. Remind students of the shape of the earth. Redraw the solar system up on the board. Use the word find on the sun to revise quickly the enormity of the sun and its power pg 12 S & T Bk 5 (top half) Think of the shapes of the sun and the moon and how they might interact with the earth Outside Activity Solar System reenactment. Collect items to represent each of the planets and the sun and the moon. Stick each to the table and ask students to pick which items represent the pieces of the solar system. Move all the tables away and organise each student to carry the ball that best fits the planet in the same formation as the solar system. Change people so that another group gets a go at making the solar system. We know now that the earth rotates around the sun. Now we need to discuss how the earth rotates on its own axis. Bring the globe into the area of learning. Explain that the earth rotates on its axis at degrees of 23 and a half. Place a blue tac person on the globe where we live and rotate the globe. Ask a student to hold a torch and simulate the suns rays. The earth rotates in an anti-clockwise direction which is why the sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west. Discuss how long it takes for the earth to rotate around its axis and correspondingly, how long it takes for the earth to rotate around the sun Ask two students to model how long it takes the earth to orbit the sun, rotating anticlockwise, on an axis at the same time. Alternatively use the Cococabana web site, Earth Sun and moon unit of work to show this graphically (Stage 3 - bbc.co.uk, Cocobana web site). Worksheet Primary Science Book E pg 33 Sun Earth & Moon, Homework bring a cereal box for next lesson

Outcomes & Indicators

Earth and Beyond 3.3. Illustrate patterns of change observable on earth caused by the sun, earth and moon Recognise that the earth, sun and moon are spherical Record simulations of the passing of a day and a year through illustrations and explanations

10 mins

15 mins

10 mins

20 mins

Lesson 3, Week 4
Title:
Sun Dial

Aims:
Understand how the sun moves with the earth

Resources:
K-6 Science syllabus Primary Science Blackline masters Book E Understanding Science Peter Clutterbuck (Upper Primary) Cococabana Web site science earth, sun and moon units of work

Organisation
Whole class Discussion 5 mins

Activities
Revise the topic The Sun, Earth & Moon and the solar systems we drew. Remind students of the shape of the earth. Think of the shapes of the sun and the moon and how they might interact with the earth Think about the sun and how it provides the whole solar system with energy. It is a ginormouse burning star that provides heat throughout the universe. It looks as if it moves across the sky over the course of the day when in fact it is the earths rotation on its axis that makes the sun appear to move. Think about where the sun rises and where it sets and recognise the pattern in this observation. Revise from last week that it takes 24 hours for the earth to spin on its axis and that it is daytime when the earth is facing the sun and night time when it is facing away form the sun Complete worksheet Understanding Science, Clutterbuck Middle pg 103, Day and Night Originally the sun was the only means people had of telling the time so they developed a sun dial. *** Start in the early AM - Activity develop a sun dial. Hand out worksheet, Developing Science Moorcroft pg 65. Get a cereal box and place in the sun outside early in the morning cut out as the diagram suggests. Each hour during the day come out a mark on the box where the shadow is up to and write the time down on that line. Go down and write the final time on the sun dials and bring them back into the classroom. Study your sun dials and read them for the time how could you use them for the time? Complete sheet. Cut them out of the box and paste them into their worksheet as a record of their sun dial.

Outcomes & Indicators

Earth and Beyond 3.3. Illustrate patterns of change observable on earth caused by the sun, earth and moon Recognise that the sun is spherical and is the source of all energy for the universe Record sun dial data

10 mins

15 mins

10 mins

15 mins

Lesson 4, Week 5
Title:
Sunrises and Sunsets

Aims:
Recognise that the length of days differ between seasons

Resources:
K-6 Science syllabus Primary Science Blackline masters Book E Earth & Its Surroundings Science in a Box, Teachers Notes

Organisation Activities
Whole Class 5 mins Revise the topic The Sun, Earth & Moon and the sundials we used last week. Remind students of the relationship between the sun and the earth and how the earth moves around the sun. Remind students of the model we played with last week. ** restructure lesson to make formal & boring to improve behaviour (too many experiments & chn taking for granted). Have the students write from the board information from pg 64 & 63 Earth & its Surrounds (Brian Pennington).as well as the back ground information from pg 34 Primary Science Bk E Discuss what time the sun rises at the moment and what time it rises in summer. Use the weather page from the newspaper in the Earth & Surrounds book (Brian Pennington after pg 52). Ask them to find the information about the sun rises and sets and discuss the information. Use the model earth and the torch to demonstrate the occurance of night and day. Use page 5 of the Science in a Box Experiments (Night & Day) bottom half to test their understanding of the concept.. Describe the position of the earth for each situation showing when there is a sunrise and sunset for Australia in winter and in summer. Work through these examples as a class activity. Rest of the class complete pg 35, Primary Science Book E Sunrises and Sunsets. Complete the line graph of sunrises and sunsets using different colours and explain the pattern having used the model. Stage 3 students (& upper stage 2) complete worksheet pg 66 Science In A Box Earth & Its Surrounds answering questions on the longest and the shortest day of the year.

