Solar Energy

1. Solar Energy AMSTI 5th Grade Year Two Science Training

2. Introductory Activity With the people at your table, discuss how the sun affects our lives. Use chart paper to record your thoughts. Try to use words and illustrations in your response. Be creative!

3. Shadow Play Discussion questions: • What is a shadow? • What do you need in order to have a shadow? • Do you have one all the time? • What would happen to your shadow if you stood in the same spot all day?

4. Question How does your shadow look at different times of the day?

5. Hypothesis/Prediction Throughout the day, I predict that my shadow looks…

6. Plan/Procedure • For this activity, we will be going outside, and you will be working with a partner. • Each pair will need to spread out so their shadows are not overlapping. Also, think about buildings and trees that might overshadow the spot where you are working throughout the day. • Take turns tracing each other’s shadow. Write your name and the time of day inside your shadow. • We will repeat this process 2-3 more times throughout the day.

7. Results/Data Record the changes your observe in your shadow.

8. Results/Data Your shadow changed in two ways: • Shape (what it looks like) • Orientation (direction it points)

9. Conclusion In complete sentences, explain the following question: Why did your shadows change shape and orientation?

10. Vocabulary Shadow - the dark area created by an object that blocks light Orientation - a position or arrangement in relation to another position or location

11. Content and Inquiry • How did you create a shadow when you were outside? • How did your afternoon shadow compare to your morning shadow? • Why did your shadow change shape and orientation?

12. Content and Inquiry 1. How did you create a shadow when you were outside? Opaque objects, like bodies, block light from the Sun, creating a shadow behind the object. 2. How did your afternoon shadow compare to your morning shadow? The shape and orientation of shadows change as the day progresses. 3. Why did your shadow change shape and orientation? The orientation and shape of outdoor shadows change because the position of the Sun changes continuously.

13. Shadow Tracking Discussion questions: • When you know the location of the light source, like this ruler, where will its shadow fall? • Can you use a shadow to predict the position of the Sun?

14. Question How can you tell where the Sun is by looking at a shadow?

15. Hypothesis/Prediction I predict that I can use a shadow to tell the position of the Sun by…

16. Shadow Trackers Materials Needed: • Piece of cardboard • Tape • Shadow Tracker sheet • Golf tee

17. Shadow Trackers Procedure for Construction: • Tape the Shadow Tracker sheet to the piece of cardboard. Make sure that the bottom of the sheet is level against the bottom of the cardboard. • Glue a golf tee on the circle at the intersection of the N-S and E-W lines. • Wait for the glue to dry.

18. Shadow Trackers Using the Shadow Tracker: • Place the tracker on level ground in the sun. • Use a compass to orient the tracker north-south. Draw a chalk line around it. • Observe the shadow cast by the golf tee. Mark the tip of the shadow with a dot. • Write the time by the dot. • Repeat steps 3-4 every hour.

19. Using A Compass • When we get outside, your group will need to orient your Shadow Tracker and compass, making sure the N-S line on the sheet aligns with the N-S line on the compass. Use tape to stick the compass to the compass rose on the Shadow Tracker. • Remember, the painted end of the compass always faces north. Place the compass dial over the needle, lining up the center circles. Line the dial up so that north matches the north end of the needle.

20. Plan/Procedure For this activity, we will be going outside, and you will be working with a partner. • Orient your Shadow Tracker and compass, then tape the compass onto the compass rose. • Trace the outline of your Shadow Tracker. • Record a dot at the top of your first shadow and write the time. • Repeat step 4 every hour throughout the day.

21. Results/Data • Did every group get a similar pattern? • What would happen if we went out tomorrow and did the same thing? Why?

22. Conclusion In complete sentences, explain the following question: How can you tell where the Sun is by looking at your shadow?

23. Shadow Tracking Extension When I turn the lights in the classroom off, use a flashlight to reproduce the shadows recorded on your Shadow Tracker.

24. Vocabulary Compass - an instrument used to determine direction; the needle in a compass always points to magnetic north Sun - a star around which Earth and other planets revolve; it furnishes heat, light, and energy Direction - the course or line along which something moves, lies, or points

25. Vocabulary Revolve/Orbit - the path, usually an elliptical shape, one object takes around another Rotate - to rotate on a center point Axis - the line, usually imaginary, around which an object, like Earth, rotates

26. Content and Inquiry 1. How can you tell where the Sun is by looking at a shadow? 2. Why did the shadows change as the day progressed?

