Our+Solar+System

==Our Solar System (Levels 3-4-5)== There are four clusters of lessons in //Our Solar System//, listed below. The lessons listed in red are free to download once you enroll in the pilot program and receive a password. After you enroll, our Lending Library will send a mini-kit of science materials for the unit.

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The children explore their ideas about reasons for daytime and nighttime. They consider the sun as Earth’s source of light, and observe the effect sunlight has on Earth in terms of heat and shadows. They observe the sun several times throughout a day and discern how it seems to move across the sky. Finally, they create and use models that explain their observations of daytime and nighttime and the sun’s apparent movement across the sky.
 * Cluster 1: The Sun's Daily Pattern**
 * ** Lesson 1: Daytime and Nighttime **
 * ** Lesson 2: A Sense of Sun **
 * ** Lesson 3: Watching the Sun for a Day **
 * ** Lesson 6: Our Models of Daytime and Nighttime **
 * ** Lesson 7: Earth Rotates **

Children observe how the apparent path of the sun slowly changes during the year by using scientific tools to track its position in the fall, winter and spring. They model their observations using flashlights on the scientific tools. They assume the role of class astronomer to collect weekly sunrise and sunset data. They consider the relationship between the apparent height of the sun in the sky and the length of daylight. To culminate this cluster, children use a globe and a lamp to model Earth’s orbit around the sun. They observe how the orbit, and the tilt of the earth on its axis, relates to changes in the length of daylight and the apparent path of the sun throughout the year.
 * Cluster 2: The Sun's Annual Pattern**
 * ** Lesson 4: The Sun in Fall: Data Collection **
 * **Lesson 5: Modeling the Sun in Fall**
 * Lesson 8: Class Astronomer
 * Lesson 14: The Sun in Winter: Data Collection
 * Lesson 15: The Sun in Winter: Modeling and Comparing
 * Lesson 16: The Sun in Spring: Data Collection
 * Lesson 17: The Sun in Spring: Modeling and Comparing
 * Lesson 18: Predicting the Sun in the Summer
 * Lesson 19: Modeling Earth's Orbit Around the Sun

The children view the moon during the daytime and track its apparent path across the sky. They explore their questions about the moon and brainstorm how to find answers. They conduct a month-long series of daily observations of the moon, recording its changing shape on a class chart. After a month they look at their data and articulate the pattern of the moon’s cycle. They record their initial ideas about what they think causes the moon’s cycle. Finally, they learn and practice a model that reflects astronomers’ understanding about the causes of the moon’s cycle.
 * Cluster 3: Our Moon's Cycle**
 * Lesson 9: Watching the Moon for a Day
 * Lesson 10: Watching the Moon for a Month
 * Lesson 11: Wondering About the Moon
 * Lesson 12: The Moon's Cycle
 * Lesson 13: Modeling the Moon's Cycle

Children compare the sizes of scale models of the sun, moon, and Earth. They learn that the sun and moon can appear to be the same size because the sun is much further away. They chart their knowledge and questions about the solar system and what lies beyond it. The children observe how stars appear to move across the nighttime sky and discover why stars aren’t visible during the daytime. They study pictures of planets and their changing positions against a stable background of stars. As a project, children research the planets, and create and present reports about the planets. Last, they carry tiny scale models of the planets and pace the immense distances between them.
 * Cluster 4: Stars and Planets**
 * Lesson 20: Relative Size of Sun, Moon, and Earth
 * Lesson 21: Wondering about Our Solar System and Beyond
 * Lesson 22: Stars Outside Our Solar System
 * Lesson 23: Stars and Planets
 * Lesson 24: Researching the Planets
 * Lesson 25: Describing the Planets
 * Lesson 26: The Scale of Our Solar System