Original Project
Weather and Climate II: Seasonal Differences
Item CL032002: For a place in the northern hemisphere, the maximum height the sun reaches in the sky changes each day in both January and December.
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the daily maximum height of the sun in the sky at Place 1 shown below each day during the months of January and December?
- The maximum height of the sun changes each day in December but not in January.
- The maximum height of the sun changes each day in January but not in December.
- The maximum height of the sun changes each day in both January and December.
- The maximum height of the sun does not change in either January or December.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 916 | 2266 | 40% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 474 | 1194 | 40% |
| 9–12 | 440 | 1063 | 41% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 437 | 1117 | 39% |
| Female | 451 | 1070 | 42% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 787 | 1873 | 42% |
| Other | 95 | 263 | 36% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- ESS1.A Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with models.
ESS1.B The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year.