Original Project
Weather and Climate II: Seasonal Differences
The maximum height that the sun reaches in the sky at any place varies over the course of the year, and how it v…
Item WC039002: The angle at which sunlight hits any given place on the earth's surface changes continuously throughout the day.
After the sun rises above the horizon, what happens to the angle at which sunlight hits any given place on the earth’s surface?
- The angle changes continuously throughout the morning and evening, but does not change during the middle of the day.
- The angle changes continuously throughout the day from morning to evening.
- The angle changes rapidly during the morning, changes slowly during the middle of the day, and changes rapidly during the evening.
- The angle does not change at all during the day from morning to evening.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2211 | 4267 | 52% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 1231 | 2463 | 50% |
| 9–12 | 977 | 1797 | 54% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 1042 | 2066 | 50% |
| Female | 1119 | 2099 | 53% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 1951 | 3730 | 52% |
| Other | 174 | 388 | 45% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- 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 the changing angle at which sunlight strikes the Earth.