The Teacher will: Have a globe and spin it on its axis. Then they'll use a flashlight to show where the moon is hypothetically from the shadow created from the flashlight.
Describe the technology-enhanced science activity that you will be doing.
The Teacher will: Have a globe and spin it on its axis. Then they'll use a flashlight to show where the “sun” is from the shadow created from the flashlight over 24 hours.
The Student will: They'll play with Stellarium and see the sun’s light hitting different places of the earth over a 24 hour period as the earth simulates rotating on its axis.
What is the content you will be focusing on in your science activity?
3rd Grade Science
Standard 1
Students will understand that the shape of Earth and the moon are spherical and that Earth rotates on its axis to produce the appearance of the sun and moon moving through the sky.
Objective 2
Describe the movement of Earth and the moon and the apparent movement of other bodies through the sky.
Indicator C
Use a model of Earth to demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours to produce the night and day cycle.
What is the pedagogy you will be using and why is it a good fit with the content?
We’ll use the constructivist theory: children build upon prior learning. They’ll watch the teacher model, view images, and simulate a 24 hour sun pattern on the earth through Stellarium technology program.
What is the technology you'll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?
Stellarium is the technology program we’ll use because it works perfectly with the standard and objective we’ve chosen.
How would you describe the representation of the content produced by the technology you use in your science activity and in what way would it help students better understand the objective you are aiming to teach?
Students will understand the standard to be learned through using Stellarium which simulates the earth rotation on its axis and how the sun hits different areas of the world and different times. And creates shadows (nights) at different times after the flashlight (sun) passes. I would model it first and then students would model it for themselves. The leaning would be engaging because it is interactive.
