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Could a statue's shadow move?

Could a statue's shadow move?

Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep
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How`could`the
statue's`shadow
move?

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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.

Gnome Statue at Window

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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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sunrise


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when the Sun appears in the morning
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sunset


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when the Sun disappears in the evening
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experiment


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a test used to discover new information about a question
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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

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
Lesson narration:

Activity Prep

Print Prep

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.

Preview activity

Exploration

7 mins

Wrap-Up

3 mins

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