Science // Space Systems & Earth's History

Shadows

Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in shadow length and direction, day and night cycles, and seasonal star patterns

Ages
10 to 11
Type
Method
Builds on
2 topics
Leads to
0 topics
Standards
1 code

Quick check

Can the learner measure their shadow at different times of day, plot it on a chart, and explain why it's longest in the morning and evening but shortest at midday?

Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.

Topic // Mastery

What mastery looks like

What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
  • Measure and record shadow length and direction at different times of day
  • Create a graph showing how shadow length changes throughout the day
  • Connect shadow patterns to the sun's apparent position and Earth's rotation

Topic // Map

Where this fits

What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
  • RequiredMust come first
  • HelpfulHelps, but not essential

Before this

2 topics
  • Earth's rotation and day/nightRequired

    Space Systems & Earth's History // Ages 9 to 11

    Must understand Earth's rotation before graphing shadow patterns caused by it

  • How Shadows FormHelpful

    Waves, Light & Sound // Ages 7 to 8

    Shadow formation knowledge supports measuring and graphing shadow changes

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Shadows

Ages 10 to 11 // Method

Leads to

0 topics

Nothing in the catalogue builds on this topic yet. Browse Space Systems & Earth's History

Topic // Research-informed

Teaching notes

From the Marble Skill Taxonomy. These notes have not been validated in classrooms, so treat them as a starting point for your own judgement.

The approach

A data-handling procedure for ages 10-11: measure the length and direction of the same object's shadow at set times across a day, record readings systematically, represent them in a graph, and read the daily pattern off it — shadows are long when the Sun is low (morning/evening), shortest around midday, and the direction sweeps around always pointing away from the Sun. The pattern is then connected to the Sun's apparent motion caused by Earth's rotation. Emphasis is on fair measurement, consistent recording, and revealing a pattern through a graphical display. Observe the shadow cast on the ground, never look directly at the Sun, and infer the Sun's direction as opposite the shadow. Do NOT teach the causes of seasons (assessment boundary).

Common misconceptions

  • Shadows stay the same size all day.
  • A shadow points toward the light source (it points away from it).
  • Shadow length changes randomly rather than in a predictable daily pattern.
  • The changing shadow proves the Sun itself moves (rather than the Earth rotating).
  • This daily shadow pattern is the same thing as the cause of the seasons.

Useful representations

  • A gnomon/sundial casting a shadow that changes through the day.
  • A line graph of shadow length vs time of day (the U-shape).
  • A compass-style plot of shadow direction across the day.
  • A table of time / length / direction readings feeding the graph.

Teaching practices

  • Take real, repeated measurements of the same object's shadow at set times (a fixed gnomon, same spot) so the data are fair and comparable.
  • Represent the data in a graph and read the pattern from it — the skill is '[curriculum wording omitted; reference 5-ESS1-2]', not just observing shadows.
  • Draw out both variables: shadow LENGTH (a U-shape over the day, shortest at midday) and DIRECTION (sweeping opposite the Sun).
  • Connect the pattern back to the Sun's apparent position and Earth's rotation, reinforcing that the Sun appears to move because we turn.
  • Keep to shadow/day-night/seasonal-star patterns; do NOT teach the causes of seasons (assessment boundary).
  • Use digital tools or careful hand-plotting so the pattern, not measurement error, dominates.

Activities to try

  1. 1

    Build a shadow logger: measure and graph a shadow across the day

    Why it works: The daily shadow pattern lives in the DATA a learner collects and graphs: a U-shaped length curve (longest morning and late afternoon, shortest around midday) and a direction that always points away from the Sun and sweeps around through the day — a visible consequence of the Sun's changing apparent height as the Earth rotates.

    1. Work safely outdoors: observe and measure the shadow cast on the GROUND; never look directly at the Sun — its position is found from the shadow, which points away from it.
    2. Stand a fixed gnomon (e.g. an upright stick) in a sunny spot and mark its base so it and the recording paper do not move all day.
    3. At four or more set times across the school day, measure the shadow's LENGTH with a ruler AND its DIRECTION with a compass.
    4. Record each reading in a table with columns for time, length and direction.
    5. Plot a line graph with time on the x-axis and shadow length on the y-axis, placing points in time order and joining them, using a sensible scale.
  2. 2

    Interactive gnomon: scrub the day and watch the graph build

    Why it works: Seeing the graph assemble point-by-point from the Sun's changing position makes explicit the link between Sun altitude, shadow length and the time-ordered pattern.

    1. Use a screen model of a gnomon in the Sun where advancing the time of day (e.g. tapping each hour or dragging a time control) swings the shadow around and stretches or shrinks it as the Sun climbs and sinks.
    2. As each hour's reading is captured, see it drop in as a plotted point building a shadow-length-vs-time curve and a direction fan.
    3. After collecting a day's points, identify the U-shape and confirm the shadow is shortest exactly when the Sun is highest, and always points away from the Sun.
  3. 3

    Static reference: morning / noon / evening shadows

    Why it works: A clear reference image helps a learner anticipate the shape of the data (shortest at midday, pointing away from the Sun) before or alongside collecting their own readings.

    1. Study a diagram showing the same object's shadow at morning, midday and evening, with labels revealing each shadow's length and direction.
    2. Describe how length and direction differ between the three times and predict what a full day's graph would look like.

Topic // Standards

Curriculum standards

Codes for the curriculum statements this topic maps to. Each publisher owns its standard text.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) K-5
5-ESS1-2

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