Patterns in Shadows
My Shadow
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850 - 1894
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850 - 1894
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
Patterns in Shadows
5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.
The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year.
Have a Sunny Birthday!
Patterns in Shadows
Pictures in the Stars
Before: Note that you should start the Seek portion of the lesson one day, plan to go outside multiple times throughout the next day for the Try section, and then complete Expand and Make Connections on a third day. You will need a sunny day for the Try portion of the activity. You will need a free-standing pole (or a student!) and sidewalk chalk. A bare-bulb free-standing lamp is helpful for discussing why the shadows made that pattern.
Seek: Read Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem “My Shadow” (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171951) and discuss. What have you noticed about shadows throughout the day?
Try: Plot the progression of shadows with a free standing short pole or a student - use the same one every time. The pole/student should be in the same spot each time. Outline the shadow, using a different color of sidewalk chalk each time, and labeling the times. Do this at least 3 times (morning, noonish, afternoon) throughout a day. Take a picture of the completed activity for reference later.
Expand: Discuss observations of shadow lengths. How and why do shadows change? Is there a pattern? What might be a reason for that pattern? When is the shadow shortest? Longest? Could we do this at a different time and be able to find a shorter or longer shadow?
Discuss and act out the movements of the Earth relative to the sun. Rotation around the Earth’s axis makes day and night - use a freestanding lamp and globe to show this. Revolution around the sun makes the year. Have students act out.
Make Connections: Students reflect, in words and pictures. Elicit student understanding that “The apparent motion of the sun from east to west results in patterns of changes in length and direction of shadows throughout a day as Earth rotates on its axis.” (from NGSS assessment)
Extend: Discuss sundials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI0GqYJha1Q
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5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.
The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year.
- The Earth moves in two ways: The Earth orbits (revolves) around the sun and turns (rotates) on its axis.
- The rotation of the Earth causes day and night.
- The movement of the Earth causes observable patterns. (specifically in the appearance of shadows, sunrise and sunset, and star patterns)
Have a Sunny Birthday!
Patterns in Shadows
Pictures in the Stars
Before: Note that you should start the Seek portion of the lesson one day, plan to go outside multiple times throughout the next day for the Try section, and then complete Expand and Make Connections on a third day. You will need a sunny day for the Try portion of the activity. You will need a free-standing pole (or a student!) and sidewalk chalk. A bare-bulb free-standing lamp is helpful for discussing why the shadows made that pattern.
Seek: Read Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem “My Shadow” (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171951) and discuss. What have you noticed about shadows throughout the day?
Try: Plot the progression of shadows with a free standing short pole or a student - use the same one every time. The pole/student should be in the same spot each time. Outline the shadow, using a different color of sidewalk chalk each time, and labeling the times. Do this at least 3 times (morning, noonish, afternoon) throughout a day. Take a picture of the completed activity for reference later.
Expand: Discuss observations of shadow lengths. How and why do shadows change? Is there a pattern? What might be a reason for that pattern? When is the shadow shortest? Longest? Could we do this at a different time and be able to find a shorter or longer shadow?
Discuss and act out the movements of the Earth relative to the sun. Rotation around the Earth’s axis makes day and night - use a freestanding lamp and globe to show this. Revolution around the sun makes the year. Have students act out.
Make Connections: Students reflect, in words and pictures. Elicit student understanding that “The apparent motion of the sun from east to west results in patterns of changes in length and direction of shadows throughout a day as Earth rotates on its axis.” (from NGSS assessment)
Extend: Discuss sundials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI0GqYJha1Q
Back to the Teacher main page