Moving Shadows

 In our class, we try to see science less as learning every fact there is to know about something and more as the process of using one's own brain to figure things out. We are working to understand shadows and how they change. We question, theorize, observe, measure, discuss, model, revise our unerstanding and try to make as many connections as we can.



We spent time observing shadows and tracing them with chalk. They moved.

By the time we were done tracing the shadow it had already moved this much-- much farther than we thought.



We spent time representing our observations about shadows and their movement.
This representation shows the sun, our classroom and the shadow cast on the other side of the building.

“Shadows are mostly always not the same size as the object casting the shadow.

Sometimes shadows are longer and sometimes they are shorter than the object casting them.”

 

 

Measuring the building and the building's shadow to prove their point

 

A 21 inch difference

 

“If the sun is diagonal over the object, the object has a bigger

shadow than if the sun was right over it.

Depending on the time, shadows are bigger or smaller.”

 

 

“Shadows move depending on the earth rotating the sun. The shadow is always on the opposite side of the sun. Shadows are objects from the sun’s rays reflecting off other objects.”

 

 

 “Shadows move and grow at the same time.

The sun makes it happen because of the angle.

Shadows are short closer to noon.”

 

“Shadows grow and shrink throughout the day.

First they shrink. Then they grow. We switched it around because it was backwards.

 We realized that shadows shrink from morning and grow from noon to night.”