Subscribe

Kindergarten · Science · Unit 6 of 9

Sun & Shade

The sun warms things up. Shade keeps them cool.

What your child practices

Practices noticing that sunlight warms the ground, water, sand and objects, and choosing ways to make shade to keep a place cooler.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 0P.1.2.1.1; 0P.3.2.2.1 · how sunlight warms Earth's surface, and building something to block it

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Sunlight warms the ground, water and sand.
  2. Shade blocks the sun and keeps things cooler.
  3. Hats, umbrellas and trees make shade.

Example: A rock sits in the sun all day. Does it get warmer or cooler? The sun warms things it shines on. Answer: warmer

Sun & Shade in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 6 of 9 in Kindergarten Science, after Care for Our Earth and before Stormy Weather.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    How can you keep a sandbox cool?

    • Put a roof over it
    • Take away the trees
    • Move it into the sun
    • Paint it black

  2. Question 2

    Is a sidewalk warmer in the morning or the afternoon?

    • Before sunrise
    • The early morning
    • The afternoon
    • At midnight

  3. Question 3

    A cloud covers the sun. The air feels…

    • wet and sticky
    • the same as a fire
    • much hotter
    • a little cooler

  4. Question 4

    You test two cups of water. One is in the sun. It is…

    • colder
    • empty
    • frozen
    • warmer

  5. Question 5

    Ice is left in the sun. What happens?

    • It grows
    • It gets colder
    • It turns into a rock
    • It melts

  6. Question 6

    Two towels are in the sun. Which warms faster?

    • The towel in a bag
    • The dark towel
    • The white towel
    • They never warm

More Kindergarten