Among the interactive activities listed on this site, it can be beneficial to supplement the key concepts of size, orbit, and their relation to solar eclipses with When the Sun Goes Dark by Andrew Fraknoi. The story line consists of grandparents who go hunting for solar eclipses and their grandchildren are trying to understand WHY they bother to do this and what solar eclipses really are. The book could be used in its entirety with the large breadth of helpful information it includes. But, it can also be used in sections to support the main ideas of a given day in the overall unit.

Size, Scale, and Distance

In one section of the book, an activity the child and grandparent do resembles the activities mentioned on this site. It uses a ping pong ball and a light bulb to show the difference between partial, total, and annular eclipses and how the distance and size of the ping pong ball relative to the light bulb affects the type of solar eclipse and whether it is able to occur. This section can be read while completing the similar activities to support a more concrete understanding.

Orbits

In this section, the grandparents show the grandchildren how the orbits of the Sun and Moon overlap at two points in their paths which is where eclipses can occur. This helps to address that in order for a solar eclipse to occur the Moon needs to cover the Sun but also why they are fairly rare. This is elaborated on when the story talks about the partial, total, and annular eclipses and how frequent and rare each one is and why. This can be combined with activities that emphasize the Earth, Moon, and Sun’s orbital patterns

Moving Beyond

As the unit comes to a close, the book can also be useful for showing students what they can do with their newfound information. The book talks about how astronomers are able to predict future eclipses, both when and where. Students can learn HOW these scientists are able to do this and also figure out when they may be able so see a solar eclipse, partial or total.

These are just a few sources of information that When the Sun Goes Dark provides. There are more pages and more wonderful pictures that can be used to support student engagement and learning. Combined with interactive activities, the reading provides an in-depth experience that gives students a well-rounded understanding of what a solar eclipse is, what the required conditions are, and how to use the information.

Not only is a solar eclipse a function of the Sun, Moon, and Earth’s size and distances from each other, it also results from their orbital movements. It is these predictable, and observable patterns that creates the opportunity for a solar eclipse to occur and be seen by us on Earth. By creating a live model of a solar eclipse, students can see how the Sun, Moon, and Earth move relative to each other and how their paths need to overlap in a precise manner to create the phenomenon.

Materials:

• Light bulb
• Two spheres (one representing the Earth and one representing the Moon)
• A dark room
• Large, open space for students to view the model

What to Do:

1. Have students form a circle around the model. Tell students that the light bulb represents the sun and that the two spheres represent the Earth and Sun. Inform the students that you will be looking at how the Sun, Moon, and Earth move in space relative to each other.
2. First start with the Earth. Take one sphere and show how the Earth rotates around Sun, moving it around the light bulb so that all the students can see the movement.
3. Then, take the second sphere to show the orbit of the Moon. Isolate the movement by first showing how the Moon orbits the Earth moving the second sphere around the first. Make sure that all students are able to view this moving around the group of students.
4. Combine the two orbits to show how they happen simultaneously. This may be difficult to do by yourself so you may need to recruit a student or a helper so that both the Earth’s and Moon’s orbit are shown at the same time. (Optional) Students can also replicate the orbits themselves in small groups to show that they understand how the Earth, Sun, and Moon move relative to each other.
5. Once students have shown an understanding of the Sun, Moon, and Earth’s orbits, bring focus to the effects the orbits have on the Earth throughout the orbital path, specifically the shadow that falls on Earth when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. Help lead students to see that this shadow is where the solar eclipse occurs and that solar eclipses are a result of the moon blocking the Sun.

This model will support students by showing that a solar eclipse is when the moon blocks the sun, why only a certain population can see an eclipse (because the shadow is only on a portion of the Earth), and why they only happen sometimes and not all the time. This brings the previous activities together to foster students’ comprehension of how movement affects solar eclipses and also how size and scale combined with movement create the conditions needed for a solar eclipse.

Once students have an understanding of the size of the Sun, Moon, and Earth and the distances between these three, students can see how they create the conditions for a solar eclipse, especially a total solar eclipse.

Materials:

• Ping-pong balls, one for each
  participant
• Two larger balls in different
  sizes (e.g. a baseball and a
  basketball would work well)
• (optional) Image of a total
  solar eclipse
• (optional) Scale model of Sun,
  Earth, and Moon

What to Do:

1. Ask participants to share what they know about the Sun and the Moon. How big are they? Which one is bigger? How big are they relative to Earth? Draw on students comments and observations that were made using the Size and Scale activity if it was included in the unit.
2, Hold up a large ball and hand smaller balls to the participants. These balls do not need to be to scale for the Sun and the Moon (the big difference in size makes using balls at a true scale very difficult for this activity). Challenge participants to eclipse the larger ball with their smaller ones. It sometimes helps to cover one eye.
3.  Ask participants to share what they noticed. Were they able to eclipse the large ball?
4. Now hold up an even larger ball and ask participants to eclipse this new ball. Were they able to do it this time? What did they have to do to eclipse the larger ball? They  might tell you that they had to step further away from the larger ball, making it appear smaller, just enough to be eclipsed. They might also tell you that they had to bring the small balls closer to their eyes, making them appear bigger until they are big enough to eclipse the larger ball.
5. If you have a scale model, compare the size of the Sun and the Moon. Ask participants to guess how far they would need to take this model Moon before they can eclipse the model Sun.

This activity serves to show students that eclipses are only able to occur under SPECIFIC conditions that are a result of the the size and distance of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. It brings clarity to how something smaller is able to cover something much, MUCH bigger. It also has another layer, showing students that solar eclipses occur when the moon covers the sun which can be elaborated on in a model representation of the phenomenon.

Resource:

Click to access eclipse_smallmoon_bigsun.pdf

From our place on Earth, the Sun and the Moon look like they are identical in size but in reality that is far from the truth. This activity will help students to become more familiar with the size and scale of the three entities involved in a solar eclipse: Sun, Moon, and Earth

Materials:

• Copies of the Sun, Earth, and Moon handout sheet 
• Measuring tape
• A large room or a long hallway where you will be able to walk 65 feet in a straight line without many obstacles
• 65 feet length of string

What to Do:

1.Show participants the image of the Sun. Ask participants to guess how big the Earth and Moon would be if the Sun is the size of this image

 2. Reveal the answer by showing the image of Earth and the Moon. NASA has a resource that shows the relative size of the Sun and Earth and all that would need to be made is the Moon. 

3. Ask participants to guess how far the model Earth and the model Moon should be from the model Sun. It’s suggested to allow participants to walk to where they think the distance should be. The model Earth should be 65 feet away from the model Sun and the model Moon about a quarter of a mile from the model Earth. Use the cut piece of string to guide you or a pre-marked spot.

4. At 65 feet away, look back towards the model Sun and model Moon. Elaborate on how big it looks to at this distance. At this scale, the model Sun and model Moon should be about the same size as the actual Sun and Moon would appear to us here on Earth.

This activity will provide the first introduction into the factors that lead to a solar eclipse. Students need to understand how the Moon is able to cover a sun although they are different sizes and have different distances. The combination of these two allow the Moon to seemingly cover the Sun which can be further explained in the next activity. This provides a foundation for the broader concepts related to the Sun, Moon, and Earth and how it relates to the occurrence and rarity of solar eclipses. 

Resource: 

Click to access solar_pizza.pdf