The Earth's Heat Budget
http://nagt.org/nagt/programs/teachingmaterials/9266.html
http://nagt.org/nagt/programs/teachingmaterials/9266.html
Roy Plotnick, National Association of Geoscience Teachers
Activity takes about two class periods. Additional materials are required.
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Topics
Grade Level
Climate Literacy
About Teaching Climate Literacy
1c 
1cThe tilt of Earth’s axis relative to its orbit around the Sun results in predictable changes in the duration of daylight and the amount of sunlight received at any latitude throughout a year. These changes cause the annual cycle of seasons and associated temperature changes.
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Sunlight reaching the Earth can heat the land, ocean, and atmosphere. Some of that sunlight is reflected back to space by the surface, clouds, or ice. Much of the sunlight that reaches Earth is absorbed and warms the planet.
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Energy Literacy
Energy is a quantity that is transferred from system to system.
1.1 Energy is a quantity.
The energy of a system or object that results in its temperature is called thermal energy.
1.2 Thermal energy.
Energy is neither created nor destroyed.
1.3 Energy is neither created nor destroyed.
Energy is a physical quantity that follows precise natural laws.
Energy is a physical quantity.
Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines
1. Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills:B) Designing investigations
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B) Designing investigations.
Other materials addressing:
B) Designing investigations.
1. Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills:C) Collecting information
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C) Collecting information.
Other materials addressing:
C) Collecting information.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:A) Processes that shape the Earth
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A) Processes that shape the Earth.
Other materials addressing:
A) Processes that shape the Earth.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:C) Energy
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C) Energy.
Other materials addressing:
C) Energy.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
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Because the earth turns daily on an axis that is tilted relative to the plane of the earth's yearly orbit around the sun, sunlight falls more intensely on different parts of the earth during the year. The difference in intensity of sunlight and the resulting warming of the earth's surface produces the seasonal variations in temperature.
Light and other electromagnetic waves can warm objects. How much an object's temperature increases depends on how intense the light striking its surface is, how long the light shines on the object, and how much of the light is absorbed.
Notes From Our Reviewers
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
Technical Details
Teaching Tips
- Educator might want to change the reference to Chicago to the location of the school. This would require creating a new version of both the Powerpoint and the student activity sheet.
- Clarify the geometric relation between latitude and the noon sun angle.
- Assessment is suggested, but it would benefit from a few more questions that engage students in abstracting from the activity and doing independent thinking.
About the Science
- Students make simple measurements of energy and connect these to Earth's processes.
- Educator might have to find additional background materials.
- Activity tests misconceptions with hands-on experimentation through which students learn about topics that may seem complex until you start playing with them.The activity effectively addresses the misconception of the reason for the seasons being the distance between Sun and Earth.
About the Pedagogy
- Hands-on small group lab activity in which students experimentally measure three important factors of Earth's heating budget (distance to sun and angle, albedo, heat capacity).
- Student learning of the complex content is well guided by questions.
- Hands-on activities and measurements followed by guiding questions will help visual learners to understand the concept.
- Powerpoint presentation should be used to support this activity. The link is given in the reference materials but is easy to miss - see the supporting references section.
- Elegant pedagogic design.
- Great way of relating the abstract concept of Earth's heat budget to local conditions (in exercise: Chicago).
- Students will have to follow instructions carefully in order to collect the correct measurements.
- Students will probably need consistent guidance through the activities.
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