Week 1 Lesson 2 –  Our place in Space

Part 1 of 2 

Learning Intention

• To capture students’ interest and find out what they currently know about day and night.

Success criteria

• Students list the differences between day and night.

Background Reading

TeacherReading_OurPlaceInSpace

Resources

Day and Night; What do you think (Student to complete this as a digital activity and place Pages doc on their blog when complete)

Lesson Outline (T4, Week 1, Session 3)

1. Introduce the students by discussing day and night. Brainstorm ideas about the differences between day and night. Record the in a T chart.
2. Ask questions such as:

How do we know it is day? What might we see if it is day?

How do we know it is night? What might we see if it is night?

3. Introduce ‘Day and Night: What do you think?’ resource (see above). Provide students with time to complete share ideas with their cooperative cooperative group and discuss similarities and differences. People often have different experiences and ideas about topics and that sharing ideas is a useful way to learn.

4. Explain that in this unit students will be investigating their ideas about what causes day and night.

Part 2 of 2 

Learning Intention

• Students will learn to show their understanding of the Earth, moon and Sun through drawing and labeling a diagram.

Success criteria

• Students will produce a labelled diagram.

Background Reading

n/a

Resources

TWLH-2015

Lesson Outline (T4, Week 1, Session 4)

1. Explain that students will draw a labelled diagram with the title ‘Spinning in space’ in their science journals.  They are going to record their ideas about :

– The size and shape of the Sun, Earth and Moon

– The position of the Sun, Earth and Moon and

– how the Sun, Earth and Moon might move in space

Movements might be indicated by lines with arrows or turning arrows.

2. Provide students with time to create a labelled diagram and to share it with a partner.

3. Put the digital copy of the TWLH table (see resource above) on TV. Introduce the title and first column of the TWLH table (What we think we know). Invite students to contribute ideas about the Sun, Earth and Moon and how they might move in space.

4. Introduce the title and second column of the TWLH table (What we want to learn). Invite students to contribute their questions they have about the Sun, Earth and Moon.