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Who set the first clock?
Spaceship Earth Unit | Lesson 2 of 5

Who set the first clock?

Spaceship Earth Unit | Lesson 2 of 5
Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep

DISCUSS:

How do you think the very first clock got set, when there was no other clock to look at?

DISCUSS:

Long ago, people did not have the concept of hours or minutes. Someone had to come up with these ways to divide a day into parts.

How would this week have gone wrong for you if you could only measure time in days?

DISCUSS:

Try counting like an Egyptian! Use your thumb to count all of the finger segments on that same hand.

How many finger segments do you have on one hand?

Reveal answer...

DISCUSS:

So why do you think there are 24 hours in a day?

See what we thought...

DISCUSS:

What happens to the shadows as time passes?

How could you use shadows to measure the Sun's position?

🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
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Why are the shadows moving so fast?

Click here to play video

Answer:

Which direction are you facing when you sit in this chair? North, South, East, or West?

Hint: Watch the shadow and think about what it tells you about the Sun’s movement. Click here to play video

Here's how we figured it out:

How is the movement of the clock’s hands like the movement of the shadow?

Click here to play video

Answer:

Slide Image
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north


1 of 5

one of four main directions; when you face north, west is to the left and east is to the right
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south


2 of 5

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is the direction behind you
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east


3 of 5

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the right
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west


4 of 5

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the left
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sundial


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a tool that tells time by using the changing direction of shadows caused by the Sun's movement across the sky

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Other
clock by TBIT / cropped, adjusted color

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“I teach a mild to moderate special education class of all fifth graders, who were all able to follow the activity directions. The step by step video directions are a life saver!”
“My students loved making the shadow clocks! We shut the lights off and "played" with them. As a teacher, I love finishing a lesson and know without a doubt that my students truly understood the content taught!”
“The students getting to build and USE the sun dials with the flashlight. The hands on experience really helps to solidify their learning!”
“The students were able to experiment with the exact time inside the classroom, and then go directly outside to confirm. The instructions for putting together were wonderful. I love how Mystery Science videos always loop the instructions so kids who miss instructions or are a bit slower to perform the task can see them repeatedly.”
“My students loved the activity, and I appreciated that you use flashlights so it can be done on any day. The lesson is relevant to the standards.”
“The activity was simple and effective. It moved at a perfect pace. The guiding questions were great as we moved through the lesson.”
“I love the shadow clocks and teaching kids how to use them backwards to find north at home! Many don't know which way is north at their house and I spend time talking about the night sky often througout the school year. They will then use north as a starting point. : ) I also REALLY love the chair video question. Great opportunity to have students make a claim, provide evidence and reasoning AND to revise their thinking!”
“My students loved taking their sun dials outside to see actual shadows and an accurate time when facing north! What a fun, hands-on activity! ”
“The kids really understood the concept when we made the shadow clocks and used them outside. Also, the kids enjoy the videos. The content is very "kid friendly" and the videos are short enough to keep them engaged. ”
“Again, there was tremendous student engagement. I used the follow-up activities before the lesson & I think the students had a stronger understanding. I really feel that students are learning a lot from this fantastic program!”
“My children said that making the sundial was their favorite Mystery Science so far!”
“Shadow clocks helped to make perfect sense of how time came to be with the 12 hour splits, sunrise and sunset, as well as long and short shadows!”
“This site rocks! This lesson was a lot of fun to facilitate ”
“I loved everything about this lesson! I've been teaching for 21 years...I wish I had this program years ago! ”
“Sun dial template was very helpful! Kids loved the activity and enjoyed learning to count with their finger segments up to 12.”
“they loved making the shadow clock and testing it out.”
“Awesome! My students really enjoyed the activity of making a shadow clock. I had a parent in my classroom during the lesson and he also enjoyed the activity! I think he learned a thing or two also.”
“Awesome activity... We are looking into building a sundial in our playground, we had so much fun.”
“The students love these lessons. They get really into the discussions, and the 20 minute lesson usually lasts 30-45 minutes every time! ”
“The students loved learning about where the first clock originated and making shadow clocks was a big hit! It was raining yesterday, so we are anxiously waiting to test our shadow clocks outside. ”
“simple explanation, never thought about why you can't always see the same constellations! ”
“Ms. Mitchell's class enjoyed learning about how the first clock was made. They enjoyed turning off the lights and using the flashlight. Very hands-on. The overall lesson was great!”
“My kids couldn't WAIT to share this with their family. We even set this out at Open House as an interactive activity for kids/families to do together. Everyone LOVED it!”
“going outside and seeing that our clocks really worked!!!”
“Such a meaningful inquiry activity! The step by step directions with audio and visual were easy for the kids to follow, especially because the visual continued to repeat after the audio completed. Talk about "bang for your buck"- this activity hit speaking & listening skills, fine motor movements, science content, and more!”
“Loved the conversations my students had about the position of the sun at different times of the day. I never would have thought to include this lesson to help build conceptual knowledge. Now, I know I will always include this in the lesson! ”
“The kids enjoyed playing with the flashlights and sun dials. It was cool that they could recreate the sun's apparent motion and watch the shadows move.”
“The sundial actually worked! My kids were fascinated and are so much more interested in clocks and telling time now. Thanks so much for a great activity. ”
“Making the sundials was really eye-opening for the kids today. And they loved learning about why there are 24 hours in a day. Here they are in action: https://mrenglesclass.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/using-shadows-and-sun-to-tell-time/ ”
Lesson narration:

Grade 5

Earth & Space Patterns

Earth's Rotation & Daily Shadow Patterns

5-ESS1-2

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students will learn why our ancestors divided the day into hours and how clocks measure the Sun’s apparent movement. In the activity, Make a Shadow Clock, students make their own sundials. First, students use flashlights indoors to understand how the position of the light affects the time shown on the clock. Then, students take their shadow clocks outside to see how the position of the Sun can tell them the time of day.
Preview activity

Exploration

20 mins

Grade 5

Earth & Space Patterns

Earth's Rotation & Daily Shadow Patterns

5-ESS1-2

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Astronomy Lesson 2: Who set the first clock?

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