Lesson Changes in the Position of the

Sun with the Length of the

7 Shadows in the Surroundings

As you go through this lesson, you are expected to:

Describe the changes in the position and length of shadows in the

surroundings as the position of the Sun changes (S4ES-IVh-9)
• Describe the importance of the sun as a source of heat and
light. S4ES-IVh-9.1
• Realize that shadows are formed when light from the sun is
blocked by an object. S4ES-IVh-9.2
• Discuss how shadows are formed. S4ES-IVh-9.3
• Relate the position of the sun with the length of the shadow.
S4ES-IVh-9.4

What’s In

In the last lesson, you learned to identify safety precautions during

different weather conditions. Do you still remember the safety
precautions during sunny and rainy days? How about safety precautions
during stormy days? Why is it important to know the different weather
conditions?
In this lesson, you will learn the importance of the sun’s heat and
light. You will also know how shadows are formed and why do shadows
change in position and length. Are you ready? let’s begin!

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 Notes to the Teacher
Remind your students to be careful in handling
materials. Remind them that some materials require
the presence of an adult in using them.

What’s New

Activity: YES or NO
Directions: Write YES if the statement is correct and NO if it is incorrect.
Yes 1. The sun’s heat and light are important to all living things.

Yes 2. The sunlight brightens the Earth and helps us see the things in
our surroundings.

No 3. Plants do not need sunlight to grow and produce their food.

Yes 4. The changes in the position and length of shadows in the

surroundings depend on the angle at which the sunlight strikes the object
to the ground.

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No 5. Shadows are formed when an opaque object or material is
placed in the path of rays of light.

What is It

A. The Importance of Sun’s Heat and Light

The sun is the closets star on earth, and it is the main source of
heat and light. It is made up of very hot gases that makes the sun glow.
Its gravity holds the Solar System together keeping every planet,
including the earth, in its orbit. The sun’s temperature, which reaches
around 15 million degrees Celsius from the core and 6000 degrees
Celsius at its surface. It radiates light and heat (solar energy) which
makes it possible for life to exist on Earth. Nothing is more important to
us on earth than the sun. Without the sun’s heat and light, the Earth
would be a lifeless ball of ice-coated rock. The sunlight brightens the
Earth and helps us see the things in our surroundings. Plants need
sunlight to grow and produce their food (photosynthesis). Animals,
including humans, need plants for food and the oxygen they produce.
Without heat from the sun, Earth would freeze. There would be no winds,
ocean currents, or clouds to transport water.

B. Light and Shadow

Shadow is a dark area formed when straight light rays are blocked by
opaque objects. When light strikes on opaque objects, they don’t allow
light to pass through and form shadows. So, shadows are formed when
light strikes on opaque objects. You must have noticed how, when you
stand outdoors on a sunny day, your body forms a shadow either beside
you, behind you or in front of you. This is because your body is
positioned in such a way that blocks the sun’s light.

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 The direction in which your body forms a shadow depends on your
position in relation to the sun. You form a shadow in front of you if the
sun is behind you and vice versa. If the sun shines on you from your left,
you form a shadow to your right and vice versa. The change in direction
of the sun’s light is not due to the sun spinning around you. On the
contrary, it is because Earth rotates in its own axis.

Shadows can change their size. As light moves towards the object,
the shadow becomes larger. As light moves away from the object, the
shadow becomes smaller.

Shadows can also change their shape. As light moves closer, the
shadow becomes longer and wider. As light moves away, the shadow
becomes shorter and thinner.

Shadows change length throughout the day because the angle at

which the sun shines on stationary objects changes with the Earth’s
rotation. For example, early in the morning, when the sun is near the
horizon, it casts long shadows when an object blocks the light.
Conversely, when the sun is high overhead during the middle of the day,
the shadows become shorter, as the angle of the sun has changed.
When the sun is directly above the horizon, the light rays of the sun strike
directly above the objects so no visible shadow is seen on the ground
since the shadow of the entire body would fit in its footprints.

The changes in position and length of

shadows in the surroundings depend on
the angle at which the sunlight strikes the
object to the ground.

What’s More

Activity: Light and Shadow

Directions: Draw a happy face inside each circle if the statement is

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TRUE and a sad face if the statement is FALSE.

1. At different times of the day, your shadow will be different

because of the position of the sun.

2. Your shadow is long at noon because the sun is above you .

3. The sun is behind you if your shadow is in front of you.

4. Shadows can also change their shape.

5. Early in the morning, a short shadow is seen when an objects

blocks the light.

What I Have Learned

• The sun is the main source of heat and light.

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 • The sun is important to living things because it provides heat
and light in order to sustain their lives.

• Shadows are formed when light rays are blocked by opaque

objects.

• The position of the sun changes causing the shadows’ position

and length to change at different times of the day.

• The changes in the position and length of shadows in the

surrounding depend on the angle at which the sunlight strikes the
object to the ground.

What I Can Do

Activity 1: How Shadows Change Over Time

Directions: This experiment will use the reflection of light on objects to

show how light moves in a straight line.

Materials: chalk, yourself, and the sun

Procedure:
1. Find a sunny spot and trace your feet with a chalk.
2. Stand straight on your marked feet and ask a friend to trace the
outline of your shadow and measure its length.
3. Comeback periodically throughout the day. (at 6AM, 12 noon,
and 5PM)
4. Record your observations on the table below.

SHADOW TIME LENGTH

Shadow 1 6 AM Long
Shadow 2 12 Noon Short
Shadow 3 5 PM Short

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Questions:
1. Did your shadow move? Why? Yes, because we’re moving
2. When is your shadow the longest? Shortest?
long

Activity 2: The Shadow’s Position

Directions: Describe the position or length of the shadow that you would
form if you were outdoors with the sun’s position as described below.
Write your descriptions on the lines.

1. The sun is behind you: front

2. The sun in front of you: behind me

3. The sun to your right: left

4. The sun to your left: right

5. The sun high in the sky above you: all direction

Activity 3: Think Critically

Directions: Think of your answer to each question about the activity.

Then write your answer on the lines.

1. Early in the day, what were the position of the shadows formed
by the objects and structures you observed? What was the sun’s
position this time? left

2. What changes did you observe in the shadows later in the day?
What caused these changes? Changing directions ?

3. What did you observe about your own shadow at different times
of the day? What cause these differences in their lengths?
Changing directions

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 Additional Activities

What causes shadows to change size and direction during a day? Write
it on your journal notebook.

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