Teaching points
For model earth balls rectangles x 2 skewers masking tape torches

20 mins

10 mins

25 mins

Lesson 5, Week 6
Title:
Seasons

Aims:
Recognise the relationship between the tilt of the earths axis and the seasons

Resources:
K-6 Science syllabus Primary Science Blackline masters Book E Science In A Box Earth & its Surrounds Teacher Notes

Organisa Activities tion Revise the topic The Sun, Earth & Moon
Whole Class 5mins

Teaching points
Thermometers Chalk Black paper Torches

777777777 7777777 20 mins

10 mins

20 mins

and the sundials we used last week. Remind students of the relationship between the sun and the earth and how the earth moves around the sun. Pull out the models earths they all made last week and refresh how we made night and day Getting into pairs Make a Model of the Earth. Use the Science In A Box resources to explain this (Teacher Notes Earth & Its Surrounds pg 5 Night & Day Stage 2 experiments). Cut the rectangle along the diagonal and fold against each other. Fix to the base and attach the straw to the slope. Perse the ball in the southern hemisphere, going through to the northern hemisphere with a skewer and allow to sit in the straw. Mark on Australia. Turn off the lights and make the room dark. Each pair gets a torch and simulates the sun holding it away from the model by 50 cm. Each person in the pair has a go at being the sun while the other spins the earth anti-clockwise. Have a play with the model Explain that now we also have a second solar system phenonomen whereby the earth rotates around the sun as well. Turn to Sensational Seasons, pg 6 in the Science In A Box Experiments for Earth & Its Surrounds. Class activity using one of the model earths from last week drawing a big chalk circle on the ground. Have a person stand in the middle of the circle simulating the sun. Turn down the lights and hold the model in the same position as it orbits around the sun, spinning it anticlockwise as it goes. Mark on the chalk circle position 1, 2, 3 & 4, describing position 1 and 3 as the worksheet outlines. Within the pairs answer the hypothesising questions about the seasons pg 37 Primary Science Book E, Question 2 only

Experiment steps 1) Fold card in half 2) Along card measure 10x4.3cm & draw in diagonal 3) Cut out shape & diagonal 4) Mark 2cm line at base of triangles 5) Aline back to back & fold out along line 6) Stick back to back & to base (rest of card) 7) Cut straw in half & affix to diagonal 8) Mark Equator & Aust & N & S on planet ball 9) Push skewer through N&S 10) Place in straw and spin Alternate activity Do experiment with torches. Get into pairs and each have own piece of graph paper. Using a ruler hold a torch 15 cm away vertically and trace the shape of the torch light. Underneath this do the shape again rotating the ruler to the 23.5 degree slope. Count the number of squares the light covers for each and divide the smallest number by the biggest. The percentage you have show how much smaller the area is that the same amount of light is shining on and therefore the difference indicates how much hotter it would be.

Lesson 6, Week 7
Title:
The Moon

Aims:
Relates the phases of the moon to the relative position of the sun, earth and moon

Resources:
K-6 Science syllabus Primary Science Blackline masters Book E

Organisation Activities
Whole Class 5 mins Revise lasts weeks lesson on seasons thinking about how the earth rotates around the sun every year creating summer, winter etc. Also remember that it rotates around itself creating the night and day of our earth. Pull out the model earth again and place it on a table at the front of the room where all children can see. Explain that now we are going to introduce another part of our rotating earth system, the moon. Pull the earth off their bases and place the skewer on a piece of blue tac vertically upwards. Then place a small white ball (the moon) on a skewer and also stick the skewer so that it is fixed to the table pointing vertically upward. Simulate the moon to rotate anticlockwise around the earth as well. As it rotates, use torch light to show how the suns rays shines on the moon and allows us to see the moon, ie the moon is not yellow it is because the sun is shining on it. Go through each of the 8 moon phases to explain how we see it, ie, new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter and waxing crescent Give each of them a model moon and a skewer to trial the experiment with their own earths and torches. Have a play. Activity worksheet, Book E Primary Science pg 39, The Moon. If students havent got their own record of the moon for the month, have them copy mine out for each day on to their worksheet. Complete the worksheet as a class marking the full moon yellow and the half moons green. .

