Describe how sunlight affects Earth's surface using...

SECTION 1

People Have Always Watched the Sun!

People have looked at the sun for a very long time. They wanted to know why it makes things warm!

Let's learn about how people noticed what the sun does.

Long Ago

Farmers Watched the Sun

Farmers saw that plants grow tall in the sun. Shady plants stayed small.

Old Times

People Built Sundials

People used shadows from the sun to tell time. They watched shadows move!

Not So Long Ago

Scientists Used Thermometers

Scientists used tools to show that sunny spots are warmer than shady spots.

Today

We Learn by Observing

Now you can observe, that means look and feel, what sunlight does outside!

Here is the big question we will answer: What happens when sunlight shines on things?

SECTION 2

Big Ideas About Sunlight

Let's learn the big ideas about sunlight and Earth. These ideas help us understand what we see and feel outside.

Sunlight Warms Things Up

When the sun shines on something, it gets warmer. You can feel it with your hands!

Shade Stays Cooler

Places without sun are shady. Shady spots feel cooler than sunny spots.

Different Things Warm Differently

Dark things get warmer faster. Light-colored things stay cooler in the sun.

We Observe to Learn

Observe means to look, touch, and notice. Scientists observe to find out what happens.

☀️ Anchoring Phenomenon

Have you ever walked barefoot on a sunny sidewalk? It feels hot! But the grass next to it feels cool. Sunlight warmed the sidewalk more than the grass. We will find out why!

✦ KEY TAKEAWAY

Think of sunlight like a warm hug. When the sun hugs the ground, it warms up. When a tree blocks the hug, the ground stays cool. That is shade!

SECTION 3

See How Sunlight Warms the Ground

Look at this picture. It shows a sunny side and a shady side. Let's see what happens!

The left side shows the sunny side where sunlight lands. It feels warm! The right side shows the shady side behind the tree. It feels cool!

The sun sends light to the ground. Where light lands, it gets warmer. Where a tree blocks the light, it stays cooler. You can feel the difference with your hands!

SECTION 4

How Does Sunlight Warm Things Up?

Sunlight Gives Energy

Energy, that means the power to make things happen. Sunlight carries energy from the sun to us.

When sunlight touches the ground, it gives its energy to the ground. The ground gets warmer! It is like when you rub your hands together fast. They get warm because of energy.

What Happens Step by Step

The sun makes light. The light travels to Earth.
The light lands on the ground, on water, on sand, or on you!
The thing the light lands on gets warmer.
If something blocks the light, that means shade. That spot stays cooler.

💡 KEY TAKEAWAY

Sunlight is like a warm blanket from the sky. When the blanket covers you, you feel warm. When you step away from the blanket, you feel cooler. The sun's energy is the blanket!

SECTION 5

Different Surfaces in the Sun

Not everything warms up the same way. Some things get really hot. Some things stay a little cooler. Let's look at different surfaces, that means the outside part of something.

This picture shows three things in the sun. The dark road gets very hot. The sand gets warm. The grass stays the coolest.

Darker things soak up more sunlight. That is why a dark road feels so hot on your feet! Lighter things like grass do not soak up as much. They stay cooler.

🔍 Try It!

On a sunny day, touch a dark rock and a light rock. Which one feels warmer? You are making an observation, that means you are using your senses to learn!

SECTION 6

Let's Investigate Together!

Let's pretend we are scientists. We will observe what sunlight does to two cups of water. One cup is in the sun. One cup is in the shade.

Sun vs. Shade Water Test

Step 1 — Ask a QuestionWe ask: will the cup in the sun feel warmer than the cup in the shade?

Step 2 — Set It UpWe put one cup of water in a sunny spot. We put another cup of water in a shady spot. We wait for a little while.

Step 3 — ObserveAfter waiting, we touch each cup. The sunny cup feels warmer! The shady cup feels cooler.

The sunny cup is warmer.

Step 4 — Explain What We FoundSunlight gave energy to the water in the sunny cup. That made it warmer. The shade blocked the sunlight from the other cup.

Sunlight warms water. Shade keeps water cooler.

Great job! You just did what real scientists do. You asked a question, observed, and figured out the answer!

SECTION 7

Sunny Spots vs. Shady Spots

Let's compare what happens in the sun and in the shade. This table shows the differences.

Comparing sunny and shady spots

What We Notice	Sunny Spot ☀️	Shady Spot 🌳
How does it feel?	Warm or hot	Cool
What about the ground?	Ground feels warm	Ground feels cool
What about water?	Water warms up	Water stays cool
Can we feel a difference?	Yes! It feels warm.	Yes! It feels cooler.

🌟 KEY TAKEAWAY

Sunlight warms the places it touches. Shade is like an umbrella. It blocks sunlight. That is why you go to the shade when you feel too hot on the playground!

SECTION 8

What Else Can Sunlight Do?

You just learned that sunlight warms things up. As you grow, you will learn even more cool things about the sun and energy!

Now and later learning

What You Know Now 🌟	What You Will Learn Later 🚀
Sunlight makes things warmer.	Sunlight can make electricity!
Dark things get hotter in the sun.	You will learn why colors matter.
Shade keeps things cooler.	You will learn how we use shade to help buildings stay cool.

You are building amazing science skills! Every time you observe the world, you are thinking like a scientist. Keep looking, touching, and asking questions!

SECTION 9

Practice Time!

Great work! Now let's answer some questions. Think about a playground on a sunny day. There is a metal slide, a wooden bench, and a sandbox. Part of the playground is under a big tree.

PROBLEM 1 — CONCEPTUAL

The metal slide is in the sun. The bench is under the big tree. Which one will feel warmer when you touch it? A) The metal slide in the sun B) The bench under the tree C) They feel the same

PROBLEM 2 — BASIC OBSERVATION

You put your hand on the sunny sand. Then you put your hand on the shady sand. What will you observe? A) The shady sand is warmer B) The sunny sand is warmer C) Both feel cold

PROBLEM 3 — INTERMEDIATE

A cloud covers the sun for a while. Then the cloud goes away. What will happen to the sunny part of the playground? A) It will stay cool forever B) It will start getting warmer again C) It will get colder

PROBLEM 4 — APPLIED

It is a very hot day. You want to sit somewhere cool on the playground. Where should you sit? A) On the sunny metal slide B) On the sunny sand C) On the bench under the big tree

PROBLEM 5 — THINK AND SHARE

Imagine you are on the playground in the morning and in the afternoon. How could you observe if the ground gets warmer as the day goes on? Tell a friend what you would do to find out.

SUMMARY

What Did We Learn?

We learned that sunlight carries energy from the sun to Earth. When sunlight touches the ground, water, or sand, it warms them up. Dark surfaces get warmer than light surfaces.

Shade blocks sunlight and keeps places cooler. We can observe all of this by looking, touching, and comparing. You are a scientist! Keep asking questions and making observations about the world around you.