SunWatch

Purpose:	To locate north, to make the concept of directions more concrete, to illustrate the earth's rotation, and to visualize the earth's relation to the sun.
Season:	All
Description:	Students use a stick's shadow to determine directions.
Materials:	Pointed sticks approximately 3 feet in length, yardstick, compass.
Procedure:	Have students pair up. Give each team a pointed stick and a yardstick. On the school grounds have each group place the stick in the ground and carefully mark the tip of the stick's shadow. Have them return 20 minutes later and mark the tip of the stick's shadow a second time. Using a yardstick, have them form a line on the ground connecting the two marks. Ask the class why this line represents an east-west line. Discuss what needs to be done to determine the north-south line. Then have teams using the yardsticks draw a second line crossing the first at a right angle forming the north-south line. Verify the findings with a compass.
Options and Extensions:	Have the class research the history of the sundial. Have them make simple sundials, record their observations, and compare the dial's accuracy against a clock