Eleven questions check what 1st grade students know about sky patterns. The first eight are multiple choice: when stars shine, when the sun is brightest, whether the moon can show in the day, what sunrise is, where the sun sits at lunchtime, and whether the moon changes shape. The last three ask students to predict, for example what happens when the late afternoon sun sinks low. The answer key explains each answer, and every item maps to NGSS 1-ESS1-1.
1-ESS1-1
“Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.”
Part 4 asks for the predictions the standard names. Parts 1 to 3 check the observations students need first, such as the moon seeming to change shape in question 7.
Three questions on when stars shine, when the sun shines brightly, and whether we can sometimes see the moon during the day.
Three questions on sunrise, where the sun is at lunchtime, and what comes when the sun goes down, with Breakfast, Nighttime, and Recess as the choices.
Two questions: whether the moon looks the same every night and whether it seems to move across the sky like the sun.
Question 9 asks what follows a low late-afternoon sun, question 10 asks for a drawing of the sun right after breakfast, and question 11 asks whether stars show at noon.
End of unit
Give it as the final check in Space Systems. Parts 1 to 3 grade quickly, and Part 4 shows who can reason from a pattern.
Watch question 3
Many students answer No to seeing the moon in the day. If you can, take the class outside on a morning when the moon is up.
Grading the drawing
For question 10, the key looks for a sun low on the horizon. A house or tree in the picture makes it easy to see where students put it.
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