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The Sun and You: Teachers’ notes

IntroductionThe Sun and You is a cross curricular teaching and learning resource for years 3 to 6. It consists of an interactive Power-Point style presentation for whiteboard use, with accompanying teachers’ notes and worksheets.The sun gives us life, but too much sun can also be dangerous. Through supporting key curriculum objectives The Sun and You presentation teaches upper primary children about the importance of the sun – to the Earth and its plants and people – but also about its dangers. It raises awareness and promotes responsible sun enjoyment.The presentation has a total of 13 slides. Slide one is a video introduction, followed by a presentation menu slide which allows you to select one of three curriculum led units; slides three to seven support Science, eight to ten English and eleven to thirteen Maths.

FeedbackPlease let us know how you get on with the resource by using the contact link to email feedback. At Tenovus we are keen to build relationships with schools and investment in materials like this is an important use of our carefully managed budgets – so please tell us what you think!

Curriculum linksThe Sun supports the following programmes of study in the Key Stage 2 Welsh Curriculum:

Science• Children should study the relative positions and key features of the sun and planets in

the solar system.• Children should explore the environmental factors that affect what grows and lives in

different environments.

English• Children should be given the opportunity to write in response to a wide range of

stimuli.• Children should develop their oral skills through presenting, talking and performing for

a variety of audiences.

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Maths• Children should be given opportunities to read information from charts, diagrams,

graphs and text.• Children should investigate and generalise patterns and relationships.

In addition, The KS2 PSE Health and Emotional Wellbeing theme states that ‘learners should be given opportunities to take increasing responsibility for keeping the mind and body safe and healthy’. This theme underpins all learning in The Sun resource.

Teaching preparationEach set of slides is designed to form the basis of a 45 minute lesson, but please take longer if you like or pick and mix as you see fit to best support your teaching.Each slide has an outline commentary, please see the Presentation Notes on page 5. You will need a computer, audio system and interactive whiteboard to gain full value from this resource.

WorksheetsSix worksheets are also included. The presentation notes prompt where you might want to use a worksheet to explore the information on screen further.Worksheets are available for download from the Teachers’ Centre. Please print out the worksheets in advance if you wish to use them as part of the presentation, or use them as follow-on activities in later lessons.

Glossary

Atmosphere The atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth’s gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention and reducing temperature extremes between day and night.Most of the planets in our Solar System, and even some of the moons have atmospheres.

Clorophyl The green pigment of plant materials which is responsible for the trapping of light energy for photosynthesis.

Equator An imaginary great circle around the earth’s surface, equal distance from the poles and at right angles to the earth’s axis of rotation. It divides the earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.

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Malignant Melanoma

The most dangerous form of skin cancer that will grow and spread to other organs.

Ozone layer A layer of gas high up in the atmosphere that absorbs dangerous UV light and protects the Earth from its affects. The layer begins between 6 and 10 miles above the Earth’s surface and extends up to about 30 miles.

Photosynthesis The process by which plants use energy from sunlight to make food.

Skin cancer Cancer that forms in tissues of the skin.

Solar system A solar system consists of a star and all the objects orbiting it. Our Solar System includes the Sun together with the eight planets and their moons as well as all other celestial bodies that orbit the sun.

SPF Sun Protection Factor - a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of sun cream. The higher the number, the greater the level of protection.

Sun burn Redness, soreness or blistering of the skin caused by over exposure to direct sunlight.

UV light A form of light that can be dangerous to the skin and can’t be seen by human eyes.

Vitamin D Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. The body makes vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D is required by the body to absorb and use calcium, which keeps bones and teeth strong.

FundraisingOur work at Tenovus is vital in helping to prevent, treat and find a cure for cancer. We’d appreciate it if you and your class are able to build some fundraising activities into the work you are doing. Some simple sun-related ideas are suggested below:

Fashion paradeDesign and create a range of sun fashion items from sun hats to sunglasses. Charge admission to your fashion show on behalf of Tenovus, and run a competition for the best designs.

