Kindergarten Science Unit Plan

The Suns Heat (Energy)

Weeks 1-5
Standards:
K-PS3-1. Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earths surface . [Clarification Statement: Examples of Earths surface could
include sand, soil, rocks, and water] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of temperature is limited to relative measures such as warmer/cooler.]
K-PS3-2. Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.* [Clarification
Statement: Examples of structures could include umbrellas, canopies, and tents that minimize the warming effect of the sun.]

Essential Questions:

What happens when you stand out in the Sun?

How large is the Sun compared to Earth?
How many Earths can fit across the Sun?
How are the Sun and Earth similar and different?
How does the Sun help our Earth?
What happens when_____is left out in the Sun? (wood, soil, water, or sand)
How is black fabric different than the white fabric when they are left out in the Sun?
How can you reduce the heating of the Suns warming on an area? What would you make?
What would happen if ________? (Student generated questioning)

Resources: Eye on the Sky (NASA)

Science Vocabulary: orbit, hypothesis, observation, conclusion, absorb, hot, warm, reduce, increase,
decrease, investigation
Week
Objective
Lessons Ideas
Show
Mastery by
Week 1 Prerequisite
Knowledge:
The Sun is a
star, it gives
off heat, and is
very big
compared to
Earth

SWBAT
*Write and draw about their experience
answering the question, What happens
when you stand out in the Sun?
*Write and draw about 2 facts they
learned about the Sun
*Draw a picture depicting a correct size
comparison between the Sun and the
Earth.
*Draw and label the Earths Orbit around
the Sun

o
o
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Answer the question What happens when you stand out

in the Sun? by standing in a circle outside for 5 mins
with eyes closed to use their senses to experience being
in the sun.
KWL Chart on the Sun
Read The Sun, Our Nearest Star afterwards look at
solar images on NASA, and talk to a partner about the
Sun before writing 2 facts about the Sun
Create a large classroom Sun and glue Earths across it in
order to depict size difference. Students create their own
picture showing this size difference with labels.

-Writing about the

Sun (Write two facts
you learned about
the Sun).
-Report Writing
about Standing in
the Sun
-Describing 2 pieces
of information the
Class Sun shows to a
partner

Week 2
PS3.1 Make
observations
to determine
the effect of
sunlight on
Earths surface

Week 3
PS3.1 Make
observations
to determine
the effect of
sunlight on the
Earths Surface

Week 4
PS3.2 use
tools and
materials to
design and

SWBAT
* Write and draw about their experience
answering the question, What happens
when water and sand are left out in the
Sun for four hours?
*Write and draw about their experience
answering student generated what if
question.
*Write and draw about their experience
answering question, What happens
when soil and wood are left out in the
Sun for four hours?
*Write and draw about results of student
generated what if question.

SWBAT
* Write and draw about their experience
answering the question, Does one color
get hotter in the Sun compared to other
colors?
*Write and draw about their experience
answering student generated what if
question.
* Sort pictures of objects that they have
observed into two categories: gets hot in
Sun or gets warm in Sun and be able to
explain their reasoning of their
placement to a partner
*Write two details about the Suns
Energy based on class reading.
SWBAT
*Write and draw about their experience
answering the question, What happens
when you place an umbrella over water
out in the Sun?

Act out the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. Students
draw this obit and label their picture.

Place 2 tubs of water and 2 tubs of sand out in the Sun in

the morning with thermometers, record beginning temp
of each object. In the afternoon check temperature of
objects and compare. Students create a hypothesis,
record observations, and come up with an answer to the
originally posed question. T asks Ss to come up with
What if questions based on the results found. T
chooses one to try the following day.
Investigation of a student What if question
Place 2 pieces of wood and two buckets of soil outside
(both piece of wood need to be the same) with a
thermometer, record beginning temperature. In the
afternoon check temperature of objects and compare.
Students create a hypothesis, record observations, and
come up with an answer to the originally posed question.
T asks Ss to come up with What if questions based on
the results found. T chooses one to try the following day.
Investigation of a student What if question
Place 3 colors of fabric in the Sun: white, black, and green
with a thermometer, record beginning temperature of
objects. In the afternoon check temperature of objects
and compare. Students create a hypothesis, record
observations, and come up with an answer to the
originally posed question. T asks Ss to come up with
What if questions based on the results found. T
chooses one to try the following day.
Investigation of a student What if question
Create a class T-chart of materials left in the sun and
discuss placement of picture of object on the Very Hot in
Sun or Not So Hot in Sun side
Read a book or teacher created poster on the Suns
Energy. Write and draw about 2 details they learned from
the book.

-Report Writing
about What happens
when water and
sand are left out in
the Sun?
-Report Writing on
student created
what if question.
-Report Writing
about What happens
when wood and soil
are left out in the
Sun?

Place an umbrella over a bucket of water out in the Sun,

record beginning temperature. In the afternoon check
temperature of objects and compare temperature to
waters temperature without an umbrella. Students
create a hypothesis, record observations, and come up

-Report Writing on
what happens when
you place an
umbrella over
water?

o
o

o
o

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-Report Writing
about Does one
color get hotter than
the others?
-Report Writing on
student created
what if question.
-Write about 2 facts
they learned about
Suns Energy
-Student T-chart sort

build a
structure that
will block heat
from Sun

*Write and draw about their experience

answering a student generated what if
question.
*Write and draw about their experience
answering question, What happens
when you place a piece of canvas over
sand?
* Write and draw about their experience
answering a student generated what if
question.

o
o

o
Week 5
PS3.2 use
tools and
materials to
design and
build a
structure that
will block heat
from the sun

SWBAT
*create a drawing of an object they will
build to decrease the heat of the Sun on
the surface of the asphalt on the
playground.
*build an object they have drawn using
given materials
*Write and draw about their experience
in answering the question What
happened when a covering was placed
over the asphalt outside?
*Report to class what happened when
their object was left out in the sun?

o
o

with an answer to the originally posed question. T asks

Ss to come up with What if questions based on the
results found. T chooses one to try the following day.
Investigation of a student What if question
Place a piece of canvas over a bucket of sand out in the
Sun, record beginning temperature. In the afternoon
check temperature of objects and compare temperature
to sands temperature without canvas. Students create a
hypothesis, record observations, and come up with an
answer to the originally posed question. T asks Ss to
come up with What if questions based on the results
found. T chooses one to try the following day.
Investigation of a student what if question

-Report Writing on
student created
what if question.
-Report Writing on
what happens when
you place canvas
over sand
-Report Writing on
student created
what if question

Students are shown materials: wood, canvas, plastic,

different colored fabric, popcicle sticks, pipe cleaners.
They are asked to think about what they know happens
to different materials in the Sun and create a structure to
stop the Sun from heating up the playground floor so
much. Students pick one type of covering and one type
of base (popcicle sticks or pipe cleaners) to draw in a
picture they design.
Students are given materials to create their covering.
Coverings are placed on asphalt in morning, initial
temperatures are recorded, and then checked in
afternoon. All temperatures of student coverings are
recorded on large poster and compared.
Students take turn reporting what they discovered doing
this investigation using sentence frames I made
__________. It did/did not reduce the warming of the Sun
because_____. My favorite part of the investigation
was_____.

-Student drawing of
covering idea
-Student created
covering
-Report Writing on
Student
investigation of how
their material did or
did not reduce
warming of an area.
-Oral report to class.