1. Activate students’ prior knowledge about the sun and solar energy.
Project the KWL Chart on the board. Ask students to brainstorm a list of things they already know about the sun and solar energy. Students may brainstorm information such as: the sun is a star, we receive energy that can be harnessed (solar panels), we shouldn't look directly at the sun, and plants need sunlight to grow. Have students list ideas in the “Know” column. Then, invite volunteers to add to the “Want to Know” column. Encourage students to generate questions such as: Does the sun rotate? How does the sun affect our seasons? and What are solar storms? Tell students that they will learn about the sun and solar storms in this activity, and they will return to the KWL chart later to complete column 3.

2. Establish a purpose and watch the video “Solar Storms.”
Have students watch the National Geographic Channel video “Solar Storms.” Ask: What tools are scientists using to predict solar storms? Elicit from students that scientists are creating computer models by mapping the sun’s magnetic fields, or electrical currents. Explain to students that sunspots are regions of extremely strong magnetic field found on the sun’s surface. The average lifetime of a medium-sized sunspot grouping is about one solar rotation, or 27 days. Then, ask students to think about how they use technology in their daily lives. Ask: Why are solar storms a threat to our high-tech lives? What might some examples be? Students should be able to infer that the electrical activity from the sun has the ability to interrupt electrical activity on Earth, and provide examples.

3. Have small groups complete the worksheet Sunspot Mapping Grid.
Divide students into small groups of three. Distribute one copy of the worksheet Sunspot Mapping Grid to each group. Go to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) Movie Theater website. Select image type: MDI Continuum. Leave the Resolution at 512. Leave the Start and End Dates blank. Enter 20 for Latest n images. Then click search. This will give you near real-time data for the last 20 images taken. Ask each group to select and identify at least one sunspot to track over 4 days. Click the step button to move through the images. Ask: What do you notice as we step through these images? Students should notice that their sunspot or sunspot groups appear to be moving across the surface of the sun. Ask: Do you think the sunspot is moving? Why or why not? Encourage students to observe their sunspot in relation to other sunspots they see. Some students should be able to relate that they think the sun is rotating. Click the step button again to move through the images a second time. Allow students time to plot each point representing the sunspot or sunspot groups they have chosen on their worksheets.

4. Have students revisit the KWL chart.
Ask: What new information have we learned from this investigation? Ask students to summarize what they have learned about the sun and solar activity. List the information on the board in column 3 as students volunteer it.

5. Have students make a math connection.
Ask: How can you determine the period of rotation of an object with fixed features on its surface? (Rotation can be determined by tracking the fixed features for a number of days.) Distribute a copy of the worksheet Calculate the Sun’s Rotation to each small group. Read through the directions with students and answer any questions they may have. Allow groups ample time to complete the worksheet. Rotate around the room, providing support as needed.

6. Discuss reasons for apparent motion of sunspots.
Remind students that sunspots appear to move across the face of the sun over time. Ask groups to list all of the possible reasons that might be responsible for that apparent motion. Then have a whole-class discussion in which each small group shares their list with the class. Possible reasons students may suggest include:

• Sunspots move across a non-rotating sun.
• The sun rotates.
• The Earth moves around the sun, causing sunspots to appear to move.
• Sunspots appear and disappear in different places, appearing to move.

Ask students to discuss each of the possible explanations within their small groups and decide which explanation their group thinks is the most likely. Then have a whole-class discussion. Make sure students understand that the correct answer is that the sun rotates. The sunspots stay reasonably stable as they appear to travel across the sun's surface. Sunspots seem to disappear on the righthand side of the sun, then reappear on the lefthand side. Students should observe that sunspots keep a similar shape and stay at the same latitude and move at a constant rate at the same longitudes. The sun has a faster rate of rotation at its equator of about 25 days and a slower rate of rotation at the poles of about 36 days. Ask: What are some possible ways to prove your explanation is correct? (Possible responses: Watch to see if some sunspots move faster than others at the same latitude. Follow sunspots to see if they change latitude as they change longitude. Follow sunspots to see if they move at the same rate and keep a similar shape and stay at the same latitude. Track how far the sunspots appear to move each day. See if they move at a consistent rate or if the rate changes. Pay attention to where the sunspots seem to appear or disappear. Watch for a pattern.)