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What does your shadow do when you're not looking?
Spinning Sky Unit | Lesson 2 of 7

What does your shadow do when you're not looking?

Spinning Sky Unit | Lesson 2 of 7
Lesson narration:
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Optional Activity: Trace Your Shadow

Your students can trace their shadows, just like Jada did.

Step 1: Have students pair up and trace each other’s shadows in chalk—first in the morning, then in the afternoon. Use different colors for different times of day. Be sure students trace around their shoes first and write their names next to their shadows.

Step 2: Near each shadow, have students draw an arrow to where the sun is in the sky at that time of day.

Step 3: At the end of the day, ask students why they think their morning and afternoon shadows pointed in different directions.

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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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light


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what comes from the Sun and lamps and makes it possible to see things
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position


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the place where something is, such as behind or in front
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Lesson narration:

Grade 1

Sun, Moon, & Stars

Sun, Shadows, & Daily Patterns

1-ESS1-1

Activity Prep

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In this Read-Along lesson, Jada explores why her shadow changes over the course of a day at the beach. The lesson includes a short exercise where students act out the movement of shadows with their bodies. You can extend the lesson with the optional activity, Trace Your Shadow, where students trace their shadows using colored chalk and track the shadow’s changes throughout the day.

Preview optional activity

Grade 1

Sun, Moon, & Stars

Sun, Shadows, & Daily Patterns

1-ESS1-1

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