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If`you`were`Doug,
what`would`you`do
to`get`home?

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Step
01/09

Get these supplies.

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Step
02/09

Cut on the thick black lines. When you’re done, you’ll have two pieces.

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Step
03/09

Poke the paper fastener through the top hole then turn the paper
upside down like this.

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Step
04/09

Turn over the paper with the sun on it. Slide the hole over the paper
fastener.

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Step
05/09

Spread the prongs and flatten them like this.

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Step
06/09

Trace the word east (where the sun rises). Then trace the word west
(where the sun sets).

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Step
07/09

Practice making the sun rise over my friend’s house (the white one)
and set behind my house (the gray one).

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Step
08/09

Turn and Talk: How can the sun help me get back to my house in the
afternoon? Should I walk towards the sun or away from it?

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Step
09/09

Here’s what I figured out.

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forest

1 of 8

a place with lots of trees

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Sun

2 of 8

the large ball of light in the sky during the day

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sunrise

3 of 8

when the Sun appears in the morning

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sunset

4 of 8

when the Sun disappears in the evening

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east

5 of 8

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the right

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west

6 of 8

one of four main directions; if you are facing north, it is to the left

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pattern

7 of 8

something that happens again and again and again in a way that can be predicted

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predict

8 of 8

to guess what will happen based on things you know

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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration

children lost in the city by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Josef Sowa

forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Yegor Larin

boy with backpack in the forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: upslim

eggs and toast by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: citr

sun peering through the forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Piotr Krzeslak

cottage in the forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Maciej Czekajewski

kid playing with toys by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Tomsickova Tatyana

man chopping vegetables by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Rommel Canlas

meadow pine trees by Ken Kistler

fallen tree by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: TairA

man walking through forest by Danny Jun Fitness

girl lost in forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: iraua

Credits

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Activity

Transcripts

“The students did a great job of using what they learned from previous lessons to predict what they should do in this lesson. They enjoyed making the sun finders. I have had parents report that their child came home excited to share what they had learned.”

“I enjoyed hearing my kids discuss their reasoning as to how to find their way home using the sun. My kids couldn't agree if they should follow the Sun, walk away from the Sun or walk in a different direction entirely. By the end of the lesson, my kids got it!”

“The students were engaged and loved make the sun finder. We found the sun in the morning and we were able to determine directions due to the position of the sun. Great lesson with real life application!”

“The kids really enjoyed this lesson. When we went outside they put the paper sun in the same position as the sun and they could see where east and west were. It was cool to see that light bulb moment! -Molly Craig 1st grade teacher at Twin Lakes Christian School Aptos, CA”

“Level of engagement was very high! The student thinking was very evident - they wanted to change their minds about which way Doug should go as soon as they watched the clip of how the sun moves across the sky before setting. Very grade level appropriate. Thank you Mystery Science!”

“My class loved it! I did, too! It was so easy to prepare, and the kids could very easily follow and understand the directions for the project. This lesson generated lots of questions from the kids. One asked, "How does the sun get back to the other side every day?" Perfect!”

“Great lesson, we even expanded it with watching the sun and figuring out which direction our house is facing (N) and which direction their bedrooms are etc. The activity really helped my 5yo be able to retell how the sun moves and put it into action to retell the story. The 9yo also enjoyed it and we did more activities/lessons from our main curriculum.”

“Keira says the best part was making the project. Lenna liked ALL of it! Luci liked the story with the lesson. Ava like the video of the real life sunrise and sunset. Mrs. Mele liked all it got all of the kids working and thinking.”

“Great lesson! Extended the activity by taking it outside and watching how the sun moved above our house during the day. Good for teaching the children how to solve a problem. First mystery used on this site - will be happy to do more!”

Sun Finder printout	1 per student
Scissors	1 pair per student
Three-Hole Punch	1 hole punch per class
Paper Fasteners	1 fastener per student

How can the Sun help you if you're lost?

forest

Sun

sunrise

sunset

east

west

pattern

predict

Image & Video Credits

12 mins

20 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Activity

Transcripts

How can the Sun help you if you're lost?

forest

Sun

sunrise

sunset

east

west

pattern

predict

Image & Video Credits

Featured Reviews

Activity Prep

Prepare Sun Finder Templates

12 mins

20 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Activity

Transcripts

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