Our Sun: Friend or Foe?

Title:  The Sun:  Our Friend

Grade Levels:  3-4

Subjects:  Language Arts, Music, Science, Art

Learner Outcomes:

• Students will list benefits from the sun.
• Students will write original poetry about the sun.
• Students will use keyboarding skills to type poems.
• Students will sing given song.

Duration of Lesson:   2 - 45 minute sessions
 

Materials:

• Copies of song (one per student) "You're There in the Sky for Me"

• Book:  Sun Up, Sun Down
• One sheet yellow poster board
• Orange construction paper
• Bulletin Board captions:  "Our Sun:  Friend or Foe?"; Our Friend; Our Foe

Technology Tools/Courseware:

• Internet site for song:  "You're There in the Sky for Me"
• Computers with Print Shop or Creative Writer

Teacher Notes:

• Create bulletin board display by printing a banner with the words:  Our Sun: Friend or Foe?
• Make a sun by cutting a large circle from the sheet of yellow poster board. Trace and cut (or let students cut) hands from orange construction paper. Glue hands around outside of large circle.
• Print copies of song.  You may want to write the words on chart paper for choral reading.

Procedures:
Day 1

• Ask:  "What is a friend?"  "What is a foe?"
• Tell students that the sun can be both a friend and an enemy. Explain that in today's lesson we will learn how the sun is our friend.
• Read to class:  Sun Up, Sun Down

• Ask students to list benefits from the sun. (Helps plants grow. Keeps us warm. ) Write list on board.
• Teach song:  "You're There in the Sky for Me". Read words in choral reading.

1. Read song "You're There in the Sky for Me".
2. Review list of benefits from the sun.
3. Ask students to select one of the benefits and illustrate. Add drawings to bulletin board display.
4. Explain that students will write a poem about gifts from the sun.  Use the following pattern:

Allow time for students to write poems. Proofread and correct errors.

If students are proficient with the keyboard, ask students to type poems. You may want to use a desktop publishing program such as Print Shop or Creative Writer and add illustrations. Print using color printer.
 

Modifications:

Supply special needs students with a model poem and allow them to type from it.
 

Enrichment Activities:

Have students add an instrumental part maintaining a steady tempo and/or adding special effects to song, e.g., wood blocks, bells, gyro sticks.
 

Evaluation/Assessment:

For evaluation of final copy of poem, students will utilize the COPS editing strategy. (C-capitalization, O-overall appearance, P-punctuation, S-spelling)
 

State IGOs:

English Language Arts--3.2, 3.10, 3.15, 3.43, 3.44, 3.46, 3.47, 3.51, 3.57, 3.58, 3.61, 3.62, 3.83, 3.84, 3.85, 4.28, 4.50, 4.51, 4.52, 4.54, 4.55, 4.63, 4.64, 4.70, 4.71, 4.72, 4.73, 4.74, 4.75, 4.93.
Science--3.9, 3.10, 3.14, 3.16, 3.59, 4.1, 4.5, 4.9, 4.11, 4.60.
Music--3.1, 3.4, 4.1, 4.4.
Art--3.1, 3.13, 3.17, 4.23.

National Standards

References:
"You're There in the Sky for Me"
Gibbons, Gail.  Sun up, Sun Down.  Scholastic Inc.,1992

Authors:
Brenda Bleigh-bbleigh@access.k12.wv.us
Sandy Post-spost@access.k12.wv.us
Debbie Smith-dasmith@access.k12.wv.us
Burnsville Elementary School