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Our Solar System

Investigation 2 – Lab

Back to Investigation 2

BE PREPARED

Supplies and Equipment:

Station One:

1 large (12 g) bear
1 small piece of clay
1 flashlight
1 pencil
1 compass
1 sheet of white paper
1 Sundial Page

Station Two:

1 plastic dropper
1 100 ml beaker
5 400 ml beakers
1 sheet of white paper 1 stir rod
1 flashlight
milk
water

Station Three:

1 bulb and socket
1 60 W light bulb
1 solar cell with motor
1 metric ruler

Station Four:

5 wood blocks
2 metal cubes
1 swing arm lamp
1 extension cord, optional

Station Five:

1 wood block
1 gram cube
1 large (12 g) bear
1 flashlight
1 support stand with ring
1 piece of masking tape
5 pieces of white paper

Individual Materials:

1 Student Data Record

Teacher Preparation:

1. Prepare Station One: Create a sundial by placing a pencil in a piece of clay, as shown in here. Place the clay on the Sundial Page. (If possible, laminate the Sundial Page. If not, use a new page for each group as the clay will stick). Use the compass to help orient the paper so that the arm, or gnomon, of the sundial, is pointing North. Place the following materials on the table: one (1) flashlight, one (1) large bear, and one (1) sheet of white paper.

2. Prepare Station Two: Place the following materials at the table: one (1) 100 ml beaker filled with 50 ml milk, five (5) 400 ml beakers filled with water, one (1) stir rod, one (1) plastic dropper, and one (1) piece of white paper.

3. Prepare Station Three: Place the following materials at the table: one (1) bulb and socket containing one 60 W bulb, one (1) solar cell with motor, and one (1) metric ruler. Make sure that the bulb and socket are plugged into an electrical outlet.

4. Prepare Station Four: Clamp the swing arm lamp to the table and plug it into an electrical outlet, using the extension cord if necessary. Place the following materials on the table: two (2) metal cubes and five (5) wood blocks.

5. Prepare Station Five: Place the ring stand on the table and adjust the ring so that it is 30 cm above the base of the stand. Suspend a bright flashlight by placing it through the ring and tying the strap to the rod of the stand. Measure 12 cm in front of the base of the stand and place a piece of masking tape to mark the place. Place the following materials at the table: one (1) large bear, one (1) wood block, one (1) gram cube, and five (5) pieces of white paper.

6. Separate the class into five cooperative groups.

Instruction:

1. Begin the class by briefly outlining the experiment students will perform at each of the five stations.

2. Remind students that each station focuses on the Sun and its properties.

a. Station One: Students will explore how the position of the Sun in the sky changes throughout the day.

b. Station Two: Students will explore how the atmosphere affects the sunlight that reaches the Earth.

c. Station Three: Students will explore how energy from the Sun can be converted into another form.

d. Station Four: Students will explore how to change the amount of heat energy from the Sun that reaches an object.

e. Station Five: Students will explore visible light from the Sun and its interactions with objects on the Earth.

GET FOCUSED

Investigation Two introduces students to interactions between the Sun and planet Earth. In it, students will explore the involvement of the Sun in the perpetual 24-hour daytime/nighttime cycle and its influence on temperature.

INVESTIGATE

Station 1

At this station, students will use a model of a sundial to explore how the position of the Sun in the sky changes throughout the day. Following the steps outlined in the Student Data Record, students will shine a flashlight to model the Sun. By altering the position of the flashlight, students will see that the shadow produced by the pencil changes position.

Students will observe the modeled time of day based on the position of the flashlight. By using this model, students will answer the question: How does the position of the Sun in the sky affect sunlight on the Earth?

Station 2

At this station, students will examine the effect of the atmosphere on the amount of light that reaches the Earth. Students will follow steps to model an increasingly cloudy atmosphere by adding drops of milk into a 400 ml beaker filled with water.

Students will continue to shine a flashlight through the water and milk and observe the amount of light that reaches a piece of paper held behind the beaker. By doing this, students will answer the question: How does the Earth’s atmosphere affect the sunlight that reaches the Earth?

Station 3

During this part of the Investigation, students will explore how energy from the Sun can be converted into another form of energy. Students will use a bulb and socket as a model of the Sun.

They will place the solar cell near the light and observe the fan which is connected to a motor and to the solar cell. Students will observe that the fan rotates when exposed to the light from the model Sun.

By gradually moving the solar cell away from the light bulb, students will be able to answer the following questions:

Can energy from the Sun be converted to another form of energy?

How does the distance from the Sun affect the energy that reaches an object?

Station 4

During this station, students will explore what affects the amount of heat energy from the Sun that reaches an object. Students will observe the heat energy that reaches two metal cubes.

Students will place one metal cube directly under the lamp and will build a shelter from wood blocks around the other metal cube, protecting it from the light from the swing arm lamp.

After shining the swing arm lamp on the two metal cubes, students will make observations that will allow them to answer the question: Can the amount of the Sun’s heat energy that reaches an object be changed?

Station 5

During this part of the Investigation, students will explore visible light that reaches the Earth from the Sun. Specifically, students will investigate shadows.

Students will place three objects on a piece of white paper and will observe the shadows that are produced as a light is directed toward them.

By doing this, students will answer the question: How do the shape and size of an object affect the shape and size of shadows?