Levi Smith, Caitlin Mayer, and Abby Lewis

CoRe (Content Representation Tool)

1. What
concepts/big
ideas do you
intend students
to learn about
the night and
day cycle?

1.Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles

Students who demonstrate understanding can:
1. Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
2. Understand the definition of a cycle.
3. Learn that day and night cycles are different across the world. (i.e. day time in the US is night time somewhere
else).
4. The earth orbits the sun, not vice versa.
5. The earth tilts in different ways at certain points in the year (causes the change in seasons).
6. The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West.

2. What does
your group know
about the
patterns of
night and day?

Be specific. This is where you write any background information a teacher would need to know about this
concept. Be sure to cite where you get your information. This section can be lengthy
Possible Resource:
Understanding Primary Science Pg. 260-272 (The Earth and Beyond)

Universe Today- What causes Day and Night??

http://www.universetoday.com/59707/what-causes-day-and-night/
Day and night is caused by a rotation in the Earths axis. Therefore, one half of the Earth will experience
night when the other experiences day and vice versa.

http://www.makemegenius.com/science-videos/grade_3/day-and-night-explanation-for-kids
Axis is an imaginary line passing through North and South Poles of the Earth.
The sun is not moving. Our Earth is rotating on its axis.
http://www.livescience.com/25202-seasons.html
The timing and characteristics of the seasons depends upon the location on Earth. The time of year a region
experiences a season depends on whether it is in the northern or southern hemisphere. The Southern
Hemisphere experiences winter while its northern neighbors chart summer; the north sees the slow blossom
of spring while the south brings in the autumn harvest.
http://www.universetoday.com/61202/earths-orbit-around-the-sun/
The Earth completes one orbit every 365.242199 mean solar days(that might help explain the need for a leap
year). The planets distance from the Sun varies as it orbits. Actually, the Earth is never the same distance
from the Sun from day to day.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cycle
Definition of a cycle: any complete round or series of occurrences that repeats or is repeated.

Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

Levi Smith, Caitlin Mayer, and Abby Lewis

3. Why is it
important for
students to learn
about the
patterns of night
and day?
4. What misconceptions do
students
typically have
about this
concept and
why?

Why do we care? Why do students need to know this?

It is important for our students to understand this material because learning about what cycles are leads to learning
about all different types of cycles. If students understand what a cycle is they will be able to see that the days of the
week, months in the year, seasons, day and night, and years are all examples of cycles.

What do students typically think about night and day prior to being instructed? Be sure to list misconceptions individually.
Students often do not understand that the Earth orbits the sun. They often think that the sun moves around
the Earth because they see the sun move across the sky.
Students understand that night time is when they sleep and daytime is when they get up. Most students
would not realize that when it is day time here it is night time somewhere else.
Students may also not understand that the Earth is tilted and that that is why we have different seasons.

5. What do you
expect students
to know and be
able to do as a
result of
instruction?

6. What specific
experiences and
activities might
be useful for
helping students
develop their
under-standing
of the night
and day cycle?

Be specific. What exactly do you expect students to take away from your instruction.
After explaining, we expect students to know the definition of a cycle, the cycles of every day life, and be
able to determine how the Earth's cycle would work. They should be comfortable explaining cycle in a
general everyday definition, but also a scientific definition that will be used during our activities. We hope
to teach that different parts of the world have different cycles, and the Earth orbits the sun, creating the
cycle of day and night.
(This is where you insert the Activities listed from the paper given in class. If you have other ideas, please feel free to share
but get clearance from Arnone before you decide to implement them with Benton students.)
The first activity we are going to present to the students is to get a better idea of their background
knowledge of cycles. It is simple. We will have each student draw or write what their idea of a cycle is. We
will ask What is a Cycle? Each student will draw on a white board and we will discuss together. After
discussing some general ideas about cycles, we will begin thinking about different examples of cycles such
as seasons, months, days of the week, etc. We will transition from a general idea of a cycle, to the cycles of
day and night. The second activity will use their general ideas of day and night. This will help them make a
connection to current knowledge, even though they are gaining new information. The students will work
with cut out flash cards that show different activities performed and organize them into two categories: day
and night. We will conclude with an activity that will show a visual model of the Earth's cycle. The globe will
represent the Earth's rotation, and the flashlight will represent the sun. We will show that the sun stays in
one place, while the Earth rotates. Questions will help students reflect and further their thinking: What do
the movements of the earth have to do with how we keep time?; How can it be different times in different
places of the Earth? Also, having the students physically do the rotation as well, will help them remember.
Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

Levi Smith, Caitlin Mayer, and Abby Lewis

The students can rotate the Earth and then be asked harder questions like, Can you show me what the
Earth would look like if it were day time here in Columbia? and What about night time? At the end of the
demonstration, we will then assess what the students learn by asking them to redefine their original
definition of a cycle. We will use the same method as before and ask them to draw examples on their white
board.
7. In what ways
could you assess
students
understanding or
confusion about
the night and
day cycle
before/during/aft
er instruction?

How do you know what your students know before/during/after your instruction.
The best way to learn what students know before instruction it to set up a baseline assessment. Ask general
questions to the students such as, "What do you know about night and day?" One of the activities such as
classifying daily activities into night and day would be an excellent baseline assessment for students. During
instruction, continue to ask questions to the students to ensure that they are understanding the material. If
not, review the content and possibly use a different strategy or method. Also encourage them to ask you
questions or give them work to do in partners. After instruction, you may give a small quiz or ask the
students to present what they learned to other students in the class.

Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)