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Kindergarten · Science · Unit 5 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.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: K-PS3-1; K-PS3-2 · sunlight warms Earth's surface, and shade can reduce that warming

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 New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 5 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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    The sun shines on a rock all day. The rock gets…

    • smaller
    • colder
    • warmer
    • wetter

  2. Question 2

    Where is the sand coolest on a sunny day?

    • On top of a sunny dune
    • Next to a hot road
    • Under an umbrella
    • In the bright sun

  3. Question 3

    What makes shade?

    • A tree
    • A sunbeam
    • A puddle
    • The sky

  4. Question 4

    Which feels warmer on a sunny day?

    • A slide in the shade
    • A slide in the sun
    • A slide under a tree
    • A slide at night

  5. Question 5

    Is a sidewalk warmer in the morning or the afternoon?

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

  6. Question 6

    Which is the best material for a sun shade?

    • Thick cloth
    • Glass
    • A net with big holes
    • Clear plastic wrap

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