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PHOTO #1 OF 5
What season is this? Come up with more than one reason for your answer. *Hint:* Pay attention to the time on the photo.
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DISCUSS AS A CLASS:
What season do you think this is? Why?
Here's what we think:
SUMMER
One clue that it’s summer is the boy is wearing shorts and the grass is green. The time gives you another clue. It’s 7:30 in the evening -- but it’s still light out. In summer, the Sun sets later in the day.
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PHOTO #2 OF 5
What season is this? Come up with more than one reason for your answer.
*Hint:* Does the mist give you a clue about the temperature?
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DISCUSS AS A CLASS:
What season do you think this is? Why?
Here's what we think:
AUTUMN/FALL
Pumpkins grow big during warm summer weather. These pumpkins have turned orange, a sign that it’s autumn — a time for jack o’lanterns and pumpkin pie.
It’s early morning, and there’s mist above from the grass. You don't see mist when it's hot out — so the mist tells you that the weather is cool, another sign that summer is over.
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PHOTO #3 OF 5
What season is this? Come up with more than one reason for your answer.
*Hint:* Pay attention to the time on the photo.
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DISCUSS AS A CLASS:
What season do you think this is? Why?
Here's what we think:
WINTER
The snow is a give away — it’s cold out! The bare trees are another give away. Trees drop their leaves in fall. The time gives you yet another clue. It’s 4:30 in the evening, but the Sun is already setting. During winter, the days are short. The Sun rises late on winter mornings and sets very early.
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PHOTO #4 OF 5
What season is this? Come up with more than one reason for your answer.
*Hint:* Pay attention to the time on the photo.
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DISCUSS AS A CLASS:
What season do you think this is? Why?
Here's what we think:
SPRING
Warm spring weather melts the snow. Water from melting snow helps spring flowers grow. The time also helps you figure out the season. It’s 7:01 AM in the morning, but sunlight is shining on the flowers. The Sun is up early, a sign that winter is ending. The Sun rises earlier as the days get longer.
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PHOTO #5 OF 5
CHALLENGE: What season is this? Do you have any ideas? Take a look at the time and the shadow. (If you can't figure it out, don't worry--watch the next video to get a clue!)
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Discuss: What changes did you see in the daytime sky over the course of the four seasons?
Here's what we saw...
As we went from spring to summer, the path of Sun moved higher and higher in the sky. The Sun rose highest in the sky in summer. Then as we went to fall, the Sun's path got lower and lower. The Sun rose lowest in the sky in winter.
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Discuss: Here’s the bench you saw earlier. Now can you guess what season this photo was taken? Hint: Think about the time & the shadow.
See what we think...
The photo was taken in the middle of the day, when the Sun is at its highest in the sky. But since the bench casts a long shadow, that tells us that even though the Sun is at its highest for the day, it's low compared to other seasons. So the season this photo was taken is winter!
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PHOTO #6 OF 8: What season is it? Why do you think that?
See what we think...
WINTER
This photo was taken at noon, but the dog casts a long shadow. That means the Sun was low in the sky. When is the Sun low in the sky at midday? Winter!
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PHOTO #7 OF 8: What season is it? Why do you think that?
See what we think...
SUMMER Short shadows show that the Sun is high in the sky at midday. That only happens in summer.
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PHOTO #8 OF 8: What season is it? Why do you think that?
See what we think...
WINTER The Sun has almost set — but it's only 5:30 in the afternoon. It's not even dinnertime & it's almost dark! Such an early sunset means it must be winter.
Demonstration: Show how the Sun's position changes over weeks by marking a shadow.
Activity: Add the Sun's summer and winter paths to the Sky Dome that you made in Mystery 1 Extras.
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# Demonstration: Mark a Shadow
Changes in the Sun's position every day add up to big changes over months.
You can show this by marking the shadow of a stationary object at the same time of day once a week for a few weeks.
Mark the shadow of a flagpole with chalk on the blacktop or mark the shadow of the window frame with a post-it on the wall. Every week, the shadow will be in a new position.
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Extra Activity: Sky Dome, Part 2
Add the Sun's summer path and winter path to the Sky Dome that you made from instructions in Mystery 1 Extras.
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season
1 of 1
a time of year with specific weather that repeats every year
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“I love that the lesson is done for me, and it's engaging. The kids love the videos!”
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Valerie
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Teacher
· almost 5 years ago
“I loved the scaffolding included with the photos. The kids really learned about how the sun changes position and how a shadow and time of day can help them determine the seasons”
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Melissa
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Teacher
· about 5 years ago
“I love the assessments for each lesson. The kids really grasped the Sun's positioning during the different season.”
