Light and Shadows

1. Students will begin the lesson on the carpet.
2. The teacher will begin lesson by explaining to students that they will be learning about shadows and how they change when the light source that is given changes. The teacher should make sure to go over the definition of light and shadow and form a discussion with students on how light is used to form shadows and how it can affect them.
3. After students have had time to discuss their thoughts with the teacher and their classmates, the teacher will have students watch a video shifting shadows.
4. Once the video is over, the teacher will conduct a student debrief on what they learned from the video. (no more than 5-7minutes).
5. The teacher will explain to students that they are going to have the opportunity to do exactly what the children in the video did. The teacher will go over outdoor procedures. Once they are outside, the teacher will partner the students off and hand each partner a piece of chalk. The students should be directed to place their hands high in the sky and their legs parallel so that it is easy to see their shadow and trace. The students should take turns tracing each other and make sure to remember which shadow drawing is theirs. (This should be done in the morning). The students should come back out two more times to check their shadows, each time drawing their partners new shadow as it moves. (2nd time should be in the middle of the day, and the last time towards the end of the day).
6. After the third time, students should come back inside and be sent to their tables. The students will write about their shadows and how it changed once the sun (light source) changed throughout the day. Students should draw a picture to go along with their writing. (Allow students 10-15 minutes)
7. When the time is up, students should return to the carpet to share their writing with the class.

The students will be assessed through the questioning that takes place at the beginning of the lesson and during the student debrief.  Students will also be assessed on their writing from the experiment that was conducted earlier in the day.