Prek-2 A1

Science Curriculum Preview Committee Clarification of Learning Results

Revised 08/22/04

PreK-2

G2. Demonstrate that shadows of objects change based on where light is coming from.

Curriculum Organizing Questions

What do you think makes a shadow?

Is your shadow the same throughout the day?

Is your shadow always the same size?

Elaboration
Focus should be on observation and noting changes throughout the year. Students will come to understand the characteristics of each season and the order of the seasons.

Specific Ideas

Through observations, students will come to understand that days are longer in summer and shorter in winter.

Developmental & Instructional Implications
By observing the day and night sky regularly, children in grades K-4 will learn to identify sequences of changes and to look for patterns in these changes. As they observe changes, such as the movement of an object's shadow during the course of a day, and the positions of the sun and the moon, they will find the patterns in these movements. These understandings should be confined to observations. NSES, p. 130.

Examples
Standing in the same place, students can trace their shadows in the morning and the afternoon and note any changes.

Flashlights can be used for shadow experiments in the classroom.

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Curriculum Organizing Questions	What do you think makes a shadow? Is your shadow the same throughout the day? Is your shadow always the same size?
Elaboration	Focus should be on observation and noting changes throughout the year. Students will come to understand the characteristics of each season and the order of the seasons.
Specific Ideas	Through observations, students will come to understand that days are longer in summer and shorter in winter.
Developmental & Instructional Implications	By observing the day and night sky regularly, children in grades K-4 will learn to identify sequences of changes and to look for patterns in these changes. As they observe changes, such as the movement of an object's shadow during the course of a day, and the positions of the sun and the moon, they will find the patterns in these movements. These understandings should be confined to observations. NSES, p. 130.
Examples	Standing in the same place, students can trace their shadows in the morning and the afternoon and note any changes. Flashlights can be used for shadow experiments in the classroom.