Our sun-day picnic teaUse simple maths, science and art and design to plan a Sun-day picnic. Work out the budget, plan the guest list, design a healthy-eating picnic menu and create posters to advertise your event. Charge admission or have a cake sale and raffle to raise funds. Don’t forget to find a shady spot for the picnic area! You might like to tie in a Sun-day Tea with your school Sports Day.

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Non-uniform dayInvite your school to come dressed in their best beach wear for the day. Ask everyone to make a small donation for the privilege.

For other ideas on fundraising for Tenovus Cancer Care in your school or community please contact our fundraising team at fundraising@tenovuscancercare.org.uk.

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The Sun and You: Presentation notes

Introductory section

Slide 1: Introduction

This 4 minute video features Dr Ian Lewis, a Tenovus Cancer Care scientist explaining what the sun is and why we need it. He also outlines its risks, explaining what sunburn is and why it is important to stay safe in the sun.After watching the video encourage your class to talk about what they know about the sun and its dangers – have they ever been sunburnt before? Do they wear sun hats and sun cream?

Slide 2: Presentation Menu

This is the gateway to the main units. Units can be selected in any order.

Unit 1: Science and the Sun

Slide 3: Earth and the Sun

This slide begins by exploring what the sun is in a little more details, and what it does for us. It introduces the Earth and sun’s relative positions and movement.Using the graphic, explain that the sun is a star that gives out heat and light. The sun gives us life.The Earth travels around the sun. The Earth takes 365.24 days to orbit the sun. When the Earth’s axis points towards the sun, it is summer for that hemisphere. When the Earth’s axis points away, it is winter.Day and night are caused by the Earth spinning on its axis. It is day on the part of the Earth that is facing the sun. It is night on the part of the Earth that is facing away from the sun.Without the sun, we wouldn’t have seasons or day and night.

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Slide 4: The Solar System

The Earth is just one of eight planets that travel around the sun. Some planets are too far from the sun to support human life (e.g. too cold), and some are too close (e.g. too hot).Use Worksheet 1 to explore the relative positions of the planets.The Earth is in just the right position. It is also protected by the atmosphere, a thin layer of gas which surrounds the Earth. The ozone layer, high up in the atmosphere, protects the Earth from the sun’s dangerous UV rays, making it possible for life to thrive. Please see the glossary for simple definitions of the highlighted terms.

Slide 5: The Atmosphere Experiment

At this point, you might like to try a simple practical experiment with your class to help them understand the role of the atmosphere in filtering the sun’s UV rays.Use a tennis ball (or similar) to represent the Earth. Place an upturned opaque bowl, a clear glass bowl and a colander or sieve over the tennis ball in turn. Shine a torch above each bowl to represent the sun. Which item best represents the atmosphere?Answer: The sieve because it best represents the atmosphere’s ability to filter the sun’s rays.The class can use Worksheet 2 to note the light screening effects of each material.Slides 10-12 also explore the atmosphere in more detail through simple maths.

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Slide 6: Plants and the Sun

The Earth’s atmosphere doesn’t block all the sun’s rays – plants and people need light from the sun to survive.Without the sun, plants wouldn’t be able to make food. Healthy plant leaves (like the one on screen) use light from the sun, along with carbon dioxide from the air, and water to make food for the plant. Explain that this process is called photosynthesis.Ask your class to look at the images on screen. Do the plants shown look healthy? Explain that all plants need sunlight, along with air, warmth, water and nutrients to be healthy, but that some plants like more of these than others.Discuss how the environmental factors of the different habitats shown on screen affect what grows and lives there.Worksheet 3 looks at plants which like sunny habitats and plants which like shady habitats, and asks the children to explain why. They should think particularly about the size of the leaves and roots.

