My Amazing STEM teaching moment
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Linda K Brown has been teaching in the Chicago Public Schools for 19 years. She is currently teaching 6th grade Earth Science at Dr. Jorge Prieto Math & Science Academy. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Illinois Benedictine College and her Masters in Education at Loyola University.
After doing some computer simulations, students were still struggling to visualize how it is that the tilt of the earth causes the seasons. I decided to try a simulation “game” using an inflatable earth ball and flashlight.
One student stood in the center of the room with the flashlight to represent the sun. Four students stood in a circle representing the positions of the summer solstice, fall equinox, winter solstice and spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. The four students all faced the southern wall and tilted their heads to the left to represent the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth on its axis.
The ball was tossed to the student in the summer solstice position, which was labeled on the wall, and the student adjusted the ball so the northern hemisphere was tilted in the same direction as their head. With the lights dimmed, the student with the flashlight shone the light at the ball. The student with the ball was asked to report which way the northern hemisphere was tilted: toward the sun, away for the the sun or perpendicular to the sun.
Next, the student needed to report the angle of the sun’s rays and whether the area was receiving direct, indirect or perpendicular rays. The student then made observations about what effect the position of the earth would have on the length of the day and the temperatures. For the summer solstice, the student reported that the northern hemisphere was tilted toward the sun and the area was receiving more direct rays from the sun which causes longer days and hotter temperatures. The student passed the ball to the autumnal equinox position and the game continued for several rounds with students taking turns at different positions.
One student stood in the center of the room with the flashlight to represent the sun. Four students stood in a circle representing the positions of the summer solstice, fall equinox, winter solstice and spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. The four students all faced the southern wall and tilted their heads to the left to represent the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth on its axis.
The ball was tossed to the student in the summer solstice position, which was labeled on the wall, and the student adjusted the ball so the northern hemisphere was tilted in the same direction as their head. With the lights dimmed, the student with the flashlight shone the light at the ball. The student with the ball was asked to report which way the northern hemisphere was tilted: toward the sun, away for the the sun or perpendicular to the sun.
Next, the student needed to report the angle of the sun’s rays and whether the area was receiving direct, indirect or perpendicular rays. The student then made observations about what effect the position of the earth would have on the length of the day and the temperatures. For the summer solstice, the student reported that the northern hemisphere was tilted toward the sun and the area was receiving more direct rays from the sun which causes longer days and hotter temperatures. The student passed the ball to the autumnal equinox position and the game continued for several rounds with students taking turns at different positions.
We love new projects!
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MSU fellows modeling the position of the northern hemisphere on the summer solstice.
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#seasons #inflatableearthball #6thgradeearthscience #tiltofearth #solstices #equinoxes #seasonsgame
Top 5 Big Ideas
TT
- Student Generated Questions - When crafting questions themselves, students become invested and examples are authentic. Students develop confidence in new topics when able to step into the teacher role.
- Real World Examples and Applications - Lessons include concrete examples students have been exposed to in their day-to-day environment. This hooks the students and assists conceptual understanding.
- Kinesthetic Component - STEM learning incorporates movement or other types of hands-on activities which deepen understanding of a concept.
- Cooperative Learning - STEM learning requires different opinions and views for discussion. A cooperative group of students with different backgrounds will provide the different views.
- Multiple Modalities - Involves providing diverse presentations and experiences of the content so that students use different senses and different skills during a single lesson.