Earth and the Universe

Grade Level: 5th

Subject: Science

Time Frame: 4 weeks (May)

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Essential Questions

 

- how does relative distance affect the brightness of a star?
- what causes night and day?
- why are some constellations only visible during certain times of the year?
- why do shadows appear larger at certain times of the day, and shorter at other times?

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By the end of the unit, students will know:

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- a star's distance from Earth affects how bright it appears to be
- the length of shadows decrease during the day until they reach a certain point, then the shadows gradually start to get larger
- the rotation of Earth causes night and day
- the path of the sun changes from month to month
- the location of constellations change due to the rotation and revolution of Earth

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By the end of the unit, students will be able to:

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- create an argument that relative brightness of the sun compared to other stars is a function of the distance to those stars
- explain how day turns into night
- explain why the sun casts different sized shadows
- explain that the location of constellation in the night sky appear in different locations due to the rotation and revolution of Earth

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Topics

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- the universe
- the sun
- the earth
- relationship between the universe, sun, and earth
- observable patterns

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Standards

ESS1.A, ESS1.B