| Lesson plan In this lesson, students will learn about a natural factor affecting their everyday lives: daylight. First, they will collect data on sunrise and sunset in their hometown, create a Microsoft Office Excel chart to help them understand the data pattern, and offer a hypothesis about why the amount of daylight varies over the year. Then they will learn how the earth's rotation affects the amount of daylight over the course of the year. On This PageLesson plan information|
Instructional level | | • | Intermediate user | | • | Advanced user |
| School level | | • | Middle school (11-14 years) | | • | High school (14-18 years) |
| Curriculum areas | | • | Science | | • | Mathematics | | • | Seasons and weather |
| Themes | | • | Space | | • | Nature | | • | Seasons and weather |
| Class time | | Academic standards | | • | Science: Content as inquiry, earth and space science | | • | Mathematics: Numbers and operations, data analysis and probability |
| ISTE NETS Standards for students | Technology research tools: | • | Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. | | • | Students use technology tools to process data and report results. |
| Software required | | • | Microsoft Office Excel | | • | Microsoft Internet Explorer | | • | Microsoft Office Word |
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Teacher guideObjectives| • | Students will collect real data of sunrise and sunset times for their hometown. | | • | Students will look for a pattern in the amount of daylight over a year. | | • | Students will write explanations for the daylight pattern they observe. | | • | Students will view an online demonstration to illustrate why the amount of daylight varies during the year. |
How to begin1. | Save the document Student Directions (27 KB Microsoft Word file) to your classroom computers. Adjust the directions as needed for your lesson. Then, when presenting your lesson to the students, have them use your adjusted Student Directions document to get started. | 2. | Engage your students in a discussion about daylight. Ask them: | • | Do you know approximately when the sun will set today? | | • | Do you know when the sun rose today? | | • | How will this be different six months from now? | | • | What determines the amount of daylight we have each day? | | • | If the earth turns all the way around every 24 hours, then why are some days longer than others? | | • | How is this related to the seasons? |
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Resources and Web links
Student Directions (27 KB Microsoft Word file)
Template and sample (17 KB Microsoft Excel file)
Student activityDescriptionIn Step 1 of this lesson, you will look at actual sunrise and sunset times for your hometown to determine a pattern in the amount of daylight. You will collect your data in Excel and create a chart to help you identify the pattern. You will then write an explanation of why you think the amount of daylight varies throughout the year. In Step 2, you will work to understand why there is a pattern in the amount of daylight over the course of the year. For example, if the earth always turns one rotation every 24 hours, then why does the amount of daylight vary? You will view an online demonstration that explains this and then write an explanation in your own words. Step 1: Research| • | Software: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office Word | | • | What to do Collect data on daylight, create a chart for your data, and begin analyzing your data 1. | Collect and chart sunrise and sunset times for your hometown over a period of one year. Fortunately, there is a Web site where you can get the sunrise and sunset times so you don't have to wait a year to collect the information. | 2. | Open Internet Explorer and go to this Web site: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html | 3. | Open an Excel spreadsheet and, using the data from the Web site, record the sunrise and sunset data for the first day of each month for one year for your hometown. (See sample Excel chart and template.) Notes | • | When entering the time, be sure to use this format: 7:05 AM, 5:08 PM. | | • | The amount of daylight will automatically be calculated for you in column D. |
| 4. | Using Excel, create a bar chart of the daylight column (column D) when you have finished entering the data. | 5. | Now open a Word document and, in your own words, explain the pattern you see for the daylight data. Include why you think this pattern occurs. Be sure your finished Word document includes your data, chart, and written explanation. |
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Step 2: Analyze and interpret your data| • | Software: Microsoft Office Word, Internet Explorer | | • | What to do Analyze your data and interpret it 1. | In the Word document you saved in Step 1, write notes that explore the following questions in as much detail as possible: | • | What is the pattern for the amount of daylight during the course of a year for your hometown? | | • | Why do some days have more daylight than others? | | • | What roles do the earth and sun play in determining the amount of daylight? | | • | What is the daylight pattern for the North Pole? | | • | What is the daylight pattern for the South Pole? | | • | What is the daylight pattern for a location near the equator? |
| 2. | Open Internet Explorer and go to this Web site: http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/antarctica/seasonal.html. | 3. | View the online demonstration and read the information on the Web site. | 4. | Now that you have seen the online demonstration, go back to your Word document, review the notes you previously made regarding the six questions above, and revise them if necessary. Be sure to write your answers in complete sentences. |
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Ways to extend the student activity| • | Provide models of the sun and earth (or have the students make them) to use in students' explanations. | | • | Have students look up sunrise and sunset data for other locations on earth to verify the accuracy of the online demonstration. | | • | Have students study debates about extending Daylight Saving Time. What would be some of the positive and negative affects of doing this? |
Assessment| • | For Step 1, students can be assessed on the accuracy of their data collection and creation of a chart from their data. Students should use accurate scientific and mathematical terms when describing the pattern they see. | | • | For Step 2, students should be assessed on the responses to the questions after viewing the online demonstration. |
Innovative teaching 
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