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Hi! I’m Jada. This is my mom and my brother, Billy.
One summer morning, we all went to the beach.
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At the beach, Mom put up her umbrella.
The umbrella blocked the sunshine.
It made a shadow.
I blocked the sunshine, so I made a shadow, too.
My shadow was taller than I was.
When I moved, my shadow moved.
It followed me everywhere.
The sun went behind a cloud. My shadow disappeared.
The sun came out and my shadow came back.
Stop & Talk
I only had a shadow when there was sunshine.
When there was no light, I had no shadow.
I wondered: What else does my shadow do when I’m not paying attention?
I decided to find out.
“Hey, Billy! I have an idea. Draw a line around my shadow.”
“Why?” Billy asked.
“If my shadow changes, I will see the change,” I told him.
“I will if you help me build a sandcastle,” Billy said.
Billy drew a line around my shadow.
I helped Billy build a sandcastle.
At lunchtime, we all sat in the shade under the umbrella.
We had a picnic.
After lunch, I looked at my shadow.
“Look at this, Billy!” I said.
In the morning, the sun was low in the sky.
My shadow was tall.
At lunchtime, the sun was high above me.
My shadow was short.
Get Up & Move!
I wondered: What will my shadow look like in the afternoon?
“Your shadow was tall in the morning and it got shorter,” Billy said. “I think it will keep getting shorter.”
“I think it will get tall again,” I said. “The sun will be low in the sky, just like it was this morning.”
Billy and I played on the beach all afternoon.
Then it was time to go home.
I looked at my shadow one more time.
The sun was low. My shadow was tall again!
And something else had changed.
Stop & Talk
In the morning, the sun was over the fence.
My shadow pointed at the water.
In the afternoon, the sun was over the water.
My shadow pointed at the fence.
Now the sun was going down.
Mom folded her umbrella.
Billy put his shovel in his bucket.
It was time to go home.
We walked toward the parking lot.
My shadow pointed the way to go.
THE END
Optional Activity: Trace Your Shadow
Your students can trace their shadows, just like Jada did.
Step 1: Have students pair up and trace each other’s shadows in chalk—first in the morning, then in the afternoon. Use different colors for different times of day. Be sure students trace around their shoes first and write their names next to their shadows.
Step 2: Near each shadow, have students draw an arrow to where the sun is in the sky at that time of day.
Step 3: At the end of the day, ask students why they think their morning and afternoon shadows pointed in different directions.
