Minds On
The daylight cycle – day, night, repeat!
At what part of the day is the sun in the sky?
At what part of the day is the moon in the sky?
When you’re ready, press the ‘Answer’ button to reveal the answers.
The sun is up during the daytime and the moon is out at nighttime.
A cycle happens when an event keeps repeating, like a pattern.
The sun rising and setting is a cycle that happens every day.
Check out the following video to explore a cycle of the sun!
Action
Global connections
Connecting to the world
The United Nations (UN) is a group of many countries from around the world that have come together to create a better future for people and the environment. They have created 17 goals called the Sustainable Development Goals.
This learning activity is connected to Goal #3 which is called Good Health and Well-being. This means everyone should have what they need to live a healthy life.
The Sun
The Sun is the principal source of energy on Earth and helps to provide the basic needs of all living things.
How does the Sun help living things on the Earth to stay healthy?
Share your ideas with a partner, if possible. You may also choose to write, draw or describe your ideas using an audio recording.
Press ‘Answer’ to learn how the Sun helps living things on Earth.
The Sun helps plants to grow, which helps animals, humans, and the environment to stay healthy. The energy from sunlight gives us light and helps our food to grow each day. The Sun warms the air, land and water. These are the basic needs of living things.
Rise and shine!
Have you ever experienced a sunrise or a sunset?
Can you explain why the Sun appears to “rise” and “set” in the sky every night and day?
Share your ideas with a partner, if possible. You may also choose to write, draw or describe your ideas using an audio recording.
Press ‘Answer’ to learn about the Sun rising and setting.
The Earth is always spinning round and round.
When the sun shines its light on the Earth, there is always a “dark” side that faces away from the Sun.
This dark side will eventually spin around to face the sun, and then back around it goes again.
Check out the animation to explore how this works!
Let’s learn more about the daylight cycle by coding!
Let’s explore some code!
Coding can be used to create computer models of things we want to explain.
You will create your own coded model of a sunrise and sunset followed by a moonrise and moonset.
We will use coding “blocks” that be moved around and put in place to show the daylight cycle.
The coding blocks are from an app called SCRATCH Jr.
Student Success
Let’s think about code!
To explore some possible code elements including blocks that you may come across in this learning activity, check out the following Coding Chart.
Description
A chart of two elements and six coding blocks. There are two squares. One square has an icon of a learner. This is called the sprite, which is a character that acts out your code. The second square has an image of a landscape with a sky, a bush and the ground. This is the backdrop, which is your background. There are six coloured dots. Each dot is a kind of a block. In order, the blocks are ‘Motion’. ‘Looks’, ‘Sound’, ‘Triggering’, ‘Control’ and ‘End’. Each of the dots also has a definition, as follows: Triggering: The triggering block is the start button. It is a yellow block with a green flag. It is your first block! Motion: The motion block makes a sprite move. The arrow shows how the sprite might move! The looks block changes how a sprite looks and talks. The sound block makes audio or a sound. The control block controls when an action happens. The end block is how you end your code.
Now that you have explored what kind of blocks you can use, let’s get coding!
Sun
Can you make the Sun rise and set?
Using the following coding program, make the sun rise and set in 5 steps. Click the different blocks and put them in order.
You can make the Sun rise on the first five blocks and set on the bottom five blocks.
You can also draw it on paper, or explain it out loud to a trusted friend, family member, or peer.
When you’re ready, press the ‘Answer’ button to reveal the sunset and sunrise.
Sunrise
Description
A coding program to make the sun rise. There is a sun, a yellow block with a green flag, a blue block with an arrow pointing right, a blue block with an arrow pointing up, and an orange block with an arrow reversing.
Sunset
Description
A coding program to make the sun set. There is a sun, a yellow block with a green flag, a blue block with an arrow pointing right, a blue block with an arrow pointing down, and an orange block with an arrow reversing.
Moon
Can you make the moon rise and set?
Using the following coding program, make the moon rise and set in 5 steps. Click and drag the different blocks and put them in order.
You can make the moon rise on the first five blocks and set on the bottom five blocks.
You can also draw it on paper, or explain it out loud to a trusted friend, family member, or peer.
When you’re ready, press the ‘Answer’ button to reveal the moonset and moonrise.
Moonrise
Description
A coding program to make the moon rise. There is a moon, a yellow block with a green flag, a blue block with an arrow pointing right, a blue block with an arrow pointing up, and an orange block with an arrow reversing.
Moonset
Description
A coding program to make the moon set. There is a moon, a yellow block with a green flag, a blue block with an arrow pointing right, a blue block with an arrow pointing down, and an orange block with an arrow reversing.
Consolidation
What do our sunlight and moonlight cycle programs tell us?
Today, you used coding to model the cycle of a day. A cycle is like a pattern that repeats.
The cycle of day and night is an ABAB…repeating pattern. What is another way to describe this pattern?
Press ‘Sample Answer’ to learn another description of this pattern.
The repeating pattern is day, night, day, night… or up, down, up, down, up, down…
How did you show this pattern or cycle in your coding program?
Press ‘Answer’ to access how to show this pattern in the code.
Using the “Repeat” block allows the blocks to repeat in a loop, just like the real daylight cycle.
Can you think of any other cycles in nature that repeat?
Share your ideas with a partner, if possible. You may choose to draw, write or record your ideas as an audio recording.
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.