Subject:

Science, Life Science

Grades:

K-2

Materials:

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• One paper plate/student (each plate should have 2 straight lines drawn through the center to divide it into four even quarters)
• Green tissue paper
• Mixture of glue and water
• Paintbrushes
• Glue
• Pasta
  • acini de pepe
  • spiral pasta
  • shell pasta
  • bowtie pasta
• Copies of acrostic poem template
• Copies of life cycle images

Anticipatory Activity:

1. Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. (*short video of insight about the story from the author himself)
2. Hand each child a paper plate (already have lines drawn dividing the plate into four quarters).
3. Ask them to tear leaf shapes from green tissue paper. Provide different shades of green and yellow if possible.
4. Using a glue and water mixture, glue down the tissue paper over the face of the paper plate. Paint the glue and water mixture over the tops of the tissue paper as well.

Directed Lesson:

1. Describe how butterflies go through a terrific physical transformation, a metamorphosis, in order to become mature adults. They go through four stages: The Egg, The Larva, The Pupa, and The Butterfly.
   1. Hand out images of the four stages. Ask students to cut out the images and glue one in each quarter of the plate (moving in a clockwise fashion).
2. The Egg: Butterflies’ lives begin in eggs the size of a pencil point (differ in shape and color). The butterfly lays these tiny eggs on host plants, plants which the larva will then feed upon.
   1. Watch butterfly eggs hatch.
   2. Hand out some acini di pepe pasta (“peppercorns”). Ask students to glue these tiny pieces of pasta representing butterfly eggs onto the leaves in the upper right-hand quarter of their paper plates.
3. The Larva: The first stage of the butterfly’s life is as a larva. The larva, also known as a caterpillar, begins quite small, but eats a lot over two to four weeks. This is the feeding and growing stage. The larva will shed its skin 4-5 times as it grows up to 100 times its original size.
   1. Look at pictures of larva (online, in books, etc.). Hand out spiral pasta to represent these fuzzy, worm-like creatures.
   2. Glue the spiral pasta into the next quarter of the paper plate, moving clockwise.
4. The Pupa: The caterpillar usually hangs from a branch or a leaf to form a pupa, a hard outer shell (they vary in shape and size but usually are green or brown to help with camouflage). Within this shell, also known as a chrysalis, the larva will rest and begin to transform. During this rest, legs, wings, antennae, and eyes begin to form.
   1. Look at pictures of pupas (online, in books, etc.). Hand out shell pasta to represent the pupas.
   2. Glue the shell pasta into the next quarter of the paper plate, moving clockwise.
5. The Butterfly: The butterfly emerges from the pupa with crumpled wings. It is all done growing though! Liquid pumps through their wings’ veins, and the wings expand to their full size. Butterflies live for a short time, from a week or two to a few months. They can fly, they can drink (not eat however!), and they reproduce.
   1. Hand out bow-tie pasta.
   2. Color the “butterflies’” wings with markers (or paint). Glue these butterfly-like shapes into the final quarter of the paper plate.
   3. Emphasize that your wheel represents a cycle; the butterfly will lay eggs so that new larva can form.
   4. Many short video clips are available online which show time lapsed metamorphisms.
   5. Once the glue has dried, use pushpins to hang the wheels on a bulletin board (if moved carefully, they’ll spin to reinforce the cyclical nature of the butterfly’s life).

Wrap-Up:

This following idea can be done as a cooperative activity or an independent activity. Use the provided template for students to write acrostic poems about butterflies. You may want to do a whole group brainstorm of some descriptive words. If time permits, share these poems.

Subject:

Science, Earth Science

Grades:

K-2

Materials:

• A single bright light source that can cast a clear shadow
• Objects with some vertical height (i.e., textbook, cup of markers)
• Optional: small flashlights
• Sidewalk chalk (big pieces)
• Copies of the attached worksheet

Set-up Notes:

A single light bulb on a base will work for this investigation. You will want it to be moveable, so you can change the angle of the light as well as move objects around it. A clear bulb with a single straight filament gives the sharpest shadows. Any bulb will be bright and can get very warm – warn students not to look directly at it or touch the bulb.

You may choose to have students explore shadows with their own objects. If you wish to have them explore moving a light source, small, inexpensive flashlights are safe to use.

Engage:

1. Place the light source in the center of the area in which you will use it. Do not turn on the light yet.
2. Gather students so that they can see the central light source.
3. Remind students that when the light is on, they should not look directly at it. Also remind them that the bulb gets hot and they should stay at least 1 meter away from it.
4. Hold up one of the objects away from the light. Ask students to think silently about what will happen in the room when the light is turned on. How will the object change what happens?
5. Have them discuss their ideas with a partner or small group.
6. Invite them to share their thinking.
7. Turn on the light and ask them to observe what happens.

