Created by Steven Clark originally when we worked together in Greenfield, CA.
It is fully described on the Mesa Union School District Website. Along with a very good description of another fascinating project called...Profiles in Science in Action. The links for the project are here:
My daughter narrates the video so we are pretty happy with it.
Friday I began introducing the project to my class by looking at shadows.
We went outside with a box of chalk, a globe and gathered near the tetherball court.
It was, fortunately, a good day to initiate discovery, which this first day really is all about.
It was Columbus Day and we had just sung our new song, Pumpkin Head. With cupcakes to celebrate the life of my student the one who survived being hit by the car. On the big road.
It was a cupcake for his being there with us. And seeming fine.
So let me take you into the start of one of my projects. Visually.
You can read at the links above for the objectives and the basic reasons to become involved with schools around the world in this project as we look at how shadows look globally at 11 AM on Tuesdays. With visual sharing and data tables and lots of thinking about it.
We gathered around the tetherball pole on a circle painted there.
He selected a student and told him to mark an X exactly where the end of the shadow hit.
This X mark is VERY IMPORTANT.
I'm not sure at this point my students realized exactly what, why, but they were watching.
I absolutely love this photo.
I'm not sure at this point my students realized exactly what, why, but they were watching.
Every child is trying to figure out what is going on here.
So far an X is marked at the end of a shadow cast by a pole in a tether ball court circle.
Got it.
So far an X is marked at the end of a shadow cast by a pole in a tether ball court circle.
Marking right here Jack asks them what is being marked.
Lots and lots of guesses. It takes awhile and then we hear the word "Shadow". Good.
Do you know what we are watching?
I start to photograph something interesting....
Our shadows!
ball circle.Lots and lots of guesses. It takes awhile and then we hear the word "Shadow". Good.
Do you know what we are watching?
Our shadows!
Still talking about the pole shadow
I'm still taking great shadow photographs.
They make another X at the end of the tetherball pole.
It is IN A NEW SPOT.
We wonder about why?????
We wonder?????
Okay kids everybody in a line......
Now everybody is a tetherball pole and every head gets an X in the shadow right in the middle of their head, at the end.
A few words about the SUN shining down.
It is IN A NEW SPOT.
We wonder about why?????
We wonder?????
Okay kids everybody in a line......
A few words about the SUN shining down.
Everyone is now holding still for 5 minutes...
Almost everyone is perfectly still.
Time to mark again....oh the marks are moving...
what?
And look the marks moved at the tetherball court too.
What is going on here.....LOOK.
what?
What is going on here.....LOOK.
One student says....
"Mr. Puglisi I think the earth is moving and turning."
Wow.
Our photo log.....inside students are keeping journals, with little pictures based on what they "observed" and sentences to describe our work. A little step each day.
"Mr. Puglisi I think the earth is moving and turning."
Wow.
Sun, rotation, object, shadow, time.
We have created a "record" of something. Something we can mark everyday. And look at through time.
Five, Ten Minutes.........Fifteen........and then perhaps we see how the blacktop becomes a kind of clock. One student says, "We can make a clock."
Interesting.
In brief the next week we will be going out to trace our shadows, observe in intervals of thirty minutes and to notice things about shadows at different times of the day, different positions of the sun in the sky.
We will be marking at the tetherball court as practice.
Then we will join a weekly marling system and graphing, griding system to observe the way the shadow changes marking at 11AM on Tuesdays and marking on the blacktop for the rest of our year. As we explore the calendar, time, and what we can do to expand our notions of space and time.
Watch the video.
It's cool.
For a 1st day a nice initiation into one of several of our projects in science.
We have created a "record" of something. Something we can mark everyday. And look at through time.
Interesting.
In brief the next week we will be going out to trace our shadows, observe in intervals of thirty minutes and to notice things about shadows at different times of the day, different positions of the sun in the sky.
We will be marking at the tetherball court as practice.
Then we will join a weekly marling system and graphing, griding system to observe the way the shadow changes marking at 11AM on Tuesdays and marking on the blacktop for the rest of our year. As we explore the calendar, time, and what we can do to expand our notions of space and time.
Watch the video.
It's cool.
For a 1st day a nice initiation into one of several of our projects in science.
Our photo log.....inside students are keeping journals, with little pictures based on what they "observed" and sentences to describe our work. A little step each day.
Got it.
this is entirely too cool...thank you for sharing!
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