Have students learn more about solar eclipses with an interactive reading from NASA.

1. Why does it get dark during a solar eclipse?

2. What did this lesson make you curious about? What other questions do you have?

It gets dark during a solar eclipse because the Earth is in the Moon’s shadow. What do the shadows of other objects look like? See for yourself! Use a flashlight and shine it at different objects in front of a wall. Try shining it at things like water bottles, cups, toys, and more. What happens when you move the light closer to the objects? What about when you move the light farther away? Or when you shine it from different angles? Try stacking a few objects together and shining the light at them to make interesting shapes!

After watching the eclipse (in person or on a live stream), use questions like the ones below to facilitate a discussion with your students.

What surprised you about the eclipse?

What did you find out that was new to you?

Was there anything you thought before the eclipse that you learned was different than what you thought?