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Earth-Moon-Sun Notes

1. For the first meeting, we try to explain the way Earth's rotation
causes Sun to move in sky, leading to night and day, and the fact that
the time of day is different in different places on Earth.
- First spend ! minutes with a glo"e to represent Earth, an overhead
pro#ector representing the Sun, and a little figurine you can put
on the Earth to represent people. Explain that a glo"e is a small-scale
model of the Earth. Explain that in our pretend game for the day they
are huge $"igger than Earth% and out in space. &hey can pretend they
have spacesuits for air. 'ut space is dark $turn off lights%. (nly
light around here comes from Sun $turn on slide pro#ector%. )f you look
at Sun you get "linded, so don't. 'ut when sunlight hits Earth, you can
see the Earth. *oreover, people on Earth can now see stuff around them
"ecause sunlight illuminates it. 'ut not all people on Earth. +ote that
only half of Earth illuminated. ,eople on that half can see around them-
if they look up $use figurine% they see the Sun. (n other side of Earth,
it's dark and Sun is not in sky. .et them tell you this is day/night.
+ow ask them how this situation changes. 0et to Earth rotating slowly.
&akes a whole day and night to go around - 12 hours. Show them 3urham and
go through a day and a night in 3urham, showing where the Sun seems to "e.
Explain that Sun looks like it moves in sky - rises, sets, etc. - #ust as
when on carousel things 4off4 the carousel seem to "e spinning. Earth as
a merry-go-round $you can tell them we move at 5!! mph as it spins if
you think it will not take you on a huge tangent%. Finally, show how
different places on Earth have a different time of day at any given time.
)f there are kids in the class who have flown far enough to notice $ask
teacher a"out this in advance - it may "e her opportunity to let some
foreign student who never talks shine% let them talk a"out #etlag and
explain how this works.
- Following these $rather dense% ! minutes they will do a follow-up
activity with you and the teacher helping out and monitoring. &his
is likely to "e a good group activity "ut how they do it is up to the
teacher. 6e will hand out papers with several configurations of
a Sun, an Earth $each a circle%, with four points marked on Earth.
(ne of these will "e red and will represent 3urham. Sun will always
"e on left $say% "ut Earth will "e rotated, so time in 3urham is
different. &heir first goal will "e to color $in yellow7% side
of Earth illuminated "y Sun. &hen they try to figure out if it is
day or night in 3urham. &hen to guess what time it is in 3urham.
Finally, they can go "ack and try to figure out what time it is
at the other points marked on Earth in each of the configurations.
&his should help nail the concepts. )t will also come in handy
later when we use the same trick to understand *oon phases.
1. Second weekly meeting we introduce *oon phases.
Start "y recalling last week8s discussion $9 minutes% and asking for :uestions.
&ry to keep these reasona"ly focused on the su"#ect. ;emind them that then
they were out in space looking down at the Earth.
Start with a discussion of shapes the *oon takes in sky. Esta"lish $they will
likely have discussed this% that the *oon itself does not change shape, it is
always a "all.
,resent a moon glo"e or some other "all to represent *oon today. &oday, the
students $sitting on carpet in a group% will "e on Earth. (verhead, "ack in
corner of room, will "e Sun as usual.
Show how moon shines "y reflecting sunlight $it is not a star or something
"right, #ust a lump of rock, rather like the glo"e we have here%.
+ow, have someone $teacher or me% man the overhead and keep it pointed at
you $unlike Sun it does not illuminate all directions% as you move around
students $who are playing Earth%. <t different points they should "e a"le $if
class is dark and overhead "right enough% to see differently-shaped *oons #ust
as we do in the sky.
Show them how looking at *oon tells us which way the Sun is $follow
illuminated side=%.
So *oon's or"ital motion around Earth creates phases. )f you have time,
integrate this with previous discussion of rotation - like Sun, *oon will rise
and set- you can even try to point out relation "etween phase and moonrise/set
time - "oth are determined "y where in sky moon is relative to sun.
*ake sure they reali>e we can see *oon during the day= Full moon is 1!/11
so moon rises in late afternoon/early evening this week. +ext week, as it
wanes, they may "e a"le to see moon and sun in sky at the same time for a real
picture to compare with our theory.
- &he follow-up activity here is a paper worksheet similar to the one
used the first time, "ut the configurations will include Sun, Earth, and
*oon. First they can color day/night onto Earth for warmup $depending
on time%. &hen do same for *oon - color in yellow the region illuminated
"y the Sun. +ow color in "lue $use color pencils, ) guess% the half we can
see from Earth $opposite order7%. 0reen overlap is part we see shining
when we look at the moon. +ote how si>e of this changes as *oon moves
around Earth $Sun still always on left here=%. &ry to talk them through
understanding how the little wedge on their circle "ecomes a crescent on
a sphere.
. &hird meeting to reinforce the phases and introduce eclipses
6e will start "y reviewing the phases stuff from last time. &his time we will
use a different Sun. 6e have a naked light"ul" that can illuminate the entire
classroom. Start "y going over what you did last week ? sit them on the carpet
with the Sun on one side and walk around them $"ut not around Sun=% with
your moon. @ave someone hold up a glo"e in center of group. Aou can start
with a !-sec day/night review ? #ust ask where it is day and where night, etc.
&hen, go around once showing phases. (n second time, have someone come
up at each of four main phases and point to place on glo"e where moon is
overhead. @ave them tell you what time of day it is there ? so they see
crescent moon will "e overhead at noon, waxing/waning :uarter in
evening/morning and full at midnight.
)f this is going well, have glo"e up and get them to see Earth phases as seen
from moon. &his is a good comprehension test "ut not our main focus so do
not get hung up.
+ext, have each take a Styrofoam "all BmoonC and arrange them in a circle
around the Sun $so no"ody eclipses their friend%. Show them how to turn,
holding moon at arm8s length, and watch the phases appear. &his is a very
powerful and visi"le demo. @ave them do this for a few minutes for
themselves, then call out commands and see if they can all do Bfull moonC,
Bhalf $or :uarter ? whatever you have called it to them% moonC, B"anana $D7%
moonC, etc.
)n the process of doing this some will undou"tedly discover eclipses. ,romise
to get to that soon. 6hen the phases stuff seems to work well, stop them and
get their attention. *ake sure they can see your shadow on wall "ehind you.
Show them how you can make your full moon disappear, point out on wall that
it is entering shadow of your head. 0et them to figure out that your head is
playing Earth and the entire thing can happen in space, minus the wall. @ave
them all try to make a lunar eclipse. *ake sure they see why this can only
happen at full moon ? show them other phases and ask them if you can get in
the way of the sunlight now.. Show them how if you do it slowly you can see
the moon disappear one "it at a time.
+ow get their attention again. Show them how you make a solar eclipse "y
getting moon in front of your face. &his works "est if you hold moon closer to
you, and close one eye ? so you are looking from the point of totality. *ake
them look at your face as you do this and notice the dark circle where the Sun
is hidden. *ake sure they understand that people there will see their day
darken ? so first that it is day and second that Sun is hidden. Show how
people elsewhere can still see Sun $rest of your face is not dark%. &urn your
head a "it to mimic Earth, show how eclipse moves along Earth. +ow have
them make solar eclipses, look at each other8s face and see the dark circles.

Each of these should take a"out an hour. ,lan time carefully and modify
plan on your feet as you go, "ecause "oth we and they have places to go
at specified times= &ry to find a minute to talk to teacher "efore or
after to summari>e how it went, what to tweak for next time, etc. &ry to
get them to exchange emails with you as that is a far "etter way to keep
in touch with them.

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