TCNJ Lesson Plan

Science - Sun and Shadows

Student Name: Jessica Burch School Name: Clara Barton School

Grade Level: 1st Host Teacher’s Name: Mrs. Silva

Guiding and/or Essential Questions:

1. How can we use the Sun to create shadows?
2. Why is it important to learn about shadows and what shadows are made of?
3. How do shadows and how shadows are made come into our real life experiences?

Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge (ex. background knowledge,

possible misconceptions, prior lesson content)
Students most likely have background knowledge on making shadows and what a shadow
consists of. Some students may have the misconception that a shadow is blocked light and that
shade is also considered a shadow.

Standards:
1-PS4-3. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with
different materials in the path of a beam of light.
1-PS4-4. Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the
problem of communicating over a distance

Learning Objectives and Assessments:

Learning Objectives Assessment

Students will be able to define what parts
make a shadow.
Students will be able to create shadows
outside using the sun.
Students will be assessed by class discussion and
participation in their responses to the direct class
instruction prompting.
Students will be assessed by going outside and
creating different kinds of shadows that are prompted
by the teacher.

Materials/Resources: (List materials, include any online or book references and resources)
● Slides
● Suns and Shadows challenge worksheet (for teacher)

Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:

 ● Students will not need any materials during direct instruction
● Students will only need their bodies and their peers to make shadows outside

Step by Step plan (numbered):

1. Lesson beginning: I will introduce the lesson by explaining the anchor phenomenon
question/prompt to engage students into the discussion
2. I will then take responses to their thoughts on the anchor phenomenon and what it has to
do with shadows
3. Class Instruction: I will then introduce one of the main questions of the topic “How do
you make a shadow?”
4. I will allow students to turn and talk about their responses
5. I will then take a few friends’ answers to describe how to make a shadow to the class
6. I will then reinforce their ideas and follow up with the additional prompting questions
a. “What two things do you need to make a shadow?”
b. “How might we make shadows outdoors?”
c. “What objects will block the sunlight?”
7. I will allow turn and talk time for each question and after each question, take a few hands
to answer the prompted question
8. I will then introduce the focus question that we will be answering later in our science
journals - “How can we use the Sun to create shadows?”
9. I will take a few hands to introduce their thoughts on the question
10. I will then explain that we will be going outdoors and will be conducting some sun
shadow challenges
11. Before going outside, I instructed students how to stay safe outside and where we will be
going and staying for the lesson. I will make sure to reiterate always keeping open eyes
and ears for the teacher’s instructions
12. Outdoors: I will then guide the students outdoors after I have lined everyone up
13. Once we are outdoors, I will give students a few moments to find a spot with enough
elbow room to do some different moves to make different shadows
14. I will explain how they will need to be moving around to make these different shadow
challenges
15. I will then introduce the shadow challenges one by one, allowing students to move
around and make their shadows
16. As they are doing this, I will be walking around the blacktop to observe the shadows
being made and reinforce their great work and great production of shadows
17. Some shadow challenges include, ‘hide your shadow, make a shadow with 4 arms, make
your shadow jump,’ etc.
18. Once those are done and the timer to go inside goes off, I will then gather the attention of
the students to line back up and head inside
19. As we are in line, I prompt the students asking them, “how was making shadows?”
getting a response to start the discussion for when we go inside
 20. Class Discussion: I will then conduct the class discussion when all students are settled in
their circle spots
21. I will ask prompting questions such as, “What did you observe/find/see while outside?”
22. I will take a few hands to share their experiences outside making shadows
23. I will then refocus the class on the focus questions of the lesson
a. “What two things do you need to make a shadow?”
b. “How can we use the Sun to create shadows”
24. I will then allow the students to add anything they noticed during the class discussion
25. Closure: As a closure, I will ask students to tell the class what we learned in science. I
will then restate what we learned in science and why. “Today, we learned about shadows
and what makes a shadow to recognize them in our real lives!”

Key Questions (that you will ask):

1. What is a shadow?
2. How is a shadow made?
3. What two things do you need to make a shadow?
4. How might you make shadows outdoors?
5. What objects will block the sunlight?

Key Vocabulary (with child friendly definitions)

● Shadow – shade created by blocked light

Logistics:
Timing: Given around 35 minutes (2:25-3:00 pm)
● Introduction - 5 min.
● Class Instruction - 7 min.
● Going outdoors - 13 min.
● Class discussion - 7 min.
● Conclusion - 3 min.
.
Transitions:

I will transition between instruction and the outside part of the lesson by waiting for respectful
listening and calling students row by row to go from the rug to then line up at the door to go
outside.

I will transition between the outdoor part of the lesson to the closure by indicating that the timer
is done by gaining the students’ attention. I will do this by clapping or providing a call and
response for students to respond to. When I have students’ attention, I will instruct students to
line up at the back door to come inside to begin the closure discussion.

Classroom Management:
If students become too rowdy during the video or during the instruction, I will pause what we are
doing in the lesson and explain that we cannot do a fun activity of going outside to make
shadows if there is talking during the video and/or the lesson. If there are particular students
being disruptive (talking when they are not supposed to), I will ask them to go back to their seats.
I will make sure to tell students that this is a quiet, low voice activity, especially through the
hallway, and there should be little to no loud noises, until we get outside. If needed, I will also
conduct a mystery student component during the lesson as classroom management, where I will
then reveal who that student is at the end of the lesson and if they did well to earn a blue note.

Differentiation Notes:

Content (what the teacher plans to teach/what the students need to learn): Students who are
struggling with what the content of shadows and the creation of shadows may sit at the back
table with Mrs. Silva and/or Miss Maura for individualized/small group instruction.

Process (how the students will access the information/activities students use to learn the
content): Students who have a hard time accessing the information to complete the activities for
this science lesson, students may have individual conversations with Mrs. Silva and/or Miss
Maura, instead of turning and talking with a buddy.

Product (the method students use to demonstrate learning): Students who are struggling with
the method used to demonstrate their ability on identifying and creating shadows, students can
work with Mrs. Silva or Miss Maura as their buddy outside to have guided instruction on how to
make different shadows.