Kindergarten is working on observing the day and night sky in science, and they want to use technology to document their observations.  They are working on the following standards:

ELACCKW6 digital tools help writers write and share their stories.

ELACCKW7 writers work in groups.

SKE1 Students describe time pattterns (such as day to night and night to day) and objects in the day and night sky.

Classes came for 2 separate lessons.  During our 1st session, we used Capstone’s Pebble Go to read about day and night.

Then, we read the book Sun Up, Sun Down: The Story of Day and Night by Jacqui Bailey.  During our reading of both Pebble Go and the book, students discussed the scientific reasons we have day and night.  We setup the idea of starting to “notice” things about the sky and how it changes during the day and night.

For our 2nd session, I opened up the blinds on our massive library windows and setup observation areas for students.  We started our time together on the floor and shared some observations we had already made at recess or at home.  We practiced saying aloud what we would write on our clipboards at the windows.  Next, the teacher paired the students together, gave them a clipboard with paper and pencil, and I placed groups in front our our windows.  The teacher, parapro, and I walked around and talked with kids about what they saw.  We encouraged them to write and sketch.  We also helped them make connections to the information that we had learned from Pebble Go and our book.  For example, the sun was blinding us in the windows on he left side of the media center but on the right side of the media center it was shady.  We remembered that the sun is at different positions in the sky throughout the day due to the Earth rotating.

At the end, we split the class in half at our 2 projection areas.  Student groups shared what they observed and we used Padlet to capture the observations.  I tweeted the link to our padlet and later in the day Margaret Powers, Mrs. Keating, and Mrs. Bolster and their students added to the wall from Pennsylvania.  It was interesting to hear about the cloud-filled sky there compared to our cloudless sky in Georgia.

Now, the Kindergarten teachers will share this link with families and encourage them to add notes to the Padlet from home.  This will allow students to make some observations of the night sky.  Please feel free to leave some comments on the Padlet about what the sky looks like where you are!