1. DE Science Elementary “5-Minute Prep” For The Earth, Sun, and Moon Sun Our Star, the Sun

2. Our Star, the Sun – The Big Ideas The sun produces heat and light that travel to Earth. The sun is a star, one of billions in the universe. The sun is an average-size star. The sun is mostly hydrogen and helium.

3. Our Star, the Sun – Prior Knowledge Students probably have some good background knowledge about the sun. They may have misconceptions, but will generally understand the importance of the sun, and will know some basic facts about it. It would help students to view the FUN-damental, Cycles in the Sky. It would also help if they:Cycles in the Sky –Know that the sun is a star. –Have seen images of the sun and entire solar system. –Know the composition of the sun.

4. Our Star, the Sun – Common Misconceptions The sun moves across the sky. –Reality: The sun is relatively stationary in the sky. It is actually the Earth that is rotating and moving around the sun. The sun has a solid surface. –Reality: The sun is made entirely of gas, so there is not a fixed, solid surface.The part that looks like the surface is called the photosphere. It is simply the region of gas on the edge of the sun that emits light in wavelengths that we can see. The sun does not rotate. –Reality: The sun rotates around an invisible axis.The rotation of the sun was actually one of Galileo's greatest discoveries. By observing sunspots moving across the face of the sun, Galileo figured out that it was not just the spots that were moving, but the whole star. It takes an average of 27 days for the sun to make a full rotation.

5. Our Star, the Sun – Using DE Science Content When you close this presentation, you can review the following recommended resources for Our Star the Sun. Exploration: Our Star, the SunOur Star, the Sun Reading Passage: A Huge FurnaceA Huge Furnace eBook: Just an Average StarJust an Average Star Video: The Sun and its PlanetsThe Sun and its Planets Use the PowerPoint version of this presentation for hyperlinks to these resources or you can get to them through the browser or search feature.

6. Our Star, the Sun – Instructional Ideas As students watch the video, The Sun and its Planets, ask students to identify –3 new things they learned about the sun, –2 questions they still have, and –1 new vocabulary word they learned. Students can work in pairs to read the passage A Huge Furnace. Then, students can create an advertisement to “sell the sun”. The advertisement should highlight the sun’s important features, persuade someone to buy it and showcase how important and crucial it is for life on Earth.

7. State Standards: If you wish to review your state standards regarding the Our Star, the Sun, click here to get to the curriculum standards search feature of DES. http://discoveryeducation.com/forward/curriculum.cfm You can click on any standard to see what resources are available to teach it. Additional Information: For additional content, check the Extend section within the concept.