Unit Plan 27 (Grade 1 Science): Sky Patterns — Quarter Synthesis

Focus: Predict celestial patterns and daylight changes using observations, evidence, and a simple model/tool to communicate what happens in the sky over time.

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Science (Earth & Space Science • Engineering Design • Inquiry/Skills)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This quarter-synthesis unit pulls together students’ learning about sun, moon, and stars patterns and how daylight changes across the year. Students revisit class observation routines (sky journals, shadow checks, simple counts) and practice turning observations into predictable patterns: what we expect to see daily, nightly, and at different times of year. To synthesize, students create a Sky Patterns Evidence Board (drawings + captions + simple data) and build a small engineering tool/model (e.g., a shadow tracker, sun-path window viewer, or moon-phase flipbook) that helps them observe, record, and explain patterns.

Essential Questions

• What patterns can we observe in the sun, moon, and stars, and how can we predict what we will see next?
• How does the amount of daylight change at different times of year, and what evidence helps us notice those changes?
• How can a model or tool help us collect observations and explain sky patterns clearly?
• How do we use evidence (drawings, charts, counts, comparisons) to support a claim about a pattern?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Use sky observations (drawings, counts, checklists) to describe predictable patterns of the sun, moon, and stars (1-ESS1-1).
2. Make observations at different times of year (or use class data) to relate daylight amount to time of year (1-ESS1-2).
3. Compare two sets of sky/daylight observations and identify what stayed the same vs. what changed in a pattern (1-ESS1-1–2).
4. Develop a simple model/tool plan (sketch + labels) that helps observe or record sky patterns (K-2-ETS1-2).
5. Create a Sky Patterns Evidence Board + Tool Demo that includes a claim about a pattern and evidence that supports it (1-ESS1-1–2, K-2-ETS1-2).

Standards Alignment — Grade 1 (NGSS-Aligned)

• 1-ESS1-1 — Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
• 1-ESS1-2 — Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.
• K-2-ETS1-2 — Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can describe a pattern I notice in the sun, moon, or stars using my observations.
• I can use evidence (drawings, counts, charts) to explain how I know the pattern is real.
• I can tell how daylight changes at different times of year using our class data.
• I can build or draw a simple tool/model that helps me observe or record sky patterns.
• I can share a clear claim: “I predict ____ because ____ (evidence).”