Energy Sciences

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 13.05.02

  1. Unit Guide
  1. The Discovery
  2. The Purpose
  3. School Demographics
  4. Background Knowledge
  5. The Connection
  6. Unit Activity Overview
  7. The Arrangement
  8. Student Activities and Exploration
  9. Appendix A
  10. Appendix B
  11. Appendix C
  12. Appendix D
  13. Notes

Soaking Up the Sun!

Miesha Gadsden

Published September 2013

Tools for this Unit:

Student Activities and Exploration

Activity 1: "What's For Dinner?"

To begin this activity, students will think about their favorite food for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Once students choose their favorite, create a class graph or chart labeling it "Fantastic Food Fads." Have students think about where their food came from by creating a pictorial representation or ladder using arrows. For example, if their favorite food is ice cream they will draw an ice cream cone at the top of their ladder. Then they will draw milk or one other ingredient that is used in ice cream on the rung below. Milk comes from cows; therefore, cows will be on the next rung of their ladder. In order for cows to survive, they have to eat grass so grass will be on the fourth rung of their ladder. What helps the grass grow? You've got it! The SUN! No matter if their favorite food comes from plants or animals, they all revert back to the sun. Remind them to think about all the ingredients used in their favorite food because this can then become quite complicated. Save drawings as a pre-assessment and discuss how none of our favorite foods would be possible without the Sun.

image 13.05.02.05

Activity 2: "Living Sunlight"

This activity will incorporate reading, writing, and art. Show students the cover of Living Sunlight by Molly Bang and ask them to discuss the plants and animals represented in the environment. By looking even closer, see if they notice the yellow glow that surrounds each object. This glow is a representation of the Sun and how it lives within each and every organism in our Ecosystem. After reading the book, students will create their own piece of art using one organism as their focal point. This could be a plant, a tree, an insect, animal, etc. Then they will use yellow paint and Q-tips to show the sun rays illuminating around their object. They will write a paragraph underneath explaining the importance of their particular object as a focal point and the adverse effects if our Sun was not present.

Activity #3: Photosynthesis Power

After an in depth look at photosynthesis, students will have an opportunity to create a play or skit showing the process. Divide class into 6 groups including: Sun, Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen, Leaves, Sugar and Water. Each group will use paper plates and table cloths to "transform" into their selected group. Ex. The sun group will paint or draw the sun on their paper plate and use yellow table cloths to cover themselves. While reading "The Sun Gives Us Energy to Survive" (Appendix C), students will act out each part of photosynthesis.

image 13.05.02.06

Students will use their knowledge of photosynthesis to create a comic strip describing each step. Ex. "Hi I'm Larry the Leaf. I take in Sunlight and drink lots of water." They will choose one of the 6 "characters" from the model and write their comic strip from that particular characters' point of view. If they were writing from the perspective of oxygen, they may have a different attitude towards photosynthesis because they are always being released from the leaves. "Hey, why did you kick me out Mr. Sun?! I was here first!" Students will be assessed using a rubric of their knowledge and accuracy depicted from photosynthesis.

Activity #4: Blowing Bubbles

Students will work in pairs to practice their breathing. Partner A will take deep slow breaths by breathing in and out while partner B records how many breaths were completed in a minute. Remind students to look for signs of breathing such as a raised stomach, sounds coming from their mouth or nose and body expressions. The first round will be completed using normal breaths. For the second round, have Partner A run in place for 1 minute, then have Partner B record how many breaths were completed in a minute. Compare results from the first round and second round. Are there any noticeable differences? Why or why not?

