First graders at Connetquot Elementary School have been learning about day patterns within the school’s Mystery Science curriculum. In this interactive activity, students went outside to observe and trace their shadows at two different times of day. In the morning, they traced the outline of their shadows with chalk, noting how long and stretched out the shadows were. Later in the afternoon, the little scientists returned to the same spot and traced their shadows again, observing how the shadows had shortened and shifted direction. By comparing their morning and afternoon traces, the second graders were able to see firsthand how the position of the sun changes throughout the day, and they discussed the reasons behind these changes, such as Earth’s rotation and the angle of sunlight. 

“The kids loved doing this activity and were so excited to see the changes,” teacher Jessica Grieco said.

The Mystery Science curriculum at Connetquot will next lead into night patterns, which discusses moon phases and star patterns. In connection with these two units, the second-grade classes are planning a field trip to the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum & Reichert Planetarium to further explore and learn about day and night patterns in an engaging environment.