NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

What is the sun?

This module is appropriate for video conference and web conference at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

This module is appropriate for video conference and web conference (ConferenceMe Only) at Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) and Langley Research Center (LaRC).

What is the Sun? What are sunspots? Science begins with questions and young children have many. This program, specially designed for a kindergarten through second grade audience, will help students answer their questions about the Sun. In this highly interactive session, children will illustrate features of the sun by participating in a story time with a NASA Education Specialist. Come along and learn about the Sun with NASA.

Sequence of Events

Help identify your student's misconceptions by having the children complete the questionnaire What is the Sun. Next, set the stage for the videoconference by tapping into the student's prior knowledge. Use the activity sheet Helpful and Harmful to discuss helpful and harmful effects of the Sun. These instructional activities can be found at the following website under the K-2 activities in Aurora Educator   

Complete part 1 of the anticipation guide to pre-assess your students' knowledge about the sun prior to the video conference. Read the questions aloud and have the students to check whether they agree or disagree with the statement. At the close of the presentation, have the students evaluate their responses in part 2 of the anticipation guide.

Our Magnificent Sun Anticipation Guide  

This highly interactive video conference promises to hold a young student's attention. Students begin by comparing the objects they see in the night and day time sky. Next, they use white paper and crayons to draw a picture of the sun. As they interact with NASA personnel, new facts about the sun are added to their illustrations. As a review, students use their pictures to help sing a song about the Sun. This video conference is a fun and educational way for students to meet the K-2 National Science Standards for Earth and Space Science.

Materials needed for each student:

One blank sheet of paper

Crayons, markers, or colored pencils

This activity takes learning about the Sun to a higher level by having the students make a homemade sun spot viewer. With the viewer, the students trace the Sun and it's spots for several days, weather permitting. If the weather is not good, students could make a Sunspot Flip Book. By flipping the pages, students can observe storms moving across the sun.

For a final activity, students create a graph to find out how the number of sunspots increases and decreases every 11 years. These lessons, Making a Homemade Sunspot Viewer, Sunspot Flip Book, and Sunspot Numbers can be found under the K-2 activities in Aurora Educator   

Standards

National Science Content Standards

Grades K-4

Earth and Space Science: Content Standards D

•     The sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds, and airplanes all have properties and locations

•     The sun provides the light and heat necessary to maintain the temperature of the Earth

Physical Science: Content Standards B

•     The position and motion of objects can be described by locating it relative to another object or background