Topic: Movement of the Sun

Target group

4th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

General aim of education

Students discuss the relationship between the movement of the Earth and the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• find the sun and zenith places on the blue sphere;

• discuss the relationship between the movement of the Earth and the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky.

Methods/techniques

• activating

  • discussion.

• expository

  • talk.

• exposing

  • film.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• Polish dictionary.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

• The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

Realization

• The teacher asks pupils to read the passage titled „What is the blue vault?” Volunteers answer the question in the title in their own words. The indicated student reads the definition of the term „vault” in the dictionary of the Polish language. Students indicate the most accurate answer given by volunteers.

• Students explain the concepts of zenith and horizon, and then make a note in the notebooks. The lecturer asks the pupils if the words „horizon” and „zenith” mean the same.

• Students independently perform interactive exercises No. 1 and No. 2.

• The teacher presents an illustration of „Celestial sphere”. Students point to the blue sphere of the Sun and zenith towers.

• Students read the fragment „Movement of the Sun in the sky” and describe the apparent movement of the Sun on the blue vault observed in Poland.

• The teacher announces a movie. He instructs his pupils to write a research question and a hypothesis in the form provided in the abstract. Then he plays the video and the students note their observations and conclusions. The teacher points the person who shares his insights and explains the reasonableness of the conclusions noted.

• The leader of the lesson stops the film in selected places and instructs the chosen student to read the hour indicated by the gnomon. Ask the pupils what is called the time resulting from the position of the Sun in the sky. If the students have a problem with the answer, the teacher asks them to read the passage titled „Sundial” and found the right name for this time.

Summary

• The chosen person discusses the relationship between the movement of the Earth and the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky.

• Students independently perform interactive exercise No. 3.

Homework

• Develop a lap book containing issues learned during the lesson and bring your work to the next class.

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Movement of the Sun

Surely you have ridden on a carousel. When we start spinning, we notice that everything around – people, trees, buildings – alternately appear and disappear from our field of view, although they are definitely still in the same place and are not moving. And did you know that the Earth you live on is similar to a carousel that also rotates?

When we look at the sky, it seems as if the sun, moon and stars are on the surface of the hemispherical dome. Such an apparent, non‑existent hemisphere, in the middle of which an observer is located, we call blue sphere or the celestial sphere. Today, of course, we know that there is no ceiling, but it is a convenient concept, facilitating for example a description of the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky or the position of the stars.

We already know that the line of apparent intersection of the earth's surface and the celestial sphere is the horizon. However, the point of intersection of the vertical line from the observer to the celestial sphere is the zenith. In other words – it is a point on the celestial sphere, right above our head.

The apparent movement of the Sun on the celestial sphere observed in Poland looks as follows:

• rises every day, emerging from behind the horizon;

• by noon it moves along the celestial sphere while rising;

• at noon it reaches the highest position above the horizon, this moment is sun‑raising;

• for the remaining half‑day the sun is still moving on the celestial sphere, at the same time decreasing;

• eventually the sun sets behind the horizon line.

During this journey, the altitude of the Sun changes over the horizon. We can find out about it with a simple device – sun dial.

The shadow cast by the objects shows us the solar time. This enabled the construction of the sundial. If in solar time it is noon, it is enough to indicate the direction of the shadow that is being cast then (this is the shortest shadow during the whole day with a northerly direction) and then sign it as 12.00. Then, every hour, until the evening, just mark and sign the next hours. The next day, it is worth calculating the time 6 - 7 hours earlier than the time of midday sun, then at appropriate moments mark where the shadow is falling, signing the hour. Sundials were made thousands of years ago. They are not very accurate, but they allow you to roughly determine the time.

• While on Earth, we observe the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky.

• The duration of the day is determined by the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky.

• During the year they are changing places east, Transit and sunset.