Fill-in lesson notes for 1st grade science that follow daylight through a full year, written for NGSS 1-ESS1-2. Students use a ten-word bank to complete blanks in five short sections. Summer has the most daylight and the sun goes down late, while in winter it gets dark before dinnertime. Spring and fall sit in between. Two open prompts ask what students can do outside on long summer evenings and how the sky looks at dinner in winter.
1-ESS1-2
“Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.”
Every section links a season to its amount of daylight. The Yearly Pattern prompt asks students to use a real observation, the sky at dinnertime, as evidence.
Two blanks define daylight as the time the sun is shining and name the rest as night.
Students record that summer has the most daylight and the sun goes down late, then give their own example of something to do outside.
Three blanks: winter has the least daylight, the sun goes down early, and it gets dark before dinnertime.
Two blanks say the daylight changes in these seasons and the days are not as long as summer or as short as winter.
One blank says the pattern repeats every year. An open prompt asks which season has the shortest daylight and how the sky looks at dinner.
Teaching the lesson
Work through one section at a time with the class. The word bank has ten words and each is used once, so students can cross them off.
Home observation
Ask families to note whether it is light or dark at dinner one night each month. Students compare the result with their Winter Days notes.
Talk before writing
Discuss the Summer Days prompt before anyone writes. Students who say they can ride a bike or swim after dinner have the idea.
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