Practice explaining how shadows form and how their size and direction change as the Sun moves across the sky.
Read each problem carefully. Use complete sentences when you explain your thinking.
Exploring light, objects, and the Sun
Science - Grade 2-3
- 1
What two things are needed to make a shadow?
- 2
Mia stands outside on a sunny day. Her body blocks the sunlight. What forms on the ground?
- 3
True or false: A clear glass window usually makes a dark shadow because all light is blocked. Explain your answer.
- 4
Look at a tree in the morning. The Sun is low in the sky. Will the tree's shadow usually be long or short?
- 5
At about noon, the Sun is high in the sky. How is a person's shadow usually different from the morning shadow?
- 6
In the late afternoon, the Sun is low again. What usually happens to shadows?
- 7
A ball is placed between a lamp and a wall. Where will the ball's shadow appear?
- 8
Draw or describe where the shadow would be if the Sun is shining from the left side of a toy car.
- 9
Why can shadows change direction during the day?
- 10
Sam sees his shadow on the ground. He walks closer to a streetlight at night. How might his shadow change?
- 11
Which object will make a clearer shadow: a solid book or a clear plastic bag? Explain why.
- 12
A class measures a flagpole shadow at three times: morning, noon, and afternoon. When will the shadow probably be shortest?
- 13
Label the light source, the object, and the shadow in this scene: a flashlight shines on a cup and a dark shape appears behind the cup.
- 14
Why do you not see a strong shadow outside on a very cloudy day?
- 15
Put these times in order from shortest shadow to longest shadow: noon, early morning, late afternoon.