MAPS of TEMPERATURE PATTERNS and TOPO/LATITUDE ACTIVITY

TEACHER LAB GUIDE

ENGAGE ACTIVITY:

MAPS of TEMPERATURE PATTERNS and TOPO/LATITUDE ACTIVITY:

Provide a temperature mapand a topo/latitude map to each group of students. Allow time for them to study their maps and share observations with each other. Each team will write 3-5 generalizations they have gathered from the maps. Ask the following questions: What different temperature patterns did you observe; where are the highest temperatures located; where are the lowest temperatures located? Compare coastal temperatures with temperatures farther inland. Compare temperatures at different latitudes and elevations. Record these observations on an overhead transparency, chalkboard or large chart to facilitate whole class discussion.

EXPLORE:

HEATING and COOLING INVESTIGATION USING SOIL, WATER and VARIOUS COLORED OBJECTS:

In Part A of Activity 1, students will use soil and water to demonstrate that soil both heats up and cools down faster than water. In Part B students will observe that different colors absorb different amounts of radiation.

NOTICE TO TEACHER: This activity can be adaptive to challenge advanced students to come up with their own experiment to test some of these principles. As an extension you can also have students suggest materials to test other than the ones used in this activity.

Pre Lab Instructions for Part B:

1. Ice cubes should be the same size for consistency.

2. To save time, pre-cut and assemble the colored paper into five-sided boxes large enough to hold the ice cube. Leave one side open for placing the ice cube. The following link will give detailed instructions for making the boxes:

(includes a printable cube template) and How to Make a 3D Cube at

3. Discussion:

If you were visiting Arizona in August and the temperature was 100⁰F outside, how would you stay cool, what kind of clothes would you wear and what colors of clothes would you wear?

After students make comments and share their ideas, continue with the following questions:

1. How does color affect the amount of heat absorbed from sunlight?

2. When have you noticed that the color of something makes a difference in how hot it gets in the sun?

Listen to student ideas. Some examples they might come up with:

a. Wearing white vs black clothing on sunny days.

b. Flat roofs with black tar vs white polymer.

c. Walking barefoot across asphalt vs concrete roadway.

d. Using a white car instead of a black car when it is sunny and hot.

e. Choosing a light car interior vs a dark interior.