The Sun and Us

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 21.04.07

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Demographics:  School and Student Background Information
  3. Anticipated Summative Outcome
  4. Unit Content Objectives
  5. The Unit
  6. Strategies
  7. Activities
  8. Appendix on Implementing District Standards
  9. Notes
  10. Bibliography

Our Sun: Through Scientific, Cultural, and Artistic Lenses

Tina Berry

Published September 2021

Tools for this Unit:

The Unit

Content Objectives

Investigate

  1. Students will research and discover how our Sun and planets came to be.
  2. Students will understand how the Sun affects us on Earth in various ways.
  3. Students will read Sun stories, myths, and stories about Sun gods from all the world.

Students will gain an understanding of the Sun and its effects on our planet through a scavenger hunt.  Stations will be set up around the room for students to explore and interact with.  Each station will focus on a specific piece of information for students.  Each station will have a specific question and the materials needed to answer the question. Stations will have books, specific websites to explore, a game to play, videos to watch, experiments, physical items to manipulate, and magazine articles.  Students will be put into small groups to work as a team and each team will be given a different set of colored Post-Its.  While exploring the stations and discovering information teams will interact with each other and with the materials given.  As teams collect information, they will write their answer to the station’s question on a Post-It note and take it to the teacher for validation.  Students’ correct answers will be put on a gridded answer board, incorrect answers will be clarified and students sent back to the station to find the correct answer.  The goal is for students to gain an understanding of the Sun and the life it brings on our planet in a fun and memorable way and to show their understanding by filling in their Post-It grid. 

Through books and websites students will read about, and listen to, stories about the Sun.  Students will be given a list of some of the cultures they could investigate and may also venture out on their own, as the list given is definitely not a complete look at cultures around the world and their stories of the Sun.  Culture is such an important part of art history.  Art is used to express feelings, reflect styles, promote religion, communicate desires, and so many other things, most of which are based on or influenced by culture.  Art allows us to look into the lives of others in ways no other form of communication can.  We see into the mind and the heart of the artist and we can be influenced and changed by what we see.  Viewing artworks that go along with the Sun stories, myths, and Sun gods will allow a deeper look into the cultural virtues, ideals, and values of different cultures.

Write

  1. Students will work together to write an outline for a new planet with intelligent life.
  2. Students will write a descriptive Sun story based on their new planet and a culture that exists there.

Students will need a baseline for starting their own stories, hence, the class will work together to create new planet and the people that exist there.  Some things that students need to consider include the gravity of the planet, the atmosphere, and distance from the planets star.  Most living things on Earth are symmetrical and advanced life needs to be on land, so it would likely be the same elsewhere.  (Think of the octopus, they are very intelligent, but being under water creatures they lack the environment that we do to create and build.)  Things like predators, food sources, climate, and size of the planet should also be considered.  Once the model for the planet is worked out and its inhabitants defined, students will create a culture for their people.  Students should be as thorough as possible so that writing their story and creating their art is based on a solid understanding of their people and planet.  Students will use a 4 Square graphic organizer to start their story.  They will use this to come up with ideas for the story and organize their thoughts story referencing their star.  The story and art piece planning may start to be a bit more fluid as students start to work and decide on details.  The story does not have a specified length, per se, it just needs to be thorough enough to get a complete understanding of its purpose and work with the art piece created.

Design and Create

  1. Students will design sketches of an original art piece based on their Sun story.
  2. Students will create a final art piece from the sketches and descriptions they have created.

Planning for an art work is an important step for students to take so it needs to be purposeful and deliberate.  Making a design plan teaches students to think about the end goal and how to get there.  Planning also helps with students not getting frustrated and quitting during the final work stage for lack of ideas.  It allows students to design a well thought out guide for action and avoids the frustration of the blank page and not knowing how to start.  The teacher may specify a media for students to use or leave it open for students to choose. 

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