Sources for Real Data
With these resources your students can use real-time data to investigate seasonal change factors.
The GLOBE Program links students, teachers, and researchers in an effort to learn more about our environment. Students submit data in the fields of atmosphere, hydrology, soils, and land cover/phenology. The web site includes a mapping/graphing area, a teacher's guide, and an educators' forum. In the United States, GLOBE is led by a federal interagency program in partnership with colleges and universities, state and local school systems, and nongovernment organizations. MSP full record
The following seven activities are from the GLOBE Teacher's Guide.
The purpose of this resource is to illustrate how physical factors—temperature and precipitation—limit the growth of vegetative ecosystems. Students observe and record seasonal changes in their study site. They establish that these phenomena follow annual cycles and conclude the activity by creating displays that show the repeating pattern associated with the appearance and disappearance of seasonal markers. MSP full record
To further students' understanding of the causes of seasonal change, the class reviews global visualizations of incoming sunlight and surface temperature. Students use the visualizations to support inquiry on the differences in seasonal change in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, culminating in an evidence-based argument about why one hemisphere experiences warmer summers although it receives less total solar energy. MSP full record
This activity demonstrates what causes the seasons by focusing on the earth's tilt and spherical shape. Students learn how sunlight spreads over the earth at different times of the year, emphasizing the solstices and the equinoxes. Students investigate the effect of the earth's tilt on the spread of sunlight by modeling different tilts using a three-dimensional polyhedron. Students also calculate the relative sunlight intensity received by the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. MSP full record
Students use GLOBE data and visualizations to display current temperatures on a map of the world. They explore the patterns in the temperature map, looking especially for differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and between equatorial regions and high latitudes. At the end of the activity, students discuss the relative merits of different types of data displays: tables, graphs, and maps. MSP full record
Students use GLOBE data and graphing tools to compare the influence of latitude, elevation, and geography on seasonal patterns. Students analyze the graph of the past year's maximum and minimum temperatures at their site. They compare this graph to similar graphs for two other sites and list which factors might cause the patterns to be different. MSP full record
The purpose of this resource is to have students develop a qualitative understanding of the characteristics and patterns of seasons and highlight the relationship of seasons to physical, biological and cultural markers. Students observe and record seasonal changes in their local study site. They conclude the activity by creating displays that illustrate the appearance and disappearance of seasonal markers. MSP full record
The purpose of this resource is to observe seasonal migration patterns, feeding habits, and nesting behavior of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in North and Central America. Students will learn how to identify male, female, and immature Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and to observe migration and feeding behavior. Students will learn how to make connections among hummingbird behavior and weather, climate, food availability, seasons, day length, and other environmental factors. MSP full record
This chapter from the Earth Exploration Toolbook guides users through the process of locating and graphing data that has been collected by students who participate in the GLOBE Program. The GLOBE Graphing Tool is used to superimpose four different environmental data sets as a single graph to show otherwise hidden relationships. Seasonal changes in soil moisture are highlighted, as are the concepts of reservoirs and flux and the role of solar energy as a driver of flux. Additional investigations can be performed using this tool, methodology, and the GLOBE data set. MSP full record
K-12 students across North America share their field observations of wildlife migration and seasonal change. They track the coming of spring through the migration patterns of birds and mammals; the budding of plants; changing sunlight; and other natural events. Standards-based lesson plans, activities and information help students make local observations and fit them into a global context. MSP full record
![[back to top]](/images/epubs/arrow_up.gif)
Back to top
|
Copyright
June 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work
supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any
opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the National Science Foundation.
|
|
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
|
|