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How could you warm up a frozen playground?
Weather Watching Unit | Lesson 5 of 0
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How could you warm up a frozen playground?

Weather Watching Unit | Lesson 5 of 0
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Have`you`ever`seen
anything`melt`in
the`sun?

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DISCUSS:

How could you bring the sun’s light and heat to this town? (Hint: You can’t move the sun, but is there a way to move the sunshine?)

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Extensions

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity and exploration you just completed.
  • Lesson Assessment : Open-ended drawing prompt
  • Readings: Three informational books about sunlight, temperature, and staying cool in the summer.
  • Video: News footage from Rjukan, Norway.
  • Activities: Further investigations of the relationship between temperature and sunlight.
# Readings

These online books are free for educators registered on Epic!:

# Video

Show students a news report about the real town of Rjukan, Norway that inspired the activity for this lesson.

Activities

With these activities, students can investigate how to make a hot place colder (the opposite of our Mystery!):

  • Cool Trees -- Measure the effect of shade trees on temperature in this activity from the Lawrence Hall of Science.
  • Melting Chocolate -- Observe how quickly chocolate melts in the sun and the shade from NOAA.
  • Black, White, or Silver? Investigate which color is heated most by sunlight in this activity from Origin Energy.

Featured Reviews

“The children used great vocabulary and teamwork to build their contraption to reflect the sun's light and warm chill town.”
· Melanie · Teacher
“Watching the students problem solve! Loved that it was step-by-step with minimal prep!”
· Jamie · Teacher
“I loved that the students had opportunities to experiment with the design process!”
· · Teacher
“Students are engaged and excited. I love the step by step video to explain procedures and pose questions.”
· · Teacher
“The children came up with creative solutions to warm up the playground. It was fun to see the imaginative ways in which children were manipulating the different mediums to create a reflection.”
· Judith · Teacher
“Great video, perfect entry point for all the learners in this k/1 classroom”
· Beth · Teacher
“I was pleasantly surprised how eager my students were to use their supplies and figure out how to make the sun shine on the playground in Chill City! Some of them figured out how to do it before I did!”
· Christy · Teacher
“Loved the experiment and found the Norway story so interesting. Have found the experiments to be easy to set up. Lessons are very engaging! Accidentally submitted Lesson 4 as not going well. It went very well.”
· Birgit · Teacher
“The students enjoyed experimenting with the different materials trying to warm up "chill city" and were amazed to see the how they can manipulate the "sun" to shine onto the city. ”
· Milagros · Teacher
“I think the most enjoyable part was how the students were able to figure out how to make the sun shine on the playground. Then we followed it up with a great class discussion.”
· Sara · Admin
“Seeing the process of him figuring out the best way to get light on the playground.”
· Lisa · Homeschooler
“Loved the connection to a real life problem!”
· Susan · Other
“LOVED LOVED LOVED THE HANDS ON AND " THE LIGHT-BULBS" going off in their heads with excitement when they " got it!!!! " ”
· Sherrie · Teacher
“This was very engaging. It was a great way to introduce the idea of being an engineer.”
· Julia · Teacher
“kiddos wre able to explain how the sun was transfered to the playground ”
· Genese · Teacher
“The kids loved this one. Several went home and did it again”
· Ellen · Teacher
“The students were really excited when their panels reflected light on their Chill City! Very cool activity.”
· Celine · Teacher
“This was excellent. The students loved the hands on activity and were able to shine some sun on their models!”
· Celine · Teacher
“They loved that they were able to create their own solutions.”
· Selena · Homeschooler
“My students were so engaged and excited to try to help this town without sun! Awesome activity! I also loved being able to send the message provided to the parents so they can provide enrichment at home.”
· Tamera · Teacher
“This lesson lit a fire under my kid. After we finished the activity he spent most of the afternoon trying to invent all kinds of things with foil and ended up with a mini candy melting stove on the patio.”
· MaryKate · Homeschooler
“I didn't expect these young kids to be able to figure out how to succeed in the experiment, but they sure did! ”
· Katie · Homeschooler
“Watching the kids as they were so engaged in trying to get sunlight onto Chill City!”
· Sarah · Teacher
“The students enjoyed thinking about having to move light.”
· Matthew · Teacher

Grade K

Weather & Seasons

Sunlight, Warming, & Engineering

K-PS3-1, K-PS3-2, K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2, K-2-ETS1-3

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students think about their experiences with hot and cold weather, and learn about a real city where the sun never shines in winter. In the activity, Chill City, students experiment with different types of materials (opaque, transparent, and reflective) to figure out how to reflect light. They use this to bring light and warmth to an imaginary paper town.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Chill City printout Print 15 copies
Draw Chill City worksheet 30 copies
Rulers
15 rulers
Aluminum Foil
2 feet
Black Construction Paper
2 sheets
Clear Plastic Report Covers
2 covers
Colored Construction Paper
2 sheets
Dot Stickers
We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in a classroom. Tape also works.
Details
30 stickers
Envelopes
15 envelopes
Index Cards (3x5)
15 cards
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own.

Find A Source of Light

In this activity, students fold their worksheet so that part of the paper acts as the mountains, casting a shadow over “Chill City,” the paper town on the worksheet. For this to work, you need a light source that is NOT overhead. We have used desk lamps, table lamps, or light from a window.

Chill City

If your window isn’t bright enough, a table lamp with no shade can work well as a source of “sunlight.” Put the lamp on the floor and have students sit in a circle around it. To test your light source to make sure it will work, or this activity, we recommend that you print out a copy of the Chill City worksheet and try steps 3 to 6 of the activity instructions.

Prepare Materials

Cut each report cover into two sheets at the fold. Then cut each sheet into 8 equal pieces, like this: Chill City

Do the same for the black construction paper, colored construction paper, and aluminum foil.

Assemble Envelopes

For each pair of students, assemble an envelope of supplies containing:

  • 3" x 5" card
  • 3” x 5” piece of aluminum foil
  • piece of clear plastic
  • piece of black construction paper
  • piece of colored construction paper

Exploration

7 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

Wrap-Up

3 mins

Grade K

Weather & Seasons

Sunlight, Warming, & Engineering

K-PS3-1, K-PS3-2, K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2, K-2-ETS1-3

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