PR-6171IRE Science A STEM Approach - 1st Class

Earth and the Environment
IN THE SKY AND ON THE LAND
Lesson 2
Teacher Notes
Science Inquiry Focus:
What changes do we see in the night sky and the day sky? Do the stars
and moon only appear in the night sky?
Skills Development/Working Scientifically:
• Questioning and predicting
• Observing
• Estimating and measuring
• Analysing
• Recording and communicating
Science Learning Outcomes:
• Pupils predict changes in the sky and land from day to night and over a
longer period of time.
• Pupils develop questions about the changing sky and landscape.
Technology/Engineering/Mathematics Links:
• Observing digital photographs.
• Conducting a simple tally.
Background Information
• Landscape can be defined simply as ‘a view or prospect of natural
scenery, or that part of an area that can be viewed at one time
from one place’. This can include natural features like trees and
man-made features such as a park bench.
• Day generally conjures up images of the sun, blue sky, clouds,
rainbows and other visible features. Night generally conjures up
images of the moon, stars and black sky.
• Common misconceptions include that the clouds are only visible
in the day, the moon is only visible at night and the stars only shine
at night.
• Stars shine constantly, they just appear to not shine in the day
because the sun’s light is stronger.
• The moon rises and sets according to its own timetable, so
sometimes it rises during the day and is visible in the day sky. It
does not produce its own light like a star does, it merely reflects
the light from the sun.
• This video explains why the moon is visible during the day
, or for a thorough but simple
explanation of how the moon changes, go to .
Assessment Focus:
• Use the experiment
on page 140 as a
formative assessment
of the pupil’s ability
to conduct a simple
experiment, record
observations with a
drawing and write a
conclusion.
• During Step 7, observe
if any pupils have not
grasped the concept
that the moon is visible
in a day sky, not just at
night. These pupils will
need further assistance.
Resources
• Concept cartoon
on page 139
• Image of day
sky with a visible
moon
Viewing sample
• Image of day
sky with moon
and sun visible
• Sufficient copies
of page 140 for
pupils
• Moonrise
timetable
Prim-Ed Publishing – www.prim-ed.com 978-1-912760-15-2 1st Science: 137
CLASS
A STEM APPROACH