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TRY IT OUT: If it’s sunny where you are, you can try the same experiment. Put a paper gnome in the sun. Tape paper underneath the gnome and outline the shadow. Write down the time. You’ll come back later to check on your experiment.
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Light— A reading about light and how it makes shadows. (Grade 1)
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# Read Aloud Books
For a simple, well-illustrated explanation that introduces students to the fun of making shadows of their own, read What Makes a Shadow? by Clyde Robert Bulla.
For an entertaining tale of a rabbit who bets a woodchuck that he can outrun his shadow, read Nothing Sticks Like a Shadow by Ann Tompert. You might want to ask your students if they think the rabbit will win.
To encourage students to think about how their own shadows change, read My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson. Ask students if their shadow has ever been taller than they are.
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## Activity: Where's the Shadow?
For this activity, you'll need:
an outdoor area with blacktop or pavement
a sunny day
sidewalk chalk
Have students choose the shadow of a wall or building that makes a straight line. Mark that line with chalk.
Ask students to guess where the shadow will be in fifteen minutes & mark their prediction with chalk.
While waiting for 15 minutes to pass, try the "Shadow Partners" activity.
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Activity: Shadow Partners
When you are outdoors on a sunny day, have students work with a partner to answer these questions.
Can you touch your partner’s shadow without touching your partner? Can you make your shadow touch your partner’s shadow?
Can you and your partner make a shadow that looks like a person with four arms?
What’s the most interesting shadow you can find? Do all the shadows you find look like the objects that cast them?
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shadow
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a dark shape made when an object is in front of a light source
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Sun
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the large ball of light in the sky during the day
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sunlight
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light from the Sun
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a test used to discover new information about a question
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Image & Video Credits
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Exploration
girl discovering her shadow by
The Hills
dog chasing his shadow by
Rumble Viral
boy running away from his shadows by
berge95
shaddow puppet hands by
Unripe Content
, used under CC BY
lighthouse shadow on the beach by
Janx
, used under Public Domain
shadow of a fence by
Phil Kalina
, used under CC BY
Ira Hayes memorial by
Marine 69-71
, used under CC BY-SA
timelapse of tree shadows by
TimeLAPSE
door shadows timelapse by
Mick Abdou
sunrise timelapse by
Beachfront B-Roll: Free Stock Footage
, used under CC BY
sunset timelapse by
Visual Uplift
, used under CC BY
sun in the sky by
Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Pakhnyushchy
Activity
decorative gnomes in the backyard by
Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Olgysha
“The first graders loved being able to manipulate the flashlight themselves. It was also an excellent opportunity to observe their visual-spacial awareness, problem solving, and group work skills. ”
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Adam
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Teacher
· about 5 years ago
“The kids asked to do it again the next day. :)
I LOVELOVELOVE the easy set up and that the videos take them through most of it without too much of my help. I can watch what they're doing instead of lecturing to them from afar.”
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Allison
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Homeschooler
· over 5 years ago
“This was my first time using Mystery Science. I did this lesson with my 1 st grade science class, and it was amazing! They loved the videos, and it kept them engaged. We had great discussions and then they LOVED using flashlights to match the patterns for the gnome statues. I LOVED that this lesson had everything I needed and that the gnome printables were easy to assemble. My students also drew great shadow observations in their science journals. Thanks for making such amazing, high quality lessons!”
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Nicki
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“I love how the students stayed actively engaged with the video and discussion. They especially loved the video of the little kids and dog playing with their shadows. It got them excited to go trace their own shadows!”
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Darcy
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“The videos were excellent. The hands on experimentation with flashlights in small groups was the most fun for the students. ”
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Linda
·
Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“My students went home talking about shadows. We even ended our lesson with looking at our own shadows and making them bigger and smaller!”
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Jeanette
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“My kids voted to miss recess so that we could complete the unit!!!”
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Gay
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Teacher
· about 6 years ago
“ALL the students were engaged. That's right, ALL! The introductory lesson was excellent and the activity was so exciting that the students happily waited for their turn at the shadow stations. Like any lesson, I adjusted it to meet my students' needs. Thank you!”
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Michelle
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Teacher
· about 7 years ago
“This was so much fun! I let the kids take home the nomes and the shadow sheets - and to see their thinking of *why* the shadow moved on a statue with out the statue moving was so cool!
”
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Michelle
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“It was amazing to watch it unfold just perfectly for their minds. It was engaging, easy, and really taught them about shadows. I can't wait to do more!”
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Becky
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Homeschooler
· over 7 years ago
“My students loved doing the gnome shadows. My principal was impressed with the grade level reading that went with the lesson.”
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Kelly
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“My 2 children really enjoyed doing the experiment and could do it with minimal help which made them proud.”
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Kirsty
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Homeschooler
· over 7 years ago
“Students were engaged and even took what they learned out to recess. At morning recess they looked at the shadows and made predictions on where the shadows would be at their lunch recess. ”
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Marci
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“The kids were so sure that there was no way a statues' shadow could move. They were amazed when we set out the gnomes and got to move the shadows! ”
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David
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“This is wonderful. The interactive activities really get the kids thinking and working together well.”
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Jenn
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“The kids had a blast charting the changes in the shadows outside. Thank you for the printables that go along with the lessons!”
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Rachelle
·
Homeschooler
· over 7 years ago
“My kids loved watching the gnome's shadow move as the day went on; they checked on it many times! ”
In this lesson, students investigate what it takes to make a stationary object’s shadow move. In the activity, Moving Shadows, students use flashlights and paper gnomes to explore how moving the position of a light makes shadows move. Students relate these observations to shadows changing throughout the day and the Sun’s position moving across the sky.
You will need to do this activity in the dark with the lights off. We provide seven different Shadow Patterns, so we recommend setting up seven stations. You can choose to set up fewer stations depending on your space or the number of flashlights that you have available.
Set Up Activity Stations
For each station:
Cut out one of the paper gnomes. Fold on the solid lines at his feet and the tip of his hat.
Overlap the flaps at the gnome’s feet and tape him to the rectangle on one of the Shadow Patterns.
Tape the Shadow Pattern down to a table or desk.
Put a flashlight beside the gnome.
Find a Sunny Spot (Recommended)
If it’s sunny, you can watch how a shadow cast by the Sun changes over time—just by marking a shadow early in the lesson and checking on it later.
For this extension:
Cut out one paper gnome. Fold on the solid lines at his feet and the tip of his hat.
Overlap the flaps at the gnome’s feet and tape him to a blank sheet of paper.
Tape the blank sheet of paper down to a table or desk that will be in the Sun for the whole time you are teaching the lesson.
Outline the gnome’s shadow with a marker and write down the time in the center of the outline.
If it’s cloudy when you teach, don’t worry. We show the experiment in the video. You can watch the video and try the experiment yourself on a day when the Sun is out.