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Exploring Shade

In this provocation, students will plan and build a structure that provides shade for animals or toys. The structure will be tested using a light source. 

Objective:

  • Can you build something to create shade for the animals/dolls?

Problem-solving and strategic thinking:

  • Students will use materials provided and plan individually or together (with family at home) how to build a structure that creates shade.

  • Students will test their structures with a flashlight or the sun outside.

Standards/Objectives addressed:

  • K-PS3-2: Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.

  • K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A - Print many upper- and lowercase letters.

  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2 - Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

  • NGSS.K-PS2-1 - Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2: Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape.

  • 1-PS4-4: Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.

Background knowledge needed:

  • How to make a plan - sketch a design

  • Sunlight and shadows

  • Temperature change in shade

Materials:

  • Paper, popsicle sticks, cardboard, straws, tape, fabric, etc. - anything they can find at home including toys (blocks, legos..)

  • Flashlight for the sun or Go outside, find the sun, and create outside

  • Little dolls/animals to put in structure

Prompts – questions or statements to elicit engagement:

  • To engage, connect with students by asking them, what happens when you’re standing in the sun? What can you do to keep cool?

  • What animal or animals might use this structure?

  • How can you add on to your structure to create even more shade?

Vocabulary:

  • habitat, shade, sketch, temperature, sunlight, shadow, structure, roof

Reflection prompts:

  • What worked well? What material worked best?

  • How did you test to see if your structure provided shade?

  • What difference is there between your shade structure and some of your classmates? 

  • What new things did you have to learn about to make your structure?

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