home

With today’s amount of information that needs to be covered in a school year creating a blended curriculum will allow for more time in the classroom to focus on activities that construct deeper learning and understanding of the content.

This blended module is being designed for fourth graders and or fifth graders in an elementary school setting. For fourth graders this would be the first exposure to the lesson and for fifth graders this module could be used as a review lesson prior to taking the Standards of Learning Test (SOL). In Virginia, fifth graders are required to take the Standards of Learning Test; however, the content is taught in fourth grade. Thus, although the lesson is geared towards fourth graders fifth graders can also benefit from it. Currently, there are no set lessons for this topic that all teachers must utilize. There are some lesson ideas in the county website that incorporate some hands on activities that help model the standard. Although there are many hands on activities, students still have some difficulty transferring the model and what is occurring in the simulations to specific moon phases and outer space. Adding some blended elements will enhance and deepen the student’s understanding of the earth, moon, and sun system work and interact together.


 * Goals/objectives**
 * Virginia Standard of Learning (SOL):**

4.7 The student will investigate and understand the relationships among the Earth, moon, and sun. Key concepts include a) the motions of the Earth, moon, and sun (revolution and rotation); b) the causes for the Earth’s seasons and phases of the moon; c) the relative size, position, age, and makeup of the Earth, moon, and sun; and d) historical contributions in understanding the Earth-moon-sun system.