The Global Sun/Temperature Project

How to Analyze the Data

You can have your students organize the data, graph latitude vs. temperature, graph latitude vs. minutes of sunlight, and look for patterns. If the data is accurate, there should be a good linear relationship between latitude and minutes of sunlight.

    The temperatures are often a bit more variable (This could be a good exploration - Why do temperatures vary at approximately the same latitudes?) Find a school at a certain location to help you discover the answer!

    Make 2 graphs using the results from either the checked on unchecked databases to see the correlation between latitude and temperature and latitude and average minutes of sunlight. Only data that has been verified by the project leader will appear in the checked database. The unchecked database has the data exactly as classes have submitted. Students are welcome to use the unchecked database for their analysis and to use the project Discussion Area to question other students about their results.

    The graphs  that students should make are:

Graph  Latitude: x-axis vs. Daylight (average minutes of sunlight): y-axis

Graph Latitude: x-axis  vs. Temperature (average temperature ^oC): y-axis

How to Do the Language Arts Activity

    Included in this project are two detailed Language Arts lessons.  The language arts activities will give students the opportunity to compare and contrast lifestyles of their own community with other communities throughout the world.  Unlike the science portion of the project, the purpose of the language arts lessons is not to collect data and form conclusions, but rather to share information and become more aware of the world outside their classrooms.

    Please note that The Sun Times, the Global Sun/Temperature Project runs twice a year, in May and in December. The language arts activity changes depending on when you do the project. There are different activities for the May project and for the December project.  In May, students will look at their school building and gather information about the structure.  During the month of December, students will examine a common holiday (New Year's) and see how other communities celebrate.

    Click HERE to learn more about the Language Arts Activities.
 

Follow-Up Questions and Explorations

• List the latitude and longitude of a friend in a different country of the world.
• Locate an island you would like to visit, then list its name, latitude and longitude.
• Pick a different location from where you are. Based on the data submitted from other schools, predict what the temperature would be at that location. Would it be higher or lower than what you found at your location? Why?
• Form a hypothesis as to why temperatures vary at different latitudes. How could you test your hypothesis?
• At which latitudes are the number of sunlight hours greatest?  Least?  Why?
• Is there a relationship between the number of sunlight hours and latitude? Could you graph the relationship, if any?
• How important is accuracy of measurements in this experiment? Were there any possibilities for inaccurate measurements in your experiment? What might they be?
• What would you change if you could repeat the experiment?

    Suggestions for additional discussion questions will be gladly accepted! Contact the project leader with your suggestion.

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