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Steven
·
Teacher
· about 5 years ago
“My students were collaborating with one another and sharing their ideas. It was great to see them work so well as a team! ”
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Jennifer
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Teacher
· about 5 years ago
“This lab really had students using observation to make a hypothesis and and support it with evidence!”
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Debra
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Teacher
· about 5 years ago
“Very good explanation for children to understand and take note of what actually happens to the Sun at each Season.”
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Claire
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Homeschooler
· about 5 years ago
“This is a fun, discussion-oriented lesson that helped my students understand the way the sun's height in the sky changes over time, affecting us here on earth. ”
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Erin
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Teacher
· about 5 years ago
“The students were super engaged and excited to share their thoughts!”
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Samantha
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“My students liked the challenge pictures. It made for great discussion for what we see right now in our area. It also allowed for discussion on daylight savings time.”
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Candace
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Students loved looking for the clues. We are focusing on finding the evidence in ELA and this tied in perfectly.”
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Tanya
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Very hands on, and a clear, easy to do model. Loved to videos, and sequential pics of the moon over 2 weeks.”
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Natalie
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Students used the visuals to describe the seasons. Shadows and the times of day helped illustrate their educated guesses on which season it would be allowing them to investigate.”
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Brian
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“I keep learning along with my students. Thanks for making me a better teacher!!”
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Cheryl
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Not having to prepare and deal with lots of supplies was nice. I had my students write down their thoughts and evidence in their notebooks.”
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Jasmine
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Love that it was a quicker, nothing to print, based on discussions, type of lab. Different from the first few. The kids loved the multiple photos to practice on.”
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Erin
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Thinking about what season based on different shadows was such a great challenge!”
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Kathleen
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“My students got very enthusiastic about trying to guess which season the picture was taken in. It provided a valuable opportunity for me to emphasize the importance of having strong reasons for what you think to be true.”
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Alexander
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Students really enjoyed thinking about the signs and clues. A great critical thinking lesson.”
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Glenn
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Great lesson! The kids are totally engaged. They continue to give me the feeling of, "I can't wait for the next Mystery Science lesson."”
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Anthony
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“The students were very interested in the activity. The activity started great classroom conversation.”
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Delores
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Students loved guessing the seasons and picked up quickly on the changes in shadows!”
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Anthony
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Kids loved guessing the seasons and it really helped them understand the shorter days of the year that we're experiencing. ”
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Lacy
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Teacher
· about 7 years ago
“I really liked the video showing how the sun is at a different height in the sky during different seasons. The students really understood how looking at shadows and the time could help them figure out what season it was.”
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Margaret
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Teacher
· about 7 years ago
“My students loved the game! Every time they guessed the correct season they cheered and danced. They walk away with an understanding of the suns position in the sky during different seasons. ”
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Alexandria
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“I loved the exploration photos. It was the most participation I have had from my class all year.”
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Jenni
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“I liked how the kids had to really think and give reasons why they thought it was that season. ”
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Andrea
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“The students loved having a discussion about the photos. We had an ah ha about the shadow and the bench. We had to get out a flashlight to finally decide. Thanks! ”
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Marlene
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“ The kids loved that they had to play detective, it really forced them to think about what they were learning and apply it.”
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Rebecca
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Homeschooler
· over 7 years ago
“The videos of the changing sun position are great. The B & W photos where they have to guess the season based on the shadow and the time work well.”
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Sheryl
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“Wonderful! Really neat for the kids to learn about the time of day/year and then investigate what time of day/year the photos were taken. Sparked great discussions!!”
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Robin
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“I love the video demonstrations! They are so helpful in explaining things to kids that I can't explain without models. ”
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Michele
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Teacher
· almost 8 years ago
“Students were engaged in the activity portion. The simple activity definitely helped the students understand the concept as to why the moon has phases.”
In this lesson, students discover how the Sun’s path changes with the seasons. In the visual activity, Guess the Season, students figure out the season of the year by studying a photo. Students come to realize that they can use the time of day and length of shadows to figure out the season in each photo.
Each photo has an obvious clue related to the season — like ripe pumpkins for autumn or snow for winter. Students will recognize those clues immediately.
But each photo also includes the time it was taken. Using the time and the Sun’s position, students can figure out the season using astronomical clues — like the length of the day (long in summer, short in winter) or the time of sunrise (early in summer, late in winter).
In the class discussion that follows each photo, you may need to prompt students to notice the time on the photo and think about what the time says about the season. Reviewing the questions and answers before class will help you prepare to facilitate class discussion.