5E Lesson Plan

Teacher: Ms.Cummings and Ms.Trejo

Date: 9/28/2015
Subject / grade level: Science 5th Grade
Materials:
Globe
Flashlight
Worksheets
Scissors
Glue
Construction paper
Game cards (sun and the earth)
TEKS: 5.8 (c) Earth and space. The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world
and among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. The student is expected to:
(C) Demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours causing the day/night cycle
and the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky; and
Lesson objective(s): The student will be able to explain and demonstrate by participating in Around the Axis
Simon Says the Earth day/night cycle.
Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs (special needs):
Our student has ADHD before we begin the lesson we would discuss the different questions that will be asking
throughout the lesson, the steps of the game and he or she will be the material manager for the groups. This we will be
beneficial to the student because he or she will know beforehand what is expected and what will be coming up during
the lesson.

ENGAGE

Good Morning, young scientist, whos ready to learn more about our special friend the sun!
Remember learning about photosynthesis and how the sun has an important relationship with plants? (Students response) Well theres
another important relationship that the sun has. Write down any predication you might have about another role the sun has and we will
discuss our predication in just a moment.
Has anyone seen a sunset or a sunrise? (Student response) Well what if we told you that the Earth and the sun have a very special
relationship, someone give an example of what might be there relationship. Someone tell us one way the Earth might spin (student
response). This will be a BIG clue to what we will be discussing today about how we have day and night.
Make sure to ask yourself throughout this lesson what is the relationship between the Earth and the Sun. As well what might cause the
sun to set or rise at different parts of the day. Lastly, ask yourself how this might affect your everyday activities.

EXPLORE

Using a globe and flashlight students will explore day and night while turning the globe. They will record what they see and make
predictions off the evidence they have discovered.
They will come up with different questions as to why and how day and night occur (make predictions of what you think causes day and
night).
We will observe and guide students towards the big idea of why and how day and night occur by probing them with questions, as
follow
o What happens to the globe when the flashlight shines in one direction?
o What would you predict when you spin the globe?
o What did you notice about the globe spinning?
o How is the globe siting?
After they have gather their predications and question, we will discuss as a class the different evidence found to help us come to a
consensus of how day and night occur. (Guiding them to the correct answer using scientifically correct information.

5E Lesson Plan
EXPLAIN

Student 1 Predication: I predict day and night occur because the Earth spins.
Student 2 Predication: I predicate day and night occur when the Earth completes one spin.
Student 3 Question: What causes it to be darker in one side of the globe than the other?
Student 4 Question: Why is the earth tilted?
The teacher will use the students predication and question to explain why there is day and night.
o You are correct (student 1) the earth does spin, which is called a rotation we will simulate this during our game.
o (Student 2) predicated day and night occurs when the Earth completes one spin, another word for a one spin is a rotation it
take the Earth 24 hours to complete a single rotation.
o Class why do you think it is darker on one side of the globe than the other. Student response: because the earth is on an
imaginary axis, which causes the earth to rotate within 24hours. That is correct! Lets think about where we are, student
response: we are in Texas, Texas is in North America, and North America is located in the Northern Hemisphere. We know
that it takes the Earth 24 hours to complete a single rotation we can conclude that if it daytime in the Northern Hemisphere it is
nighttime in the Southern Hemisphere.
o Why do you think the Earth is tilted? Student response: because its what causes the Earth to spin, which causes day and night.
Yes, thats exactly what happens when the Earth rotates and remember it takes 24 hours to complete a rotation.
o
Let think about when we are getting up for the day we notice the sun coming up, this called a sunrise one special thing about
the sunrise in the Northern Hemisphere is that it always rises in the east no matter where you are. It rises in the east in
Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and even in another state.
o What do you notice when you are going to sleep? Student response: it is dark outside. Why do you think it is dark outside?
Student response: Because there is no daylight. Correct, this is because the sun has set, which called a sunset. A sunset occurs
at the west in the northern hemisphere.
o Throughout the day the sun seems to be at different positions but the sun is not actually moving it is actually the earth rotating
on an imaginary axis within 24 hours, this causes day and night.
Thinking Questions
o How is the relationship between the Earth and the Sun similar to the Sun and the producers?
o Compare your predications with that presented in our class discussion?
o Explain what must have happened when the Sun sets or rises using what we now know about the relationship between the Sun
and Earth?
o What would happen if the Earth no longer rotated at an axis?

