Astronomy with a Stick

AWS Unit 3: Making and Using Models

Introduction :: Activity 1 :: Activity 2

Introduction

In this unit, the students will construct three-dimensional models to help make the invisible visible. Objective To construct models of the Earth's longitude-latitude grid and use them to demonstrate how the Earth's motions cause the changes in daylight hours and seasons that we observe.

Materials

• 1 styrofoam sphere, 15.2 cm (6") in diameter, per student
• Narrow strips of paper or ribbon, in two different colors
• Pins
• Scissors
• Yellow construction paper, 4.5" x 12"
• Black construction paper, 9" x 12"
• Cardboard, 9" x 12"
• Glue
• Protractor Ruler
• A disk cut from a manila folder, 12.5 cm (5") in diameter
• A large rubber ball
• A Trippensee planetarium (optional)

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