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Science lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 60 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 · 6 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? (put up a shade (canopy) or plant trees / take away all the trees / add more metal / paint it black) → put up a shade (canopy) or plant treesPrompt: What blocks sunlight?
  2. Sunlight: which statement is true? (Shade is warmer than sunshine. / Dark colours warm up faster in sunlight than light colours. / White clothes get hotter in the sun than black clothes. / The Sun only warms things in summer.) → Dark colours warm up faster in sunlight than light colours.Prompt: Think about standing in the sun and in the shade.
  3. Sunlight: which statement is NOT true? (It is usually cooler in the shade than in sunshine. / The Sun gives us light but no warmth. / Dark colours warm up faster in sunlight than light colours. / The Sun warms the land, air and water.) → The Sun gives us light but no warmth.Prompt: Which colour reflects sunlight?

Hook · 6 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 · 12 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 · 12 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. A snowman is built next to a wall. Which part melts first on a sunny day? (the side in the sunshine / neither side ever melts / the side in the shade / both sides at exactly the same time) → the side in the sunshinePrompt: Which side is being warmed by sunlight?
  2. Children measured the temperature of a rock in two places: 27 °C and 17 °C. Where was the 27 °C reading most likely taken? (in the sun / in the shade) → in the sunPrompt: Which reading is warmer?

You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 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? (The Moon warms the Earth at night. / A puddle in the sun dries more slowly than one in the shade. / Shade is usually cooler than a sunny spot. / Shade is warmer because it is darker.) → Shade is usually cooler than a sunny spot.Prompt: Think about how the ground feels in the sun and in the shade.
  2. Children measured the temperature of a rock in two places: 23 °C and 19 °C. Where was the 23 °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 grass in two places: 29 °C and 15 °C. Where was the 29 °C reading most likely taken?

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

  2. Question 2

    A snowman is built next to a wall. Which part melts first on a sunny day?

    • A. the side in the shade
    • B. both sides at exactly the same time
    • C. the side in the sunshine
    • D. neither side ever melts

  3. Question 3

    Sunlight and warming: which statement is true?

    • A. Shade is warmer because it is darker.
    • B. A puddle in the sun dries more slowly than one in the shade.
    • C. The Moon warms the Earth at night.
    • D. Shade is usually cooler than a sunny spot.

  4. Question 4

    Children measured the temperature of sand in two places: 25 °C and 20 °C. Where was the 25 °C reading most likely taken?

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

  5. Question 5

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

    Temperature (°C)05101520253026sun14shade

    Answer°C

  6. Question 6

    Children measured the temperature of a rock in two places: 19 °C and 15 °C. Where was the 19 °C reading most likely taken?

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

  7. Question 7

    Children measured the temperature of a rock in two places: 29 °C and 20 °C. Where was the 29 °C reading most likely taken?

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

  8. Question 8

    On a hot day, why do people sit under a tree?

    • A. The tree blocks sunlight, so the shade is cooler.
    • B. Trees make cold air like a fridge.
    • C. It is darker, so it is warmer.
    • D. Trees make it rain.

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

  1. 1. A. in the sun

  2. 2. C. the side in the sunshine

  3. 3. D. Shade is usually cooler than a sunny spot.

  4. 4. A. in the sun

  5. 5. 12 °C

  6. 6. A. in the sun

  7. 7. A. in the sun

  8. 8. A. The tree blocks sunlight, so the shade is cooler.