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How could you walk barefoot across hot pavement without burning your feet?
Sunny Skies Unit | Lesson 1 of 3
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How could you walk barefoot across hot pavement without burning your feet?

Sunny Skies Unit | Lesson 1 of 3
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
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Discuss: Think about how Keya looked for shady spots where she could walk
barefoot. Look at these cows. What do you notice? Can you explain what the
cows are doing?
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Here’s what we noticed. The tree blocks the sun and makes a shadow. The cows
are all standing in that shadow. Just like people, cows like shade on a hot day.
It’s cooler in the shade!
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Step
01/11
We don’t have time to grow trees in the pasture. But looking at trees
can help us figure out why they are good at making shade. Take a look
at these trees and their shadows. Discuss:
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Step
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The skinny tree makes a skinny shadow. Farmer Josie’s cows need a
wide shadow so more than one cow can be in the shade. So Farmer
Josie needs a wide Shade Maker.
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Step
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Take a look at these two trees. Cows need to be able to get into the
shade that’s under the tree. Discuss:
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Step
04/11
Both trees make big patches of shade. But tree #1 is so short! It
would be much easier for cows to gather under tree #2. We think a
Shade Maker should be tall.
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Step
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Take a look at these two umbrellas. Discuss:
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Step
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A tiny umbrella makes a tiny shadow, too small for a cow! To help a
couple of cows stay cool, you need a big wide Shade Maker, more like
the big umbrella.
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Step
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Farmer Josie had an old blanket. She used a couple of poles to make
the blanket into a tent, like this. Discuss:
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Step
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We thought that tent was too small for the cows. So Farmer Josie
made some changes. She used taller poles and made a tent that
looked like this. Discuss:
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Step
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Farmer Josie’s new tent seemed too skinny to us for the cows! We
thought there might be a way to do better. Discuss:
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Step
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We thought she could use the blankets to make a roof and use the
poles to hold it up. But that’s just our idea. There are often many
good ways to solve a problem.
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Maybe you have other ideas you’d like Josie to try. If there’s time,
draw a picture of your idea. Then spend some time trying to figure
out how to make it even better.
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# Extensions

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration you just completed.

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# Readings

These readings are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit committed to providing teachers with research-proven, Common-Core-aligned readings.

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# Activity: Where Is It Warmer?

Take a walk outside on a sunny day and challenge students to find the warmest and coldest spots they can. Encourage them to feel different kinds of surfaces in the sun and in the shade. Is the pavement hotter in the sun or in the shade? Check out other surfaces — the blacktop, bricks, rocks, metal, soil, sand. Which is the hottest? Which is the coolest?

If you have time, compare the temperatures of the two spots using ice cubes. An ice cube will melt faster in the hotter spot.

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# Activity: Design a Place in the Shade

The Cool Cows activity gets your students thinking about how they could build something to make shade. Take the activity further by having students draw the shade structure they’d like to build.

If you have time, materials, and a sunny day, you can give your students the chance to make and test a physical model of their structure. For instructions on how to do it, we suggest this activity on Better Lesson, a site where educators can connect and share curriculum.

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#Activity: Where Is It Hot? Where Is It Not?

Now that you know where it's too hot to walk barefoot, you can also figure out when to sit if you want to cool off on a hot day.

  • Take a look at the photo on the next page and think about clues that tell you where it’s hot and where it’s cool.
  • Discuss: Where would you go if you wanted to stay cool? Where would you go if you wanted to warm up? What clue are you using to make your choice?
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# Here's what we think

We know that sunshine warms things up.

So if we want to cool off, we look for a shady spot. If we want to warm up, we find a place in the sun.

Next time you're outside on a sunny day, compare the temperature in the sun with the temperature in the shade. Do you feel a difference?

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thin


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not very long from side to side
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wide


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long from side to side
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short


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not very long from top to bottom
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tall


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long from top to bottom
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small


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not large in size
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big


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large in size, something that is wide, tall or long
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hot


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very warm
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cool


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to make something colder
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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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shade


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a dark, cool place that is not directly in the sunlight
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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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design


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to make a plan for creating or doing something
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engineer


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a person who uses science to come up with solutions to problems
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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.

Other
Cows in shade by Imagery provided by tonyoquias/Depositphotos.com
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Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade K

Sunlight & Warmth

Sunlight, Heat, & Earth's Surface

K-PS3-1, K-PS3-2, K-2-ETS1-1

Activity Prep

Print Prep

Switch to non-narrated version

THIS LESSON WAS REVISED ON JULY 1, 2021. Here is a link to the previous version.
In this Read-Along lesson, students listen to an illustrated digital storybook with student participation. If you would prefer to read the book aloud yourself, you can switch to the non-narrated version. In the story, Keya needs to find a way to get from the swimming pool to the ice cream truck without burning her bare feet on the hot pavement. In the activity, Cool Cows, students notice that cows (like people) use shade to stay cool. Then, they think through how they would design a shade structure for cows.

Preview optional activity
Number of students:

I have a Mystery Pack

Find A Cool Path For Keya printout Print 30 copies
Prep Instructions

Students need the printout for the Read-Along.

In this activity, students are presented with a problem: How can Farmer Josie’s cows stay cool in a sunny field with no shade trees? In a series of steps, students consider the problem and come to an understanding of what attributes a solution must have. Then they help Farmer Josie come up with a solution.

At the end, we include the option of having students draw their imagined solutions. If you would like your students to draw their ideas, make sure to have paper and crayons ready!

Grade K

Sunlight & Warmth

Sunlight, Heat, & Earth's Surface

K-PS3-1, K-PS3-2, K-2-ETS1-1

Slow internet or video problems?
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