Light, camera, action! Shadows?

This lesson will demonstrate how the position of a light source or direction of light and the time of the day will affect the shadow images that are depicted in our environment over a period of time.

A lesson plan for grade 3 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science

By Alta Allen

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• Learn more about computer/technology skills, education technology, physics and physical science, and science.

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Learning outcomes

The student will:

• Understand the concept that the lengths of the shadows are directly influenced by the position and movement of the sun in the sky and the time of the day.
• Understand the concept that the position of a shadow is directly related to the sun’s direction to that object.
• Observe, collect, record, interpret, and analyze data over a period of time.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

Two weeks

Materials/resources

• sunny days
• a large outdoor area such as a playground or an open field
• four large sheets of white paper
• an ¹/₂-inch dowel rod measured and cut to the length of fifteen-inches with one end sharpened to assist with burying
• a hammer
• a yardstick or tape measure
• a pencil and data book/learning log for collecting and recording information (unless a laptop is available for data collection on site)
• a level to ensure that the dowel is perpendicular to the ground
• masking tape to secure white paper to the ground
• a watch or clock

Technology resources

• computer with spreadsheet program, perhaps a laptop with which data collection could be done on the investigation site
• printer
• digital camera or 35 mm camera with scanner capabilities
• presentation software such as Kid Pix Studio Deluxe, HyperStudio, or PowerPoint

Pre-activities

Teacher should gather all materials prior to sunny days. Have enough materials available so that students can work in small groups of 3–4 students.

Activities

1. Divide the class into small groups of no more than four students per group.
2. Students should be given time to decide what role each person in the group will perform. (Examples: Data Recorder—records collected data; Materials Gopher—gets, maintains, and returns all material to proper place; Handyman/girl—manipulates all data collection; Camera person—takes digital images of the shadow.)
3. Before the class goes outside for data collection, they should establish ground rules for behavior and procedural matters for distributing materials. (Examples: Stay on task. Work cooperatively. Come and go quietly. Return materials to their appropriate locations.)
4. Teacher should give a synopsis of the investigation before students brainstorm their sequence of activities. Students should work cooperatively to storyboard the sequence of the investigation. Recorder should record what group’s action plan is going to be. Note: This should be done a day in advance so that the following morning students will be ready to record data. The sequence of activities should follow a similar plan:
   • Select a location for investigation. This location should be a flat or level surface.
   • Use the hammer to bury the dowel rod three inches into the soil. (Twelve inches or a foot should be above the surface of the ground.)
   • Using the level, make sure the dowel rod is perpendicular to the ground.
   • Take two sheets of large paper and attach them using masking tape end to end. Do the same for the other two sheets.
   • Position the papers at the base of the dowel so that one end of the paper is touching the dowel rod on one side and the other is on the opposite side. Make sure the shadow of the tip of the dowel falls onto the white paper.
   • Secure the papers to the surface of the ground using masking tape to prevent movement.
   • On each hour, mark the point at which the shadow hits the paper. Next to this mark, record the time of the day that this data was collected.
   • Using the yardstick or tape measure, measure the distance (to the nearest half-inch) from tip of the shadow to the dowel rod for each hourly reading.
   • Camera person will take a digital image of the shadow to be used for the multimedia presentation at the end of the investigation.
   • The data recorder will keep a chart depicting accurate records of the time of data collection and the distance from the dowel rod.
   • Repeat the hourly readings for as long as possible each day. (Suggestion: begin readings as early in the morning as schedule allows and as late as possible in the afternoon. The more readings, the better.)
   • Do daily reading for five days, remembering to keep the daily account of each hour’s shadow distance.
5. The initial day of setting up the environment will take longer, so allow plenty of time for the construction of the investigation space is necessary. Approximately ten minutes before each hour, allow students to go outside for data collection.
6. After each reading, allow class time for groups to record information to a spreadsheet.
7. At the end of five days, students should construct a line or bar graph of their results.
8. Students should also have time to work together to make an analysis of the data collected and draw conclusions about the effect of the sun’s position and the time of the day on the length of the shadow. Groups should record their conclusions in their group learning log/data book.
9. Groups will then complete a slide show depicting the shadows during a one-day time period with script to match the results. Graphs can also be put into the slide presentation. Students can use a rubric for guidance with presentation.
10. Groups will present their results as a whole class presentation.
11. Individual students will complete a cooperative learning self-evaluation sheet.

Assessment

Groups will:

• Complete a storyboard sequencing the activities in their investigation.
• Create a multimedia presentation simulating this experiment using digital pictures and dialogue to explain observations and conclusions.

Students will:

• Complete a cooperative learning checklist evaluating their part in this investigation.
• Students will use the information collected to create a spreadsheet and then graph this data via the computer in the form of a bar or line graph.
• Students will write a group learning log reflection/summary of what they discovered from this investigation.

Supplemental information

Attachments:

• Shadow Storyboard
• Cooperative Self-Evaluation
• Spreadsheet Shadows
• Rubric

Comments

This lesson plan and two additional plans were created in a LEARN NC workshop held in Chapel Hill. This workshop was funded by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics for the purpose of giving teachers the time, energy, and resources to create lesson plans. Using the Ackland Museum in Chapel Hill was an inspiration for helping us to incorporate the elements of arts education into our series of lessons.