For the next portion of this activity, students will need plastic cups, straws, food coloring and BTB (Bromothymol Blue) solution. Each cup needs to be filled halfway with water. Give students an opportunity to practice blowing out carbon dioxide from their lungs by making bubbles. When we blow out carbon dioxide, plants are able to use that carbon dioxide to help with photosynthesis. However, too much carbon dioxide in the air creates problems for the environment. When students have a good grasp of blowing out carbon dioxide, add 2-3 drops of BTB solution. This solution is NOT intended for consumption so it is imperative that you review safety precautions with your students. Have students observe what color the solution was to begin with and record it in their science journals. Students will experiment blowing bubbles with the solution and watch the color change magically before their eyes! What causes the solution to change colors? (Carbon dioxide from our lungs) Finally, place a leaf inside the cup and let it set in the light for at least 30 minutes. Have students observe and record what happens to the solution and what is responsible for that change. *(The leaves absorb the carbon dioxide and cause the solution to change to blue). Continue the cycle of photosynthesis explaining how plants provide oxygen for us to breathe and we blow out carbon dioxide to start the cycle again.

Activity #5: Extracting Chlorophyll

For this activity, you will need 4-5 spinach leaves, a clear glass, spoon, nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol, coffee filter, pencil, scissors, and tape.

- Tear the leaves into small pieces.

- Place the pieces into the bottom of the glass and press them down with a spoon.

- Add several teaspoons of nail polish remover (or rubbing alcohol) to the leaf mush. Wait until the leaves settle at the bottom of the nail polish remover. If the remover does not cover all the leaves, add enough so that they are totally covered.

- Cut a rectangle from the coffee filter. Tape the rectangle to the pencil and, when the leaves are settled, place the pencil across the top of the glass so that the coffee filter rests in the nail polish remover without touching the leaves.

- Let the glass sit for several hours in the sunlight.

Have students observe what happens to the coffee filter as the green color from the leaves travels up the filter. What would happen if you use red leaves, orange leaves, etc. during the fall? Will you get the same results?

Activity #5: Environmental Conditions

With this project, students will work in teams to develop a model or simulation of a specific ecosystem found in the world. Before starting this activity, immerse students in a rich array of literature related to the environment and the world around us. Seeds of Change is a phenomenal book that depicts the struggle and determination a young woman named Wangari Maathai had to change her country. She saw how her environment was affected by human greed and decided to take a stand to plant several trees which started the Green Belt Movement. Because of her heroic efforts and community outreach, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Another fantastic literacy component to integrate is The Good Garden by Katie Smith Milway. This story shows how a family in Honduras struggles and works hard to grow their own food to meet their basic needs. The story depicts a true story of farm transformation and how good gardens are able to grow. Through this story, students are able to see how they can also make a difference in their own community.

There are several other children's books that can be used to help support the Environmental Condition project for students including: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, Freshwater Habitats by Laurie Toupin, Tree of Life by Rochelle Strauss and many more (See Appendix B). Many of the selected books highlight a specific place in our diverse world. Have students locate the main setting on a world map and use that location to help build their ecosystem.

They will research plants and animals found in that particular environment and show how environmental conditions can affect the growth and survival of their organisms. For this activity, each group will need a large sheet of poster board, paint and craft supplies. They must first decide on their location by using countries and continents around the world. The top of their poster will reflect the country and the specific plant found in that country. For example, in Seeds of Change, Wangari plants several mugumo trees to replenish the ones that were chopped down. After viewing pictures of mugumo trees, students can create their own with paint and craft supplies.

As students conduct their research, they will answer five main questions, to be included on index cards, on their poster:

As you research, be sure to include the following in your results:

  • What type of plant are you researching?
  • What environment is it mostly found in? (ecosystem, habitat, landforms)
  • Describe the process of how your particular plant gets energy.
  • What environmental conditions affect your plant? (pollution, deforestation, human impact, etc.)
  • What role does the sun play in the balance of your ecosystem?

Students will present their research to the class to increase their communication skills and knowledge learned. Students will use a graphic organizer to fill in information from the presentations. Once students present to their class, they will have an opportunity to present to other grade levels and parents in an Ecosystem Explo. They will set up their area with their poster and research materials as observing participants rotate through each station to learn more about the Sun's role in our Ecosystem.

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