ELABORATE

Introduce the Around the Axis: Simon Says game and have brief discussion about what the students learned and how/ where it can be
applied everyday.
Directions:
o Students will pair up and be handed two cards.
o One card will be labeled the sun and then the other one will be labeled the earth.
o The teacher would place north, south, east and west in the appropriate position. The student will use these directional labels to
help them turn to the correct direction.
o The person who has the Earth card will be the one who will stand with their arms held at an angle to simulate the Earths
imaginary axis.
o The teacher then will choose a card from a pile of Earth position. (Which will demonstrate the sun rising and setting)
o The teacher will then tell the students sun move to the west (the students should be able to explain why the sun should not
move and demonstrate the correct location of the sun at the different time periods of the day.)
o We will do a couple rounds to test the students understanding.
o For the students that moved to the wrong position, we will ask them to explain why and guide them towards the correct
explanation using their explanation.
Review
o The teacher will review with the class the reason why day and night occurs by re-explaining that the Earth is on a imaginary
axis and that takes 24 hours to complete one rotation.
What vocabulary will be introduced and how will it connect to students observations?
o Rotation
o Axis
o 24 hour cycle
o Sunset and Sunrises
How is this knowledge applied in our daily lives?
o The teacher will ask how day and night affects their everyday activities
o The students will write down in the journal and have a classroom discussion.

EVALUATE
2

5E Lesson Plan

Day and Night Cycle Worksheet

5E Lesson Plan
Horizontal Alignment within the Grade chosen for the 5E lesson
What other TEKS can be aligned to this lesson (what will this lesson build upon and build for)?
TEKS
5th Grade
(6) Force, motion, and energy. The student knows that energy occurs in many forms and can be observed in
cycles, patterns, and systems. The student is expected to:
(D) design an experiment that tests the effect of force on an object.
Vertical Alignment within the Grade Chosen for the 5E lesson
Prior Grade
What other TEKS can be aligned to this lesson (what will this lesson build upon and build for)?
How would you integrate this foundational knowledge for developed 5E lesson?
TEKS
4th Grade
9) Organisms and environments. The student knows and understands that living organisms within an
ecosystem interact with one another and with their environment. The student is expected to:
(B) Describe the flow of energy through food webs, beginning with the Sun, and predict how changes in
the ecosystem affect the food web such as a fire in a forest.
We reviewed the relationship between the sun and the procedures before introducing a new relationship between
the sin and the earth.
Next Grade
What other TEKS can be aligned to this lesson (what will this lesson build upon and build for)?
How would this aid their knowledge in future grades?
TEKS
6th Grade
(11) Earth and space. The student understands the organization of our solar system and the relationships among
the various bodies that comprise it. The student is expected to:
(A) Describe the physical properties, locations, and movements of the Sun, planets, Galilean moons,
meteors, asteroids, and comets;
(B) Understand that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system; and
What was thought in this lesson will help the students in six grade because they will understand the relationship
between the sun and the Earth, which will allow them to make better predications about the physical property,
location, and movement of the sun. It will also help them understand the gravitational pull and how the Earth is
affected by that.
Statement of Participation:
Cynthia and Ashlyn participated equally on the lesson plan. Both came up with the overall idea of the game.
Cynthia found the explanations for the different stages of the day and night cycle, and Ashlyn came up with the
instructions and game procedures. Both found the different TEKS for the horizontal and vertical alignments.
Cynthia and Ashlyn created the game cards, as well as the earth and sun name plates.