Explore:

1. Ask students to suggest ways in which the shadow of the object can be changed and try them out.
2. Have students work with their own objects and record what they find.

Explain:

Ask students to draw what they have found about making shadows and share it with you and the class.

Elaborate:

You may wish to make a hand-shadow and have students explore these fun shapes. Many hand-shadow videos can be found on the internet to show how interesting animal and other shapes can be made.

Engage/Explore:

1. Move the light or use a flashlight to demonstrate how the angle of the light in relation to an object changes the shape and size of an object’s shadow.
2. Have students explore how moving the flashlight can change the shadow of an object in terms of angle and size.

Engage/Explore:

1. Explain how shadows are found all over our Earth because of our main source of light, the sun. The sun shines on the Earth’s surface, but objects – trees, buildings, humans – block this light and therefore cast shadows.
2. Arrange students into cooperative pairs.
3. Tell them that you are going outside for the next activity.
4. Remind them to NEVER look directly at the sun.
5. Before heading outdoors, explain the activity:
   1. One student will pick a spot in the sun, strike a pose, and freeze.
   2. The partner will FIRST trace the position/placement of the student’s feet using chalk. Next, s/he will trace the pattern of the student’s shadow.
   3. The partners should then switch jobs.
6. Explain that this activity will have a Part 2 later in the day.
7. Later in the day… the students, back in their cooperative pairs, should return right to their original position as marked by their shoes’ outline and strike the same pose.
8. The partners should now trace the “new” outline of the shadow.
9. Encourage students to walk around and see how each other’s shadows changed/moved.

Explain:

Regroup back in the classroom and discuss how the shadows had changed. Ask for ideas about why the shadows lengthened (the relationship between the sun and you has changed since the Earth has rotated and the sun now appears lower in our sky). When would there be almost no shadows? (when the sun is directly overhead an object, i.e., noontime). You may want to use the following video to give some additional information on shadows.

Evaluate:

1. Hand out the provided worksheet.
2. Ask students to draw shadows for the objects. Remind them to keep in mind where the sun is located in relation to the object.
3. For an added challenge, the students should draw in the sun for the last object, and then they should determine where the shadow would be cast.

Elaborate:

If available, show the 1957 Peter Pan illustration by Marjorie Torrey (Dandelion edition). Or read the passage about Wendy sewing Peter Pan’s lost shadow back onto him. Discuss what is scientifically incorrect about the illustration and the story.

Subject:

Science; Astronomy

Grades:

3-5

Materials:

• Copies of poem (optional)
• Copies of the provided worksheet
• Black construction paper
• Blank 8.5” x 11” paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Black crayon/black marker & yellow crayon/yellow highlighter
• Tennis ball or orange (1 per pair of students) marked on one side
• Light source, such as a lamp without shade

Set up:

Place the light source in a location where it will shine across the area where students will be sitting. It should be high enough that the light will not be blocked from some students by others.

Safety Note: Light sources can get hot. Make sure students cannot touch the light source. If there is an electric cord where children will walk, tape it to the floor to be safe.

Concept Note: If you use a chart showing the phases of the moon as seen from space, make sure the view shows how sunlight striking the moon appears from above the north pole of the Earth. Many charts show an image of the Earth that gives the impression that the moon orbits around the poles instead of the equator.

Anticipatory Set:

1. Give students a blank piece of paper. Holding it horizontally (“hot dog style”), ask them to fold in half like a book.
2. Read the following poem:
   • The Man in the Moon, Author Unknown
   • The Man in the Moon as he sails the sky
     Is a very remarkable skipper,
     But he made a mistake when he tried to take
     A drink of milk from the Dipper.
     He dipped right out of the Milky Way,
     And slowly and carefully filled it,
     The Big Bear growled, and the Little Bear howled
     And frightened him so that he spilled it!
3. On the left-hand side of the paper, ask students what they think the “man on the moon” looks like.
4. Now ask students to draw a picture of the moon as they’ve actually observed it in the night sky on the right-hand side. For dozens of images of the real moon, go to the NASA web site.
5. Share the drawings (*ideally, the kids will have drawn different phases of the moon!) Have them identify the characteristics of the fictional moon and distinguish them from the real moon.

