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Backyard Badminton: A Sun-and-Stars Investigation

Analyze a backyard light investigation and space records to explain why the sun looks brighter than other stars.

Grade 5ScienceInteractive · Printable

Aligned to5-ESS1-1

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 NGSS standard
Printable answer key
14 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 5
Subject: Science
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students compare light-sensor data to explain how distance affects a source's apparent brightness.
Students distinguish light produced by a source from light reaching an observer.
Students argue that the sun looks brighter than other stars because it is much closer to Earth.

How to use

Read the investigation together and compare the scales on the two graphs. Have students use both the model results and space records in their final argument. Do not observe the sun directly.

Curriculum

NGSS standard covered

5-ESS1-1

Argue that the sun looks brighter than other stars because it is much closer to Earth.

Preview

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Backyard Badminton: A Sun-and-Stars Investigation

Compare two light tests and build an explanation about the sun.

Investigate Along the Badminton Lane

Read the investigation and examine both graphs. Choose one answer for each multiple-choice question. The graphs use the same units but different scales.

One Lamp, Two Settings

At a class science evening in a family's backyard, students clear the badminton lane for a light investigation. Dev wonders whether a light that looks brighter also produces more light. The class uses a battery-powered LED lamp with LOW and HIGH settings. At HIGH, the lamp produces more light than at LOW. A sensor measures the light reaching one small area. Larger sensor readings mean more light reaches that area.

Step 1: After dark, an adult checks that the level walking area is clear. The class places the sensor on a steady stand and marks lamp positions 2, 4, and 8 meters away. Students turn off nearby yard lights and keep the surrounding lighting unchanged. They point the lamp toward the sensor at the same height. Nobody stands between the lamp and sensor during a measurement.

Step 2: Students choose LOW and place the lamp at the 2-meter mark. They record the sensor reading, then move the lamp to 4 meters and finally to 8 meters. They keep the lamp on LOW throughout this test. They use the same sensor and lamp direction at each position. Distance is the factor changed within this test; the amount of light reaching the sensor is what they measure.

Step 3: Students return the lamp to 2 meters and switch it to HIGH. They repeat the measurements at the three marks without changing the HIGH setting during this second test. Between the two tests, the lamp setting changes on purpose. Within each test, it stays fixed. The graphs show the class's recorded results. Both use relative sensor units, but their numbered scales are different, so students should compare the readings rather than bar heights.

The sensor does not measure the total light leaving the lamp in every direction. It records light arriving at the sensor's position. The lamp stays steady at each selected setting. Students use this safe backyard model instead of looking toward the sun. Looking directly at the sun can injure eyes.