Objective
To take a closer look at our planet and its interaction with our Sun and Moon.
Skills Focus
Prediction, patterns and more detailed view/understanding of a day, month, year and the seasons; directionality/country and continent location through globe use; language arts enhancement through journal writing, poetry, song and role play; and discerning/exploring information-based and fiction literature.
Key Words:
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temperature
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seasons
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time
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evening
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a.m./p.m.
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morning
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afternoon
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night
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Before jumping into this unit, jot down facts that your students already know. Review terms like “revolve, rotate, gravity . . . ” Ask the children to demonstrate—or in their own words explain—some of the concepts learned through previously taught activities. Act as though you’ve forgotten bits and pieces of valuable information, and make open-ended statements to which the children will respond. (E.g., Planets move around the Sun in an egg-shaped orbit. That shape is (elliptical). Oh thank you so much class! I don’t know what I’d do without you. While spinning around its axis, our planet also orbits the Sun. What’s that other word for traveling around the Sun? (Revolve). Yes, that’s it. And that invisible force that holds the planets in place as we orbit the Sun, um . . . . (Gravity). What a knowledgeable class you are!)
This type of fun-filled review will reinforce your students’ enthusiasm about the subject matter, and assist them in understanding more detailed information concerning our planet.
What does time and planetary movement have in common?
We know that the big and little hands on a clock help us tell what time it is. We also notice that something happens as the hours move on: they turn into days. We have learned that the days of the week go from Sunday to Saturday, and that there are seven of them. But every 30 or so days, another change takes place: we enter a new month. We know there are twelve months, and that after December, a new year forms. Hey! A lot of interconnected patterns are taking place. But what does it all symbolize?
Remember that our planet is constantly rotating. Look at the clock. Each time the long hand goes around the face of the clock—from the number 12 back to 12 again, and the short hand moves to the next number, the Earth has rotated a little bit more, and an hour has passed. For each hour that goes by, the Earth is rotating a little more. It takes 24 hours for our planet to rotate completely. That 24-hour spin is known as our day. What other “things” might be occurring? Let’s find out!