Lesson 31

Lesson 31: Eclipse of the Sun

Learning Objective

Understanding the Eclipse of the Sun

Syllabus Correlations

· Theme: Investigating the Earth and the Universe

· Learning Area: Eclipses

· Learning Objective: Understanding the Eclipse of the Sun

Learning Outcomes:

Pupils should be able to:

· state what Eclipse of the Sun is.

· state the position of the Moon, the Earth and the Sun during the Eclipse of the Sun.

· explain why Eclipse of the Sun occurs.

· predict the scenario on the Earth during the Eclipse of the Sun.

Concept(s) Introduced:

· what Eclipse of the Sun is and how it happens;

· why Eclipse of the Sun happens;

· predict the scenario on the Earth during Eclipse of the Sun.

Skills Covered:

· Observing, classifying, making inferences, interpreting data, making conclusions, comparing and contrasting.

Vocabulary/ New Words:

eclipse, Eclipse of the Sun, partial eclipse, solar eclipse

Value(s) Incorporated:

· Having an interest in and curiosity about the environment.

· Being diligent and persevering.

· Realising that science is a means to understand nature.

· Thinking rationally

· Analysing the things around us

Materials Needed:

-

Point(s) to Note:

Explain how and why Eclipse of the Sun occurs.

Teaching Strategies
Set Induction	Show the images of Eclipse of the Moon and of the Sun. Ask pupils whether Eclipse of the Moon is the same and of the Sun. Ask pupils what is the position of the Sun during Eclipse of the Sun. Teacher explains the existence of a dark part behind the Earth and Moon respectively. Component: Introduction
Step 1	Play the content component. Ask pupils what is Eclipse of the Sun and whether they know how it occurs. Ask pupils what will happen on the Earth when the Moon blocks the Sun. Play the content component. Teacher explains the revolution of the Earth. Highlight that it is possible for the Moon to be between the Sun and Earth in a straight line. Teacher explains the positions of the Moon, Earth and Sun during the eclipse, showing the images. Ask pupils why sunlight cannot reach the Earth. This is due to the Moon being an opaque object. Ask pupils when Eclipse of the Sun occurs. Explain that it occurs when the Moon’s shadow falls in the Earth’s surface. Play the content component. Ask pupils what can be seen during the Eclipse of the Sun. Show pupils the images of what can be seen. Based on the images, ask pupils to differentiate between a partial and total eclipse. Teacher introduces that Eclipse of the Sun is also known as solar eclipse. Explain that some portions of the Sun’s surface are covered. Show diagram of the phases of an Eclipse of the Sun. Ask students to draw the different shapes of the Sun during the eclipse. Play the content component. Ask pupils whether they can differentiate between partial and total eclipse. Ask pupils how a partial Eclipse of the Sun occurs and how long it lasts. Teacher explains that partial Eclipse of the Sun happens when only a part of the Sun can be seen and lasts from a few minutes to a few hours. Ask pupils how total Eclipse of the Sun happens. Explain that total eclipse happens when the Sun is totally covered by the Moon. Teacher introduces what corona is. Ask pupils how long the total eclipse can last. Explain that the total eclipse lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes. Component: Content
Step 2	Play the activity component. All pupils are to be involved which is to form Eclipse of the Sun using apparatus. Help pupils to prepare the apparatus. Teacher explains the procedure involved. Ask pupils to record their observations on the phases of the Moon. Discuss the findings. Component: Activity
Step 3	There are five questions in this component covering the learning outcomes. Questions 1 to 3 are objective questions. Q4 is a drag and drop activity. Pupils drag and drop the correct answers for the questions. Q5 consists of true or false questions. Pupils need to identify whether the statements are true or false. Use evaluation sheets to assess the pupils’ understanding of this lesson. Component: Evaluation
Step 4	A case study what a total solar eclipse is. Ask pupils what they know about total solar eclipse and whether they have seen one before. Teacher illustrates how the eclipse looks like. Teacher introduces the 1999 total eclipse, 2005 annular eclipse and 2006 total eclipse. Teacher explains that solar eclipses were associated with supernatural causes. Ask pupils to discuss why total solar eclipse can occur. Component: Extension
Conclusion	Conclude the lesson by playing this component to further reinforce understanding of the lesson. Help pupils to identify what happens during Eclipse of the Sun occurs. Emphasise how the Sun, Earth and Moon are positioned. Component : Summary