The Sun 🌞

Unit 1: Discovering New Worlds

Mr. Porter | Maple Hill Jr./Sr. High School

Today’s Goals

  • Connect our curiosity about exoplanets and our own Sun
  • Share and discuss our ideas about how the Sun provides energy
  • Begin investigating sunlight using scientific tools and evidence
  • Practice making claims based on patterns in data

Engage: Why Focus on the Sun?

  • During our Driving Question Board launch, we wondered:
    • Does the exoplanet have a Sun like ours?
    • How does the Sun provide the right amount of energy for life?
  • We need to understand our own Sun before we can compare it to others.

Engage: What Do You Know About the Sun?

Instructions:

  1. Imagine the Sun. Jot down everything that comes to mind.
  2. Share your ideas with a partner.
  3. As a class, we’ll use the “Rumors” routine to surface and categorize our ideas.

Engage: Observing the Sun

  • We’ll watch NASA telescope footage of the Sun.
  • As you watch, write down any new observations you notice.

Engage: How Does the Sun Provide So Much Energy?

Your Task:

  • Brainstorm 2–5 ideas for how the Sun provides energy (see your handout).
  • For each idea, write what you’ve seen or learned that supports your thinking.

Engage: Surfacing Student Ideas

  • Read the investigative phenomenon at the top of your handout
  • Discuss with a partner:
    • What other phenomena do you know that are associated with a lot of energy?
    • How is that energy produced?
  • Write your best idea about how the Sun works on a sticky note

Engage: How Do We Figure Out How the Sun Works?

  • How do we usually figure out how something works?
    • Take it apart?
    • Learn what it’s made of?
    • See how the parts work together?
    • Can we do this with the Sun?
    • What can we observe from Earth?

Explore: Investigating Light from the Sun

We can’t take apart the Sun, but we can observe it from Earth!

Today’s Investigation:

  • Learn how a spectroscopy telescope works using a simulator
  • Analyze sunlight and compare it to light from gases in the lab

Explore: Using a Spectrometer

Instructions:

  1. Use the Three Views Spectrum Demonstrator Simulation.
    • Note: Link posted on Canvas
  2. Observe the spectrum from a light bulb.
  3. Observe the spectrum after light passes through a gas cloud.
  4. Record your observations and explanations on your handout.

Explore: What Do We See in Sunlight?

  • Astronomers use a spectrometer to collect data from the Sun.
  • Examine the spectra from three different Sun observations.

Look for Patterns:

  • What do you notice about the spectra?
  • Are there features that repeat?
  • What might cause these patterns?

What is the electromagnetic spectrum?

  • Full range of electromagnetic radiation
  • Divided into bands
    • separated by characteristics such as how they are produced

Explore: Comparing Sun & Lab Spectra

  • Compare the Sun’s spectrum to spectra from hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, and oxygen gases.
  • Use the “See-Think-Wonder” chart on your handout:
    • See: What patterns do you observe?
    • Think: What could these patterns mean?
    • Wonder: What questions do you have?

center

Explore: What Can We Infer?

  • What connections can you make between the Sun’s spectrum and the spectra of different gases?
  • What does this tell you about what the Sun is made of?
  • Be ready to share your ideas and evidence with the class.

What’s Next?

  • We’ll use our evidence and observations to develop a claim about the Sun’s composition.
  • Keep thinking about:
    • What patterns do you see?
    • What evidence supports your ideas?
    • What questions do you still have?

How the Sun Works: Explain

Earth & Space Science – Unit 1

Explain: Making Sense of the Evidence

  • Use patterns in data to develop a claim about the Sun’s composition
  • Practice supporting claims with scientific evidence
  • Work toward a class consensus about how the Sun works

What Are We Trying to Figure Out?

  • Does the exoplanet have a Sun like ours?
  • What is our Sun made of, and how does it release energy?
  • What counts as an evidence-based claim in science?

What Counts as an Evidence-Based Claim?

  • Information from a reliable source or experiment
  • Evidence from an investigation or data
  • Not just someone’s opinion
  • Agreement among scientists
  • Patterns in data can serve as evidence

Using Evidence to Support or Revise Our Ideas

  • Review your observations from the Explore phase
  • Does your evidence support your initial ideas?
  • Do you need to revise your thinking?

Organize Evidence: How Do We Know What the Sun is Made Of?

Instructions:

  1. Work with your group to sequence the evidence cards from the sunlight investigation
  2. Put the cards in an order that shows how we can determine the Sun’s composition
  3. Be ready to explain your reasoning

Look & Listen For

  • White light contains many wavelengths (colors)
  • A spectrometer separates light into its component wavelengths
  • When white light passes through a gas, some wavelengths are absorbed (black lines)
  • Each gas has a unique pattern of absorption lines
  • The Sun’s spectrum matches the patterns for hydrogen and helium

Write a Scientific Explanation

Prompt:

  • What is the Sun made of? How do you know?

Use the CER (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning) approach:

  • Claim: What do you think the Sun is composed of?
  • Evidence: What data supports your claim?
  • Reasoning: How does your evidence support your claim?

Conferring Prompts

  • Why does the evidence tell us the Sun is composed of hydrogen and helium?
  • What patterns did you use as evidence?
  • How do you know there is a pattern?
  • What makes your explanation convincing?

Need Help Getting Started?

