Children look at and discuss Cool Shadows photos the class has taken of interesting shadows.
Select Cool Shadows in the digital Shadows Journal.
Choose a Cool Shadows photo to share with the class and ask questions to promote science talk.
Materials
- 1 or more iPads with Cool Shadows photos in the digital Shadows Journal app
- Optional: a projector (if available)
Preparation
- Identify several Cool Shadows entries from your outdoor explorations (Wave to Your Shadow activity) to share with the class. You may also want to choose some indoor shadow photos taken during Circle Time: Introduction (Cool Shadows journal activity).
- If available, set up a projector to display the iPad.
Directions: Lesson 1
Learning Center
- At the Learning Center, children can browse the Cool Shadows photo gallery alone or with a partner. Over the course of the unit, photos will be added from a variety of activities that use the Cool Shadows tool for documentation.
- Invite children to describe and compare photos. Possible discussion ideas:
- What do you think was making that shadow? How can you tell?
- How are these two shadows the same or different?
- If you wish, you can also encourage children to use the Cool Shadows tool to photograph interesting shadows they find or make in the classroom.
Circle Time: Wrap-Up
Use Cool Shadows photos taken in the classroom or during the Wave to Your Shadow outdoor activity to spark a discussion about what children have learned about shadows.
- Show or project a Cool Shadows photo. Engage children in Science Talk discussions about shadows. Possible discussion ideas:
- What do you see in this photo?
- How do you know it’s a shadow? What is blocking the light? Which child do you think made this shadow? Why do you think that?
- To make a shadow, you need light. Where is the light coming from that made this shadow?
- When we are indoors, what light sources can we use to make shadows?
- When we are outdoors during the day, what light source do we use to make shadows?
Directions: Lesson 2
Learning Center
- At the Learning Center, children can browse the Cool Shadows photo gallery alone or with a partner. Over the course of the unit, photos will be added from a variety of activities that use the Cool Shadows tool for documentation.
- Invite children to describe and compare photos. For example,
- What do you think was making that shadow? How can you tell?
- How are these two shadows the same or different?
- If you wish, you can also encourage children to use the Cool Shadows tool to photograph interesting shadows they find or make in the classroom.
Directions: Lesson 11
Learning Center
- At the Learning Center, children can browse the Cool Shadows photo gallery alone or with a partner. Over the course of the unit, photos will be added from a variety of activities that use the Cool Shadows tool for documentation.
- Invite children to describe and compare photos. Possible discussion ideas:
- What do you think was making that shadow? How can you tell?
- How are these two shadows the same or different?
- When looking at chalk tracings of morning and afternoon shadows of the same object, you might ask, Is one longer than the other? What do you wonder about these shadows?
- If you wish, you can also encourage children to use the Cool Shadows tool to photograph interesting shadows they find or make in the classroom.
