* mark the hourly position of a shadow on the sidewalk
* mark the hourly positon of the sun on a "sun globe"
* mark the position of the rising sun on an east window

processes that make up the exploration lesson

• observe:

  * shadows of a meter stick
  * their own shadows
  * shadows of other objects
  

• observe: students play shadow tag -- stepping on another person's shadow

• observe: that some shadow edges are sharp ( distinct ) while others are fuzzy.

• observe: when facing south notice that the sun seems to move to the "right" as the day goes on.

• communicate: students put numbers on the shadow to agree with the time of day ( 9 a.m. 10 a.m. )

• measure / gather data / graph -- linear data:
  record the hourly shadow lengths in cm & plot them on a graph

• measure / gather data / graph -- angular data:
  determine the hourly angular change in the sun's position

• communicate: use their computer and art class time to make posters that will be displayed in the halls and inform others ( and be updated ) about this year long project.

• measure: define noon as the time of the shortest shadow

• interpret data: compare wrist-watch noon to solar noon

• gather data / predict: after noting the change in shadows for three one hour periods, students predict the position of a shadow one hour later. They mark their prediction bottle caps.

• compass directions:

  * east is the position where the sun is seen in the morning
  * south is the position where the sun is seen at noon
  * west is the position where the sun is seen at day's end

• the edges of short shadows are sharp ( distinct )
• the edges of long shadows are fuzzy
• zenith angle = the angle that separates the sun from being directly overhead
• the larger the zenith angle, the longer the shadow

  ---

  concept application

• students continue to make weekly observations to note the position of "sunsight" and "sunclipse" changes with the seasons
  
• check the accuracy of their sundial
  * shadow length and position do not change (much) from day to day
  * shadow tag: determine which time of the day ( and season ) would be the best to play if --
  * they were "it" -- trying to "catch" other people
  * they were trying not to be caught
  

• safety: students will not look directly at the sun.
• health: sts: skin care - the sun can be harmful
• materials: masking tape; meter stick; support; chalk