When The Sun Goes Dark

Sun, Apr 16, 2017 3:50 PM
Great resource for learning about eclipses

“When the Sun goes Dark” is a the perfect book for this age level to support learning about eclipses and lunar phases. Rather than a presentation of dry facts, extensive astronomy content is developed for the reader through the narration of a character in a story as she learns about astronomy through conversations with her grandparents and younger brother. Not only does the story explain the astronomy of eclipses and phases of the moon, but it does so as the characters engage with several activities that help them learn about these topics. These activities are perfect for use by parents and children in the home or teachers and students in a school classroom. The illustrations helpfully demonstrate both the concepts being communicated and the materials needed to engage with these activities. I could see teachers using this to guide instruction by reading through a few pages then trying out the activities described in the book. Further, the children in the story bring up some of the common questions and challenges learners often have with these topics allowing the narrative to explain these issues for the reader. Finally, one of the real strengths of this book is how well it helps the reader, again through both the narrative and the illustrations, understand the complex spatial reasoning required to explain these phenomena. Excellent resource to add to your science library!