K-PS3-2
The standard
Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.
Next Generation Science Standards
What this standard means
Students need to notice that sunlight can warm a surface, then build something that blocks or reduces that warming. They should use simple tools and materials, test their design, and compare what happens in sun and shade.
Mastery looks like a child building a shade structure, explaining how it blocks sunlight, and using touch or a simple thermometer to show the shaded spot stayed cooler. Students often get stuck making a structure that looks nice but does not cover the test area, or forgetting to compare it with an uncovered area.
Ways to teach it
- Give pairs foil, paper, craft sticks, tape, and a tray, then have them build shade for a paper playground in direct sunlight.
- Ask, “Which material made the best shade, and how do you know?” then have students draw and label their design.
- Place two black paper squares in sunlight, one covered and one uncovered, and ask students which feels warmer after five minutes.
- Show photos of umbrellas, bus stop shelters, and playground canopies, then ask how each helps people stay cooler.
Plan a lesson for K-PS3-2
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
Related standards
- MS-ESS3-3
Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
- MS-PS3-3
Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.
- 1-PS4-4
Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.
- 3-ESS3-1
Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.