Class Demonstration
Materials:
Take everyone outside to look at the sky. (make sure no one looks directly into the sunlight). Have everyone discuss what they see in the sky. Consider what the brightest thing in the sky is. Look to see if the moon is visable. Compare it to the sun. Try to find some stars. Go back inside and turn out the lights. Show everyone the glow stick. Talk about how bright it is. No matter where you are in the dark room you can still see it. Then turn on a flashlight. Show how bright this light it. Compare the two lights to each-other. Finally turn on the bright lights. Compare the three lights to each other. Relate the three lights back to the sky outside. Compare the bright lights to the sun, the flashlight to the moon, and the glow sticks to the stars. Do you think that the stars shine during the day? why or why not. Can the moon be seen during the day?
- Glow sticks
- Flashlight
- Room with bright lights
Take everyone outside to look at the sky. (make sure no one looks directly into the sunlight). Have everyone discuss what they see in the sky. Consider what the brightest thing in the sky is. Look to see if the moon is visable. Compare it to the sun. Try to find some stars. Go back inside and turn out the lights. Show everyone the glow stick. Talk about how bright it is. No matter where you are in the dark room you can still see it. Then turn on a flashlight. Show how bright this light it. Compare the two lights to each-other. Finally turn on the bright lights. Compare the three lights to each other. Relate the three lights back to the sky outside. Compare the bright lights to the sun, the flashlight to the moon, and the glow sticks to the stars. Do you think that the stars shine during the day? why or why not. Can the moon be seen during the day?
Group activity
Materials:
Ball
Flashlight
Glow stick
Disk (Frisbee size)
Black paper
Using these materials have students recreate the sky. The ball represents Earth. They can use the flashlight as the sun and the disk as the moon. Try to make different phases of the moon using the Earth and the flashlight. With the black paper they can punch holes to make stars. Shining the glow stick behind the paper they can make stars. They can compare how differently the lights shine. Investigate how the moon can be bright from the light of the sun.
Ball
Flashlight
Glow stick
Disk (Frisbee size)
Black paper
Using these materials have students recreate the sky. The ball represents Earth. They can use the flashlight as the sun and the disk as the moon. Try to make different phases of the moon using the Earth and the flashlight. With the black paper they can punch holes to make stars. Shining the glow stick behind the paper they can make stars. They can compare how differently the lights shine. Investigate how the moon can be bright from the light of the sun.
Effective Questions to use
Would you rather be the sun, moon, or stars? why?
How does the heat of the stars compare to the heat of the sun?
What makes the stars shine?
How does the heat of the stars compare to the heat of the sun?
What makes the stars shine?