  • Use the CER chart on your handout
  • Try sentence starters:
    • “The Sun is composed of…”
    • “The evidence for this is…”
    • “This evidence supports my claim because…”

Class Consensus Discussion

  • Groups share their scientific explanations
  • Listen for:
    • Use of patterns as evidence
    • Clear reasoning linking evidence to claim
  • As a class, discuss and agree on the best-supported claim

Take Time for These Key Points

  • The Sun is made mostly of hydrogen and helium
  • We know this from spectra data and patterns
  • Patterns in evidence are a useful lens for figuring out other things in space science

Reflection & Summary

  • What did you learn about making evidence-based claims?
  • How did using patterns in data help you figure out what the Sun is made of?
  • What questions do you still have about the Sun?

Exit Ticket

  • What is one thing you learned about how scientists use evidence to make claims?
  • What is one question you still have about the Sun or its energy?

How the Sun Works:

Elaborate & Evaluate
Earth & Space Science – Unit 1

Elaborate: Explaining How the Sun Releases Energy

  • Use evidence and reasoning to explain the process that releases the Sun’s energy
  • Compare chemical and nuclear reactions as possible sources
  • Connect the scale and duration of energy release to scientific explanations

Revisiting Our Ideas

  • We know the Sun is made of hydrogen and helium
  • But how do these elements release so much energy for so long?
  • Let’s analyze the evidence for two possible processes:
    • Chemical reactions
    • Nuclear reactions

Analyze the Evidence

Possible Energy-Releasing Processes in the Sun:

  • Chemical:
    • Small amount of energy per reaction
    • Would only power the Sun for ~50,000 years
  • Nuclear (Fusion):
    • Much more energy per reaction
    • Can power the Sun for ~10 billion years

Card Sort: Which Process Powers the Sun?

Instructions:

  1. Work with your partner to sort the claim and data cards
  2. Decide which evidence supports chemical or nuclear reactions
  3. Add your reasoning to the cards as needed

Conferring Prompts

  • What made you decide this card supports your claim?
  • Is there evidence that can support both claims?
  • Which claim has stronger evidence?
  • How does the scale of energy and time help you decide?

Write Your Scientific Explanation

Prompt:

  • Is the Sun’s energy released by chemical or nuclear reactions?
  • Use evidence and reasoning to support your claim

What Counts as an Evidence-Based Claim?

  • Information from a reliable source
  • Evidence from an experiment or investigation
  • Not just an opinion
  • Patterns in data can count as evidence
  • Claims can be revised based on new evidence

Evaluate: Revising and Predicting

  • Revise your model of how the Sun works based on new evidence
  • Use your model to predict what will happen to

Lesson Objectives

Engage: Driving Question

Engage: Surfacing Ideas TEACHER NOTE: Give students a minute to think and jot ideas. Encourage all students to participate, including using accessible methods for blind students (e.g., audio, Braille). POSSIBLE ANSWERS It’s very bright. It’s yellow or white. It’s very large compared to Earth. It’s very hot.

Engage: Observing the Sun TEACHER NOTE: This is the brainstorming handout prompt. Remind students to connect their ideas to prior experience or observations. It looks like lava. It has flames shooting out of it . There’re explosions in it. Some parts are darker than others. It seems to have gas in it.

Engage: Connecting to Energy TEACHER NOTE: Encourage students to connect to phenomena they know (e.g., fire, light bulbs, chemical reactions).

TEACHER NOTE: Encourage students to connect to phenomena they know (e.g., fire, light bulbs, chemical reactions).

TEACHER NOTE: Use this slide to prompt metacognition about scientific investigation. Ask: Can we take apart the Sun? What can we measure from Earth?

Explore: Investigating Light from the Sun

Explore: What Does a Spectrometer Tell Us?

Explore: Observing Sunlight

Explore: Comparing Sun & Lab Spectra

Explore: Making Connections

Next Steps

TEACHER NOTE: Title slide for Explain phase. You may want to add your name, class, and date.

TEACHER NOTE: Use this slide to introduce the purpose of the Explain phase.

TEACHER NOTE: Reconnect to the driving question. Prompt students to recall what they are trying to figure out.

TEACHER NOTE: Facilitate a class discussion about what counts as evidence. Encourage students to share their thinking and experiences from Engage/Explore.

TEACHER NOTE: Remind students to refer back to the class poster or board of ideas from Engage.

TEACHER NOTE: This is the sequencing card sort. Encourage students to work in pairs or small groups.

TEACHER NOTE: Circulate and listen for key ideas as students work. Prompt students to cite specific evidence and patterns.

TEACHER NOTE: Students write a scientific explanation (CER) about the Sun’s composition. Offer scaffolds as needed.

TEACHER NOTE: Sample conferring questions to guide students' explanations.

TEACHER NOTE: Scaffold for students who need support. Encourage use of the CER chart or sentence starters.

TEACHER NOTE: Class consensus routine. Select groups to share explanations that move the class forward.

TEACHER NOTE: Key points to ensure are surfaced during discussion.

TEACHER NOTE: Encourage students to reflect on their learning and the process.

TEACHER NOTE: Use as an exit ticket or homework prompt.

TEACHER NOTE: Title slide for Elaborate & Evaluate. You may want to add your name, class, and date.

TEACHER NOTE: Introduce the purpose of the Elaborate phase.

TEACHER NOTE: Remind students of their earlier ideas about explosions, burning, and chemical reactions.

TEACHER NOTE: Students analyze the data table comparing chemical and nuclear processes.

TEACHER NOTE: Students use claim and data cards to sort evidence and reasoning.

TEACHER NOTE: Circulate and use conferring prompts to push student thinking.

TEACHER NOTE: Students write a scientific explanation for how the Sun releases energy.

TEACHER NOTE: Encourage students to reflect on what makes evidence strong.

TEACHER NOTE: Transition to Evaluate phase. Students will revise and critique their models and make predictions.