Me and My Shadow

Build Materials (For each team)

Activity 1 – Shadow Walk Materials

• Clipboard
• Piece of paper labeled “shadows”
• Crayons

Activity 2 – Shade the Groundhog Materials

• Stuffed or plastic toy animal (2-3 inches in size)

Optional Materials (Table of Possibilities)

• Plastic wrap
• Cotton balls
• Craft Sticks
• Rubber bands
• Straws
• Paperclips
• Paper towel rolls (not paper towels)
• Balloons
• Crayons
• Pipe cleaners
• Clear Tape
• Ruler

Testing Materials – Activity 2 – Shade the Groundhog

• Flashlight

Process

Shut off all the lights, have the students put the groundhog in their structure and test the opacity of the structure using a flashlight.

Design Challenge

Activity 1 – Shadow Walk

You are a team of engineers learning how to compare shadows. You will learn why shadows are bigger or smaller and why they can be different shapes. 

Activity 2 – Shade the Groundhog

You are a team of engineers working together to design and build a structure to keep a groundhog from seeing its shadow. Your structure needs to have a door so the groundhog can enter for shelter.  

Criteria 

• Structure needs to have a door

Constraints

• Use only the materials your teacher has given you

Activity 1 – Shadow Walk (this activity needs to be done on a nice, sunny day)

1. Break class into teams of pairs.
2. Give each pair a clipboard, one or two crayons, and a piece of paper labeled “shadows.”
3. Tell students that they are going on a walk around the block. As they walk, ask them to pay attention to the shadows shape and location.
4. Have student teams draw the object, the shadow, and the location of the sun on their paper. Find some interesting shadows that are close to each other. Have them compare shadows, consider which ones are bigger, or different shapes, and why. Ask students to see whether all shadows are the same size as its object.
5. Ask questions regarding the different shapes and sizes of shadows that they see.
6. Bring the students back to classroom and have them share their work with the class – record observations.
7. Discuss – Where were the shadows? Will they be in the same place after school? Why not? Why were shadows different sizes?

Activity 2 – Shade the Groundhog

1. Break the class into teams of 2-3. 
2. Hand out the Student Resource and Design Space worksheet.
3. Display the toy animal to students and ask them to write down the dimensions of the toy.
4. Explain that the students will be working in teams to design and build a structure to prevent the groundhog from seeing it shadow. Add that the structure needs to be designed with a door that the toy they see can fit through to enter the shelter.
5. Explain to students that they will have 40 minutes to design and build their structure.
6. Use a timer or an on-line stopwatch (count down feature) to ensure you keep on time. (www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch). Give students regular “time checks” so they stay on task. If they are struggling, ask questions that will lead them to a solution quicker.
7. Explain that they have limited materials to use, and provide the size of the toy/stuffed animal, but do not allow students to test their design using the actual toy animal…just provide the size.
8. After students look at all the materials available, they should be encouraged to brainstorm and sketch their initial design on the worksheet.
9. Once they all agree on the design for their structure, they can gather materials and begin building.
10. Encourage students to carefully measure their door opening and use a flashlight to test the opacity of their design.
11. Once all groups are done, shut off all the lights, have the students put the groundhog in their structure and test the opacity of the structure using a flashlight.
12. Lead a group discussion touching on questions in the Reflection Section below.

Optional Extension

Shadow Puppets: Have students cut figures from paper and glue to a craft stick to make puppets. Create shadows on the wall using a flashlight. Students can create a story to accompany their puppets and present as a play to the class.

Playground Chalk Drawing: Encourage students to create, trace, and label shadows on the playground with chalk. If the shadow traced is from a permanent object (basketball stand, trash barrel, mailbox), take students out a few hours later to see the how the shadows have moved from the chalk lines created earlier.

Student Reflection

1. What materials did your group use? Why?
2. After testing your structure, would you have changed the original design?
3. How? What could have been improved?
4. Which designs of other teams inspired you? Why?