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Science lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 45 minutes

Sun or shade: which spot gets warmer?

Energy

CCSS NGSS.K-PS3-1England: EYFS Understanding the World: The natural worldEngland: KS1 Y1 Seasonal changes

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Sun or shade: which spot gets warmer?.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Sunlight warms things

Leads to: Design shade to keep cool in the sun

Materials: Wind-up toys or a pendulum, Energy transfer diagrams, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 5 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Sunlight warms things). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. How can you keep a playground cooler on a sunny day? (add more metal / put up a shade (canopy) or plant trees / take away all the trees / paint it black) → put up a shade (canopy) or plant treesPrompt: What blocks sunlight?
  2. Sunlight: which statement is true? (It is usually cooler in the shade than in sunshine. / White clothes get hotter in the sun than black clothes. / The Sun only warms things in summer. / Shade is warmer than sunshine.) → It is usually cooler in the shade than in sunshine.Prompt: Think about standing in the sun and in the shade.
  3. Sunlight: which statement is NOT true? (A puddle in the shade dries faster than one in the sun. / Dark colours warm up faster in sunlight than light colours. / The Sun warms the land, air and water. / It is usually cooler in the shade than in sunshine.) → A puddle in the shade dries faster than one in the sun.Prompt: Which colour reflects sunlight?

Hook · 5 min

  • Wind up a toy or stretch an elastic band and ask where the energy goes.
  • Share the objective: Sun or shade: which spot gets warmer?. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Why does a metal slide in the playground feel hot on a sunny afternoon?
  • Step 1: Sunlight warms the things it shines on.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: Sunlight has been shining on it and warming it.
  • Answer: Sunlight has been shining on it and warming it.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. You put one cup of water in the sun and one in the shade for an hour. What do you find? (Both cups turn to ice. / The cup in the shade is warmer. / The cup in the sun is warmer. / The cup in the sun turns to juice.) → The cup in the sun is warmer.Prompt: Which cup was getting sunlight?
  2. Sunlight and warming: which statement is true? (Shade is warmer because it is darker. / A puddle in the sun dries more slowly than one in the shade. / Shade is usually cooler than a sunny spot. / Sunlight only warms people, not things.) → Shade is usually cooler than a sunny spot.Prompt: Think about how the ground feels in the sun and in the shade.

You do: independent practice · 10 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Sunlight and warming: which statement is true? (A dark T-shirt left in the sun gets warmer than a white one. / The Moon warms the Earth at night. / A puddle in the sun dries more slowly than one in the shade. / Sunlight only warms people, not things.) → A dark T-shirt left in the sun gets warmer than a white one.Prompt: Think about how the ground feels in the sun and in the shade.
  2. Children measured the temperature of a dark path in two places: 36 °C and 22 °C. Where was the 36 °C reading most likely taken? (in the sun / in the shade) → in the sunPrompt: Which reading is warmer?

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Sunlight warms things.
  • Use concrete materials: wind-up toys or a pendulum.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Design shade to keep cool in the sun.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/kindergarten.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Sun or shade: which spot gets warmer?

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Children measured the temperature of a dark path in two places: 28 °C and 17 °C. Where was the 28 °C reading most likely taken?

    • A. in the sun
    • B. in the shade

  2. Question 2

    Sunlight and warming: which statement is true?

    • A. Sunlight warms the ground, water and air.
    • B. A puddle in the sun dries more slowly than one in the shade.
    • C. Sunlight only warms people, not things.
    • D. The Moon warms the Earth at night.

  3. Question 3

    Why does a metal slide in the playground feel hot on a sunny afternoon?

    • A. Sunlight has been shining on it and warming it.
    • B. Children made it hot by sliding.
    • C. The slide makes its own heat.
    • D. Metal is always hot.

  4. Question 4

    Children measured the temperature of sand in two places: 30 °C and 19 °C. Where was the 30 °C reading most likely taken?

    • A. in the sun
    • B. in the shade

  5. Question 5

    You put one cup of water in the sun and one in the shade for an hour. What do you find?

    • A. The cup in the sun turns to juice.
    • B. Both cups turn to ice.
    • C. The cup in the shade is warmer.
    • D. The cup in the sun is warmer.

  6. Question 6

    Children measured the temperature of a rock in two places: 26 °C and 14 °C. Where was the 26 °C reading most likely taken?

    • A. in the sun
    • B. in the shade

  7. Question 7

    Children measured the temperature of sand in the sun and in the shade (see the chart). How many degrees warmer was it in the sun?

    Temperature (°C)05101520253030sun21shade

    Answer°C

  8. Question 8

    Children measured the temperature of sand in two places: 21 °C and 15 °C. Where was the 21 °C reading most likely taken?

    • A. in the sun
    • B. in the shade

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Answer key: Sun or shade: which spot gets warmer?

  1. 1. A. in the sun

  2. 2. A. Sunlight warms the ground, water and air.

  3. 3. A. Sunlight has been shining on it and warming it.

  4. 4. A. in the sun

  5. 5. D. The cup in the sun is warmer.

  6. 6. A. in the sun

  7. 7. 9 °C

  8. 8. A. in the sun