What's Happening in the Sky?
This happens every single day! It never skips a day. Isn't that amazing?
Big Ideas About the Sky
The sky changes during the day and night. But these changes happen in a pattern. That means the same things happen again and again.
The Sun Moves Across the Sky
Day and Night Take Turns
Stars Come Out at Night
Let's Try It!
Scientists watch the sky carefully. They write down what they see. This is called making observations. That means looking closely and remembering what you notice. Let's try it!
What you need: crayons and paper
- In the morning, look out a window. Draw where you see the Sun. Is it low or high?
- At lunchtime, look again. Draw the Sun where it is now.
- In the afternoon, look one more time. Draw the Sun again.
- Do this for 3 days. Are your drawings the same each day?
You are thinking like a scientist! 🎉
What We Discovered
When we watch the Sun for many days, we see the same thing happen over and over. The Sun comes up. It goes high. Then it goes down. This is a predictable pattern. That means we can guess what will happen next because it always happens the same way.
The Moon follows a pattern too! At night, the Moon moves across the sky. But the Moon also changes shape over many nights. Sometimes it looks round. Sometimes it looks like a banana!
The sky gives us clues about what will happen next. If the Sun went up this morning, we know it will go up tomorrow morning too. We can predict it. That means we can say what will happen before it happens!
Patterns Are Everywhere!
A pattern is when something happens the same way again and again. Can you spot patterns? They are everywhere — not just in the sky!
| Where? | What Pattern? |
|---|---|
| ☀️ The Sky | The Sun comes up every morning and goes down every evening. |
| 🌧️ The Weather | Summer is hot. Winter is cold. This pattern repeats every year. |
| 🐛 Animals | Birds sing in the morning. Owls hoot at night. They do this every day. |
| 🌸 Plants | Flowers open in the spring and lose their leaves in the fall. This happens every year. |
How People Use Sky Patterns
People have watched the sky for a very long time. Sky patterns help us in many ways!
Can you design a way to track the sky? You could make a simple chart. Draw the Moon every night for a week. See if you can spot the pattern!
Words to Know
- Pattern — When something happens the same way again and again.
- Observe — To look at something very carefully and notice things about it.
- Predict — To say what you think will happen next, based on a pattern.
- Sun — The big, bright star we see in the sky during the day.
- Moon — The big, round object we see in the sky, mostly at night. It changes shape over time.