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1st Grade Science Pacing Guide
2nd 9 weeks
Calendar
Objects in the Sky
10/17/2016
10/21/2016
Seasons and Day and Night
10/24/2016
11/4/2016
Classifying Matter
11/7/2016
12/9/2016
CCA 1- Earth Science
(Score, Analyze, Enrich, Remediate, Intervene, and Reflect)
12/12/2016
12/14/2016
12/16/2016
1.8B Objects in the Sky
The student is expected to observe and record changes in the appearance of objects in the sky such as clouds, the Moon, and stars, including the Sun.
Dissecting the Standard
The Verbs: What should students be doing?
- Record: to write down information about
- Identify: to point out, name or describe
- Observe: to see or look at closely while thinking about what is being seen
The Nouns: What concrete words should students know?
- Appearance: what something looks like
- Characteristic: trait or feature
- Position: location
- Cloud: a mass of condensed water droplets up in the sky
- Moon: an object that circles the Earth and appears as a pale disc in the night sky
- Star: objects in the sky that make their own light and can be seen at night
- Sun: the star that the Earth moves around and that gives the Earth all of its energy
Key Concepts
We can observe and record how the Moon’s appearance changes over time.
We can observe and record how clouds change position, color, shape, and size over time.
We can observe and record how the Sun appears to change position in the sky, such as during sunrise and sunset and through the changing location of an object’s shadow during different times of the day.
Because of the brightness of our Sun during the day, we can only observe and record stars in the night sky.
Fundamental Questions
What observations can we make of the changes in the Moon’s appearance, the clouds, and the Sun’s position during the day?
How can we record the changes in the Moon’s appearance or the Sun’s position during the day?
How can we record the changes in the clouds over time?
Why do we see stars at night and not during the day?
Earth rotation during the day
Earth rotation during the night
Types of Clouds
Key Concepts
Explanation:
Students had prior experience with objects in the sky in Kindergarten. They observed, described, and illustrated objects in the sky, such as the clouds, Moon, and stars, including the Sun. 1st grade represents the first time they will observe and record changes in these sky objects.
Key Concept 1: We can observe and record how the Moon’s appearance changes each month.
The Moon goes around the Earth about once a month (29.5 days) in relation to the Sun, which changes how much sunlight falls on the face of the moon. We call those changing shapes Moon Phases. During weeks 1 and 2 of Moon phases, more and more of the Moon is illuminated by sunlight until the entire face of the Moon is lit (called the full moon). During weeks 3 and 4 of the Moon phases, less and less of the Moon is illuminated. At the end of 4 weeks, the Moon is not visible at night (called the new moon), which starts the Moon phase cycle all over again. This pattern allowed ancient cultures to create Moon calendars which signaled times to fish, hunt, plant, and harvest. These calendars also formed the basis for the 30-31 day month used today.
Key Concept 2: We can observe and record how clouds change position, color, shape, and size over time.
The Sun warms bodies of water like lakes and oceans and causes the surface water to evaporate into water vapor. When water vapor (water as a gas) rises and cools, it condenses (comes together) into clouds. The position, color, and shape of clouds help weathermen (meteorologists) predict the upcoming weather. If clouds look like giant floating cotton balls (cumulus clouds), they signal fair weather. If clouds get heavy and dark (cumulonimbus clouds), they bring stormy weather. When clouds are low and stretched out like a grey blanket (stratus clouds), they can also bring rain or snow. If water vapor condenses near the ground into clouds, fog forms. When water vapor forms thin, wispy clouds that look like little curls of hair (cirrus clouds), they bring fair weather. The wind can blow clouds slowly or quickly across the sky. Some days there are no clouds, and the sky is clear. When the sun is low on the horizon, clouds can become colorful shades of orange and pink, creating a beautiful sunrise or sunset for a short period of time.
Key Concept 3: We can observe and record how the Sun appears to change position in the sky, such as during sunrise and sunset, and through the changing location of an object’s shadow during different times of the day.
Ancient people worshiped the Sun for heat and light. However, they feared winter when the lack of Sun brought death and despair. Today, we know the Earth rotates, giving the illusion that the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The Sun also appears to move in a curved, rather than a straight line as it slowly moves from east to west.
Key Concept 4: Because of the brightness of our Sun during the day, we can only observe and record stars in the night sky.
When our area on Earth turns toward the Sun, the air scatters sunlight and turns the sky a blue color. At night when our area on Earth turns away from the Sun, sunlight is not scattered by our air. Countless distant stars are then visible, scattered across our night sky. Humans make patterns out of their points of light (like dot-to-dot pictures), which seem to slowly move across the sky in big curves, just like the Sun. This apparent movement of stars is also caused by the Earth’s rotation. The Sun and stars don’t really move across the sky.
Vocabulary
characteristic /característica
position /posición
sun /sol
moon/ luna
star/ estrella
clouds/ nubes