Inquiry Lesson:

Exploring the Phases of the Moon as Seen from Earth and Space

1. Ask students to explain how the moon gets its light. Make sure that they understand that the moon does not really “light up.” The moon is reflecting the sun’s light.
2. In a large floor space, have students stand in pairs at least 2 meters apart.
3. Explain that the different “shapes” of the moon are actually called phases of the moon. We, on Earth, see different amounts of sunlight reflecting off the moon depending on our night position in relation to the moon and sun; therefore we see different patterns of sunlight and shadow (the shadowed part looks invisible to the human eye).
4. Pass out the “moon” balls to each pair. Darken the room and turn on the light source. Explain that one person will be revolving the moon around the other person who will be the Earth person. Demonstrate how to have one student in each pair revolve the “moon” around the other person with the marked side constantly facing the center person. The person revolving the moon should note how the moon looks as it travels through space and that they have to turn the moon to keep it facing the Earth person. The person on “Earth” should note how the moon is lit up as it moves in its orbit and that they always see the same side of the moon. Have the students trade places so that both can see each view.

Have students draw what they saw happening in science notebooks or on paper. Check for understanding. You may need to allow more time for them to go back and repeat the exploration, then come back and draw again. This is a difficult concept and it takes some time for children to get the perspective.

Naming the Phases:

The moon orbits around the Earth every 27.3 days in a counter clock-wise circle to complete one lunar cycle every 29.5 days: new moon, crescent moon, quarter moon, crescendo moon, full moon, crescendo moon, quarter moon, crescent moon, new moon.

1. On the provided worksheet, have students color in the phases of the moons using a black crayon/black marker and a yellow crayon/yellow highlighter.
   1. As we are able to see more and more sunlight, this half of the cycle is when the moon is waxing (think of wax build-up!):
      1. New Moon – all black; not visible in our night sky since it is directly between the Earth and the sun
      2. Waxing Crescent Moon – we can see a sliver of sunlight (yellow on right side)
      3. First Quarter Moon (sometimes called “Half Moon”) – we can see half of the illuminated side; half of the half is visible to us, hence the “quarter” name (yellow on right, black on left)
      4. Waxing Gibbous Moon – we can see almost all of the illuminated half; there is still a sliver/crescent in shadow (almost all yellow except for sliver of black on left)
      5. Full Moon – we can see the full half of the moon that is illuminated.
   2. As we are able to see less and less sunlight, this half of the cycle is when the moon is waning:
      1. Waning Gibbous Moon – most of the side facing us is illuminated (almost all yellow except for sliver of black on the right)
      2. Last Quarter Moon (sometimes called “Half Moon”) – we can see half of the illuminated half (yellow on left, black on right)
      3. Waning Crescent Moon – we still can see a sliver of sunlight (yellow on left side)
      4. (New Moon – and thus the cycle repeats…)

Cooperative Activity:

(Note: you may need to allow students to revisit their orbiting moon model. This is not only o.k., it is a good way for them to check to make sure they’ve got the right idea.)

1. Ask students to cut out the sun and paste it on the right – hand side of the black piece of paper.
2. Ask them to cut out image of Earth and place it approximately in the middle of the black “space.”
3. Have students cut out the phases of the eight moons.
4. In cooperative pairs, ask them to put their logic skills to the test – they should arrange eight phases around the Earth, remembering to go counter – clockwise. They should think about the direction of the sunlight, where we are on the Earth at night, and what phase of the moon we’d see given the relationship.
5. Before students glue down the phases, check to make sure the phases are in the correct order in relation to the sun and Earth.
6. Lastly, have students label the phases and label which half represents “waxing” and which half represents “waning.”

Independent Activity:

1. Encourage students to explain in writing what is a new moon and why we, on Earth, can’t see this new moon.
2. Have students read their explanations, and as whole group, create a solid definition which can be hung near the finished art projects.

Wrap-Up Activity:

Together, watch the video clip about phases of the moon.

Subject:

Science; Temperature and Sinking and Floating

Grades:

3-5

Materials:

This lesson takes about a half-hour of preparation time.

• 2 paper bags
• tape
• string
• meter stick
• pitcher
• red & blue food coloring
• clean cafeteria trays for the workspace to contain spills (1/pair of students)
• clear cups (8 – 12 oz.) (1/pair of students)
• clothespins (1/pair of students)
• “Dippers”
  • Vials (i.e., clear film canisters) (1/pair)
  • Tongue depressors (or pencils) (1/pair)
  • Rubber bands (to attach the vials to the tongue depressors like a scoop)
• 3 large containers of water:
  • room temperature
  • very warm “hot” tap water (add red food coloring)
  • ice water (add blue food coloring)
• Provided observation sheets (make copies front-to-back)
• Pencils, blue & red crayons/markers/colored pencils

Concept Note: Children at this age are not expected to master the concept of density as mass per volume of a material. Some precocious fourth and fifth graders can visualize that the material, not its size or mass determines whether it sinks or floats. Confounding this idea is that metal boats float, although children should explore boat shapes separately. For the purposes of this activity, it is enough for them to understand that cold (water/air) sinks below warm (water/air) because it is “heavier.”