Slide 7: People and the Sun

People also need the sun to be healthy. We need vitamin D to help our bodies absorb calcium from the food we eat. This is vital for strong teeth and bones. The best source of vitamin D is sunlight. Almost all (about 90 per cent) of our vitamin D comes from sunlight, which is why Vitamin D is sometimes called ‘the sunshine vitamin’.Even on cloudy days the sun’s rays can produce vitamin D. Our bodies cleverly store the vitamin from the summer months, for use in the winter.Even though some sun is good for us, because the atmosphere doesn’t block the full power of the sun’s UV rays (refer back to the practical experiment) it is very important we protect ourselves in the summer sun.Too much UV light from the sun’s rays can cause our skin to burn, which can lead to skin cancer.Your class can look after their skin in the sun by:1. wearing a hat2. using a protective high-factor sun cream, a minimum of 15 SPF3. covering up at the hottest time of the day – usually between 11am and 3pm (the maths slides help explain why).

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Uned 2: Saesneg a’r Haul

Slide 8: Poetry and the Sun

The sun can be an inspiring topic for a piece of creative writing.Gillian Clarke, one of Wales’ most influential and widely read contemporary writers, and the current National Poet of Wales, has created this poem about the sun. She subtly explores the positive and negative effects of the Sun.The poem is reproduced for the class to study on Worksheet 4.You might want to ask your class to:• Use the information in the poem (and the Science section of

the presentation if already studied) to describe why the Earth needs the sun

• Look at how personification is used in the poem• Pick out where rhyme is used

Slide 9: My Sun Poem

Ask your class to use the word bank on screen to make up their own short poem about the sun.They should choose at least two words from each side of the word bank, so that their creative writing reflects both the good and bad effects of the sun.You might want to add the word bank as a class before the children begin their individual pieces.Worksheet 5 is a creative writing template. Your class may want to have a go at using personification and/or rhyme in their writing, like Gillian Clarke.

Slide 10: My Sun Poem Performance

This slide is a performance backdrop.Ask children, individually or in small groups, to stand in front of the screen to read aloud their work and discuss with the rest of the class.

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Unit 3: Maths and the Sun

Slide 11: The Midday Sun

This section introduces or reinforces simple maths work with angles and distances, whilst helping children understand the importance of thinking about how long they should sensibly stay in the sun.Talk your class through the graphic on screen. It shows the Earth, surrounded by its protective atmosphere - a layer of gas which screens and filters the sun’s dangerous UV rays, ensuring they aren’t quite as powerful when they hit the Earth.The graphic illustrates the sun’s position at midday on the equator, directly overhead. It shows a sun ray passing through the atmosphere and hitting the Earth at a 90 degree angle - the angle between the Earth’s surface at A and the sunray at B.The next slide asks the class to measure sunray angles and relative distances at early morning and mid-afternoon, and work out what their measurements mean.

Slide 12: Angles, Distances and Sun Safety

This slide shows two more sun positions, representing early morning and mid-afternoon. It shows how the sun’s rays have to pass through more atmosphere to reach point A.Hand out Worksheet 6. It is based on the graphic with the 3 sun positions marked. Ask the children to draw in a base line through A then measure:• the angles to each sun position• the relative distance each sun ray has to travel before hitting

point AThe children will learn that in the morning and mid-afternoon the sun’s rays are at a more acute angle to the Earth, and pass through a greater distance of atmosphere.Travelling through more atmosphere weakens the sun rays, so they are less strong when they hit us on Earth.

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Slide 13: Time in the Sun

This slide asks children to review their findings and discuss their implications.Help your class answer the questions on screen.They should establish the Maths rule that the more acute the angle between the sun, point A and the baseline, the longer the distance the sun’s rays have to pass through the atmosphere.The conclusion is that at midday the sun’s rays have the shortest distance to pass through the atmosphere to reach the Earth, so during the middle portion of the day, i.e. from 11am to 3pm, the sun’s rays are at their strongest. This is the time to be most careful about safe sun exposure.Extension activity: Continuing this thinking, you may like to take your class outside on a sunny day and ask them to measure the length of their shadow at early morning, midday and mid-afternoon.What does the length of their shadow tell them about how high in the sky the sun is, and therefore how careful they need to be?