Original Project
Weather and Climate I: Basic Elements
Item WC040003: Sunlight warms a lake more when the sun is higher in the sky than when it is lower in the sky.
The photographs below show the sun at two different positions in the sky above a lake: One shows the sun high in the sky, and one shows the sun lower in the sky. In both positions, nothing blocks the sunlight from reaching the lake.
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| Position 1 | Position 2 |
Would sunlight warm the lake more at Position 1 or Position 2?
- At Position 1 because when the sun is higher in the sky the sunlight can warm the lake more
- At Position 2 because when the sun is lower in the sky the sunlight can warm the lake more
- Sunlight warms the lake the same amount when the sun is at either position because sunlight warms any given place on the surface of the earth the same amount, no matter where the sun is in the sky.
- Neither position because sunlight cannot warm a lake
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 399 | 1020 | 39% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 268 | 663 | 40% |
| 9–12 | 131 | 357 | 37% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 169 | 471 | 36% |
| Female | 224 | 530 | 42% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 360 | 899 | 40% |
| Other | 32 | 98 | 33% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- PS3.B Sunlight warms Earth's surface.
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. - Notes
- NGSS does not explicitly address the changing position of the sun in the sky throughout the day or how that affects the amount of energy that is transferred to Earth.