Preparation:

Prepare the materials for each pair of students. The “hot” water can be safe to touch; it doesn’t take extremely hot water for this to work. Use an insulated container to keep it warm, or draw it straight from the warm water tap. It helps to get the cold water from a refrigerator or put ice in it. The difference between the temperatures is what is important. Add red dye to the hot water, blue dye to the cold water. The water must be a dark color to be seen, so you will need to use at least 10 drops of food coloring per 100ml of water. More will show the color off even better.

Place the pitcher in a freezer so that it is filled with cold air. Bring it out just before you conduct the Engage activity.

Form a simple balance by doing the following: Open the two paper bags and stand them up. Punch tiny holes on either side at the top and tie string through them so that they form handles to hold up the open paper bag. Tie a string to the center of the meter stick so that it forms a simple balance. Tape the handle of one paper bag 10 cm in from the end of the meter stick so that the bag hangs from the stick. Repeat this with the other bag on the other end. Adjust so that they balance fairly well (does not need to be exact).

Engage:

1. Have students sit so they can see the balance you’ve made.
2. Hold up the pitcher and have one or two students come up and touch it and tell what temperature it feels like (very cold is a good answer). They should also look inside to see that the only thing inside is air.
3. Ask students what will happen if you pour the air into one of the bags. They can think-pair-share their ideas (think about it, share with a partner, then share with the class).
4. Demonstrate pouring the cold air into one of the bags as it is suspended on the balance. (The bag will sink because the air is denser.)
5. Ask if this would work if the air in the pitcher wasn’t cold. If necessary, try it. (The bag will stay balanced.)
6. Have them write or draw what they think happened and share it.

You do not have to come to a conclusion about cold air being heavier yet.

Explore:

1. Ask them to hypothesize about what cold water will do when added to a cup of room temperature water. Using the provided worksheet, they should draw and write their educated guess (hypothesis):
   If cold water is added to a cup of room temperature water, then the cold water will ___________________________.
2. Ask students to hypothesize about what hot water will do when added to a cup of room temperature water. Using the provided worksheet, they should draw and write their educated guess (hypothesis):
   If hot water is added to a cup of room temperature water, then the hot water will ___________________________.

Cooperative Activity:

1. Give pairs of students a cup of room temperature water and a dipper.
2. Explain that you are going to fill their empty cups with room temperature water.
3. When everyone is ready, circulate around the room with the ice water container and ask one student from each pair to fill the dipper with blue ice water.
4. When you give the signal, the students should slide the dipper slowly and steadily along their cup’s side into the water and secure it in place with a clothespin. Immediately, the pair should get down to see the cup at eye-level.
5. Students should draw what they observe and make any necessary notes on the provided worksheet.
6. When everyone is done, carefully take the dippers out of the room temperature water (try not to spill the blue water).
7. Next, repeat the process with the hot water.
8. When everyone is ready, circulate around the room and ask the second student from each pair to fill the dipper this time with red, hot water.
9. When you give the signal, the students should slide the dipper slowly and steadily along their cup’s side into the water and secure it in place with a clothespin. Immediately, the pair should get down to see the cup at eye-level.
10. Students should draw what they observe and make any necessary notes on the provided worksheet.

Explain:

1. Have students explain in their own words on the worksheet what they saw happening.
2. Have them get into groups of three and come up with an explanation.
3. Have students share their ideas with the whole group in a discussion, recording their ideas on a chart or chalkboard. If necessary, have students draw for the group what they believe happened.

Evaluate:

1. To be acceptable, students explanations should include the idea that cold liquids and cold air are heavier than the same amount of warm or room temperature liquids or air.
2. Students should cite a specific example from what they observed to support it. Ask “how do you know?” to get them to share the match between their observations and their understanding.

Elaborate:

If time permits, have students reflect on a real world example of this phenomenon.

1. Hot air balloons are an excellent example of how warm air is lighter than cold air. An excellent engineering project is to create tissue paper hot air balloons. Many web sites have directions and it’s not out of the reach of upper elementary students to do this project with adult help.
2. Some bodies of water such as the ocean have cold water in the deeper parts while the warm water remains on the surface.
3. Weather is controlled by the energy of warmed air, which increases the evaporation of water and causes differences in air pressure.