Note: This lesson was designed for Navajo students but is included in the HEAT collection to inspire and support all educators to incorporate indigenous knowledge.
Students will learn about the heliophysics associated with our closest star, the Sun. They begin with the relationships between the Sun, Earth, Self, and one’s shadow, then use a meter stick to measure length and angle of the shadow at the same time each day for two weeks. Students then construct and use a sundial to tell the time. Students will work in small groups to identify how the Sun is a natural system, beginning with a KWL chart. Then students will research, create a graphic organizer with the Sun as a natural system, and deliver a whole group presentation. Next, students will do a KWL chart pertaining to the two solar probes (Parker and Soho), followed by research and a draft of a graphic organizer concentrating on the probes as human-designed systems.