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Activity:Vocabulary Cards let students practice reading and writing skills while learning science vocabulary.
Readings:Two readings about the sun for first grade.
Read-aloud: In The Sun is My Favorite Star, by Frank Asch, a child notices how the sun touches her life from when she wakes up to when she goes to bed.
Activity:Use your Sun Finder to show where the sun is at different times of day.
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# Readings:
These Common-Core-aligned readings are free with registration on ReadWorks. All readings include comprehension questions.
Day to Night— A child notices the position of the sun in the sky at different times of day. (Grade 1)
Sunrise, Sunset— A reading about how the length of the day changes with the season of the year. (Grade 1)
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## Activity: Where’s the Sun?
Encourage your students to notice where the sun is in the sky at different times of the day. Ask them to show you these times, using their Sun Finder.
Where is the sun at lunchtime?
Where is the sun when you wake up in the morning?
Where is the sun just before dinnertime?
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forest
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a place with lots of trees
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Sun
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the large ball of light in the sky during the day
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one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the right
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west
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one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the left
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pattern
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something that happens again and again and again in a way that can be predicted
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predict
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to guess what will happen based on things you know
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sun peering through the forest by
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“ANOTHER great lesson! My students are ALWAYS engaged and we have a great time with each lesson. These lessons create teachable moments in class and we learn so much.”
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Kelly
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Teacher
· about 5 years ago
“How easy it was to follow and how engaging for the students. They loved the mystery! I loved the teacher tips along the way. Thank you!”
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Sarah
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Teacher
· about 5 years ago
“I LOVE how it is broken down into smaller increments.
We were able to do them in planned times or when we had extra time. I didn't have to miss something to do them. I'm so glad we did it!
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Susan
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“The students did a great job of using what they learned from previous lessons to predict what they should do in this lesson. They enjoyed making the sun finders. I have had parents report that their child came home excited to share what they had learned.”
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Amy
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“The video showing the directions of the activity was perfect. In addition, the class really enjoy how Doug asks them questions and poses problems!”
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Tricia
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“Students loved the sun finder! ”
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Amy
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Teacher
· over 5 years ago
“This lesson encourages students to draw upon past experiences in a fun way. ”
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Erin
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Teacher
· about 6 years ago
“We puzzled it out and had great discussions before we came to the correct conclusion. The students also really liked the activity page.”
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Amy
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Teacher
· about 7 years ago
“I enjoyed hearing my kids discuss their reasoning as to how to find their way home using the sun. My kids couldn't agree if they should follow the Sun, walk away from the Sun or walk in a different direction entirely. By the end of the lesson, my kids got it!”
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Patricia
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“I loved listening to my children reason which direction they should follow. It really made them think!”
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Miranda
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Homeschooler
· over 7 years ago
“Perfect for kindergarten !! Simple activity with step by step directions. I felt they really understood the activity by the end of the lesson . ”
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Mary
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“The students were engaged and loved make the sun finder. We found the sun in the morning and we were able to determine directions due to the position of the sun. Great lesson with real life application!”
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Sheila
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“The kids really enjoyed this lesson. When we went outside they put the paper sun in the same position as the sun and they could see where east and west were. It was cool to see that light bulb moment!
-Molly Craig
1st grade teacher at Twin Lakes Christian School
Aptos, CA”
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Molly
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“The directions for Sun Finder were very easy to follow and kid friendly. I also liked that there were not many materials to gather.”
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Denise
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“video and activity were great!My kids love Doug's stories and the science was very clear.the activity was very basic yet a perfect example of the suns movement!”
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Courtney
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Homeschooler
· over 7 years ago
“Level of engagement was very high! The student thinking was very evident - they wanted to change their minds about which way Doug should go as soon as they watched the clip of how the sun moves across the sky before setting. Very grade level appropriate. Thank you Mystery Science!”
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Ellie
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“Everything is so engaging and perfectly timed. I like the video followed by discussion and then an activity that shows the children what to do step by step. ”
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Delphi
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“My class loved it! I did, too! It was so easy to prepare, and the kids could very easily follow and understand the directions for the project. This lesson generated lots of questions from the kids. One asked, "How does the sun get back to the other side every day?" Perfect!”
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Rise
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Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“Great lesson, we even expanded it with watching the sun and figuring out which direction our house is facing (N) and which direction their bedrooms are etc. The activity really helped my 5yo be able to retell how the sun moves and put it into action to retell the story. The 9yo also enjoyed it and we did more activities/lessons from our main curriculum.”
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Carrie
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Homeschooler
· over 7 years ago
“Keira says the best part was making the project.
Lenna liked ALL of it!
Luci liked the story with the lesson.
Ava like the video of the real life sunrise and sunset.
Mrs. Mele liked all it got all of the kids working and thinking.”
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Kelley
·
Teacher
· over 7 years ago
“Great lesson! Extended the activity by taking it outside and watching how the sun moved above our house during the day. Good for teaching the children how to solve a problem. First mystery used on this site - will be happy to do more!”
In this lesson, students develop a model of the sun’s daily path across the sky, then use this model to help someone who’s lost. In the activity, Sun Finder, students create a mobile paper model of the sun and earth to illustrate the position of the sun throughout the day.
Fold the Sun Finder template in half, lengthwise. You can fold 5 at a time, if you like.
Put the folded edge in a 3-hole punch and punch the templates. You can work with multiple copies at a time — depending on what your 3-hole punch will accommodate.
It's okay if the hole in the rectangle with the sun on it doesn't quite match the circle printed on the page.
After you complete the lesson and activity, try this extension.
These Common-Core-aligned readings are free with registration on ReadWorks. All readings include comprehension questions.
Day to Night— A child notices the position of the sun in the sky at different times of day. (Grade 1)
Sunrise, Sunset— A reading about how the length of the day changes with the season of the year. (Grade 1)
Read-aloud: In The Sun is My Favorite Star, by Frank Asch, a child notices how the sun touches her life from when she wakes up to when she goes to bed.
After you complete the lesson and activity, try this extension.
Activity: Vocabulary Cards let students practice reading and writing skills while learning science vocabulary.
Activity: Encourage your students to notice where the sun is in the sky at different times of the day. Ask them to show you these times, using their Sun Finder.