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

Sun & Shadows Unit
Lesson 2 of 4
Sun, Shadows, & Daily Patterns
4.6 (5105 reviews)
Lesson narration:
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Hi! I’m Jada. This is my mom and my brother, Billy.

One summer morning, we all went to the beach.

At the beach, Mom put up her umbrella.

The umbrella blocked the sunshine.

It made a shadow.

I blocked the sunshine, so I made a shadow, too.

My shadow was taller than I was.

When I moved, my shadow moved.

It followed me everywhere.

The sun went behind a cloud. My shadow disappeared.

The sun came out and my shadow came back.

stop & talk

Stop & Talk

Why did Jada's shadow disappear?
Why did it come back?

I only had a shadow when there was sunshine.

When there was no light, I had no shadow.

I wondered: What else does my shadow do when I’m not paying attention?

I decided to find out.

“Hey, Billy! I have an idea. Draw a line around my shadow.”

“Why?” Billy asked.

“If my shadow changes, I will see the change,” I told him.

“I will if you help me build a sandcastle,” Billy said.

Billy drew a line around my shadow.

I helped Billy build a sandcastle.

At lunchtime, we all sat in the shade under the umbrella.

We had a picnic.

After lunch, I looked at my shadow.

“Look at this, Billy!” I said.

stop & talk Stop & Talk: How has Jada's shadow changed? How has the position of the sun changed?

In the morning, the sun was low in the sky.

My shadow was tall.

At lunchtime, the sun was high above me.

My shadow was short.

get up & move

Get Up & Move!

Pretend to be a shadow.
It’s morning…Stretch up tall!
It’s lunchtime…Shrink down small!

I wondered: What will my shadow look like in the afternoon?

“Your shadow was tall in the morning and it got shorter,” Billy said. “I think it will keep getting shorter.”

“I think it will get tall again,” I said. “The sun will be low in the sky, just like it was this morning.”

stop and talk Stop & Talk: What do you think Jada’s shadow will look like in the afternoon? Why do you think that?

Billy and I played on the beach all afternoon.

Then it was time to go home.

I looked at my shadow one more time.

The sun was low. My shadow was tall again!

And something else had changed.

stop & talk

Stop & Talk

How is Jada’s morning shadow different from her afternoon shadow?
How is the morning sun different from the afternoon sun?

In the morning, the sun was over the fence.

My shadow pointed at the water.

In the afternoon, the sun was over the water.

My shadow pointed at the fence.

Now the sun was going down.

Mom folded her umbrella.

Billy put his shovel in his bucket.

It was time to go home.

We walked toward the parking lot.

My shadow pointed the way to go.

THE END

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.

Slide Image
Slide Image

shadow


1 of 3

a dark shape made when an object is in front of a light source
Slide Image

light


2 of 3

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

position


3 of 3

the place where something is, such as behind or in front
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What does your shadow do when you're not looking?
Sun & Shadows Unit
Lesson 2 of 4
Sun, Shadows, & Daily Patterns
4.6 (5105 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“Students loved the "Get up and Move" part of the story. Also, great visuals to connect understanding!”
“I really enjoyed this lesson. The students stayed engaged the entire time. We not only talked about the lesson, it was also great way teach some reading skills. As always enjoy teaching Mystery Science. ”
“The students were super engaged. Afterwards in discussion, the students were able to articulate their understanding of how the sun moves across the sky during the day and how the changing shadows is evidence of this.”
“Easy to follow along. My first grade students were easy to apply what they learned and were still talking about their knowledge outside at recess! ”
“Students shared their awesome experiences and were able to make great connections in class. ”
“Having the students talk about How and Why the shadows were different during the different times of the day. They loved it!!”
“Going outside and observing both shadows! It was such a great experience for and easy to understand for all students. ”
“The best part was the hands-on activity of tracing your shadow. The kids traced their shadow in the morning, then read the story and traced their shadow again in the afternoon. This gave them a tangible example of the suns movement.”
“As a teacher, I really enjoy each Mystery lesson. The children seem to be in the flow of each lesson. With the excitement in the classroom, we look forward to each lesson!”
“I loved how the students were interacting with the story. The story explained the concept well.”
“I like how the story allowed opportunities for student engagement. ”
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Sun Shadows Read-Along Lesson 2: What does your shadow do when you're not looking?

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