27. Content and Inquiry 1. How can you tell where the Sun is by looking at a shadow? The Sun is always on the opposite side of the object creating the shadow. 2. Why did the shadows change as the day progressed? The Sun’s position in the sky changes. The higher the Sun in the sky, the shorter the shadows are.

28. Question How does the thermometer act when placed in the Sun, then in the shade?

29. Hypothesis When a thermometer is moved from the sun to the shade, I predict it will…

30. Vocabulary Thermometer - A thermometer is a thin glass tube filled with colored alcohol. As the alcohol warms, it expands and travels up the tube. When the alcohol cools, it contracts and goes back down the tube. To use the thermometer, you put the bulb in the fluid (liquid or gas) to be measured for temperature.

31. Using A Thermometer With your group, complete the following activities: • Determine the temperature at your desk. • Find a location in the room that is warmer. • Find a location in the room that is cooler.

32. Using A Thermometer Discussion questions: • What is the best way to hold a thermometer to measure the room temperature? • How long does it take for the alcohol in the tube to reach the temperature of its surroundings?

33. Thermometers in the Sun and Shade Each group will need to construct the following tool to collect temperature measurements in the sun and shade: • Tape the Thermometer in the Sun and Shade sheet to a piece of cardboard. • Tape the thermometer to the sheet.

34. Results/Data Each group will record their data on their Thermometer in the Sun and Shade sheet, but you will also need to copy the chart in your lab notebook. When we get back to the classroom, we will calculate the temperature changes.

35. Results/Data • At what elapsed time was the temperature the highest? Lowest? • What happens to the temperature outside when the Sun goes down?

36. Conclusion In complete sentences, explain the following question: How does the thermometer act when placed in the sun, then in the shade?

37. Vocabulary Thermometer - A tool to measure temperature Elapsed time - The difference between a starting time and an ending time

38. Content and Inquiry • What did you observe about temperatures in sunlight and shade? Temperature in the sunlight is usually higher than temperature in the shade.

39. Question What will happen when the Earth materials, sand, dry soil, wet soil, and water, are placed in the sun, then in the shade?

40. Prediction/Hypothesis For this activity, each group will test a different Earth material, then we will share our results. I predict the Earth material, __________, will ____________________________ as it moves from the sun to the shade.

41. Heating Earth Materials Discussion questions: • What will happen to these Earth materials when they are placed in the sun? • Will the temperature change be the same in all materials? • What will happen when they are placed in the shade?

42. Heating Earth Materials Preparing for the measurements: • Put 100 ml of your Earth material in the clear disk. • Cover the disk with a lid and thermometer. • Tape the Earth Materials in Sun and Shade sheet to the cardboard.

43. Results/Data Each group will record their data on their Earth Materials in Sun and Shade sheet, but you will also need to copy the chart in your lab notebook. When we get back to the classroom, we will calculate the temperature changes.

44. Class Results/Data Copy the following chart into your lab notebook:

45. Class Results/Data Copy the following chart into your lab notebook:

46. Conclusion In complete sentences, explain the following question: How does the amount of sun and shade affect the temperature of Earth materials, sand, water, dry soil, and wet soil?

47. Vocabulary Earth Material - A nonliving substance that makes up or comes from the earth Energy transfer - The change of energy from one form to another, or the movement of energy from one object to another

48. Vocabulary Heat sink - A material, such as water, that can absorb a large amount of heat for its volume and release energy slowly Solar Energy - Energy from the Sun; this energy takes several forms, including visible light and infrared light that can be felt as heat

49. Content and Inquiry • Which materials cooled down the fastest and which the slowest? • What properties are shared by the earth materials that heated up and cooled down the most? • What would happen to the temperature of the sand if you added water to it?

50. Content and Inquiry 1. Which materials cooled down the fastest and which the slowest? The dry soil cooled down the fastest; water cooled down more slowly. 2. What properties are shared by the earth materials that heated up and cooled down the most? Both were solid, dry earth materials 3. What would happen to the temperature of the sand if you added water to it? It might not heat up as much.