Teaching points
Need model moons, skewers, torches, model earths

25 mins

5 mins

10 mins

15 mins

10

Lesson 7, Week 8
Title:
Lunar Landscapes

Aims:
Analyses the surface of the moon considering how and why

Resources:
K-6 Science syllabus Primary Science Blackline masters Book E

Organisation Activities
Whole Class 5 mins Revise lasts weeks lesson on moons thinking about how the moon rotates around the earth every month creating the lunar cycles. Go through each of the lunar cycles to refresh what that is and how they are seen from the earth. Remind students to explain each stage verbally. Hand out the worksheet from BP Earth & Its Surroundings Stage 3 Experiments pg 7 and have them complete the positions of the moon on their own. Brainstorm what it might look like on the surface of the moon. It is covered in craters. Why? It has been hit by meteorites over millions of years. How did these get there? It was from different objects hitting the surface of the moon at different speeds and from different heights. Craters were made from giant asteroids hitting the surface. Take students out to the sandpit and have them make moon craters using a marble and throwing it from different heights. Use the worksheet pg 7 from Brian Pennington Earth & Surrounds Stage 2 experiments (back) to draw the impact craters. Do extra drawings of the craters you have made on spare paper if required. Try and get the smartboard to show actual photos of the moons surface and compare them with their own drawings. Use different materials to create the craters with different shapes.

Teaching points
Need model trays, sand, black pepper, marbles, ruler

25 mins

11

Lesson 8, Week 9
Title:
Eclipses

Aims:
Understand how solar and lunar eclipses occur Recognize that the earth is the source of most materials and resources and describes phenomena and processes, both natural and human, that form and change the earth over time Revise lasts weeks lesson on moons thinking about how the moon rotates around the earth every month creating the lunar cycles. Go through each of the lunar cycles to refresh what they are and how they are seen from the earth. Remind students to explain each stage verbally. Brainstorm eclipses what do the students know and understand about eclipses. Use photographs from the net to show an eclipse. Explain that there are 2 types of eclipses, solar and lunar. Solar eclipses is the blocking of the suns rays by the moon. It occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth in a straight line. Lunar eclipses is the blocking of the moons light by the earth. It occurs when the earth passes between the sun and the moon in a straight line. Using the lined paper note take the relevant information explaining eclipses (encyclopedia info Bk E) Using an orange, the model earth and the moon balls, simulate the 3 objects, shining the torch as the suns rays. Complete the worksheet pg 8 Brian Pennington Science in a Box Earth & Its Surroundings Stage 3 experiment s (at the back). Draw the shapes of the moon as we would see them from earth. Introduce next weeks activity, using the Power of the Sun. Explain that they are going to have to create their own fair test and experiment using the power of the sun to heat 100mls of water. Form groups of 4 and they are to take the experiment home with them to bring back the materials for next week. Give out a copy of the Solar Energy Challenge, pg 8 BP Earth & Its Surroundings Stage 2 Experiments

Resources:
- K-6 Science syllabus - Primary Science Blackline masters Book E - 101 Great Science Experiments

Organisation Activities
Whole Class 10 mins

Teaching points

15 mins

30 mins

12

Lesson 9, Week 10
Title:
Solar Power

Aims:
Identify the features of the solar system and describe the interactions that affect The sun is the centre of our solar system and the source of all light on earth Reflect on the terms unit of work and conclude that the source of all activity on earth is from the suns energy in the form of heat and light. Establish the power of the sun to all students. The suns rays not only gives light on earth but also is the source of energy that can be utilised by human activity and give us the power to extrapolate the energy further. Having thought about the activity over the week, complete the Solar Energy Challenge on page 8 Brian Pennington Earth & Its Surrounds Stage 2 Experiments thinking about the power of the suns energy. Use the resources from the Science Box to design the best experiment. Begin the experiment. While the experiment is being conducted begin the Solar Cooking Experiment pg 10 BP Earth & Its Surrounds Stage 2 experiments using the suns energy to cook marshmellows, testing the temperature as it cooks. Complete the activity in groups the same groups as for the Solar Challenge. Use as many marshmellows as required so that each person has one to eat at the end.

Resources:
- K-6 Science syllabus - Primary Science Blackline masters Book E - 101 Great Science Experiments

Organisation Activities
Whole Class Plan to conduct lesson in the middle session to get the hottest part of the day

Teaching points

13

Lesson 10, Week 11

Title:
Assessment

Aims:
Recognize that the earth is the source of most materials and resources and describes phenomena and processes, both natural and human, that form and change the earth over time Revise the terms work and go through each lesson, explaining briefly the concepts

Resources:
- K-6 Science syllabus - Primary Science Blackline masters Book E - 101 Great Science Experiments

Organisation Activities
Whole Class 10 mins

Teaching points

15 mins

30 mins

14