24 Hour Temperature Cycle Simulation

24 Hour Temperature Cycle Simulation The lesson was implemented in a multi-age 1st and 2nd grade classroom. While admittedly the students at this age level are a bit young for the entire conceptual development of the lesson, their ability to comprehend the basics of the concept is adequate. The solar system and weather in general are actually a part of the grade level curriculum at 2nd grade. They were introduced to the lesson and the concepts to be presented while in the classroom. An outline of what would be observed on the computer and what would be expected was presented. The students were then asked to pair up to discuss how they thought the temperatures would look over a 24 hour cycle. Because these students are young, a visual of the earth was presented along with a manually working thermometer so that students could move the shaded area to visually see what they thought the temperature would do. The discussion was then taken to the whole group level and the overall estimates recorded to compare later. At this point students were adjourned to the computer lab where they were paired up to do the simulation. Due to restrictions regarding students accessing computers and internet sites under anything other than their own name, all students were required to log in themselves (it was allowable for them to do this in pairs). This also meant that each pair if students were responsible for typing in the web address of the site we were accessing. The students then finally had the opportunity to participate and view the simulation. As students viewed the earth’s cycle and observed the changes in the temperature, they were again encouraged to use the manipulative temperature gage to look at how these temperature changes look on the thermometer. They were then asked to record the temperatures and times of day that were the hottest and the coldest for future discussion.

These students were from the beginning of the lesson in tune and aware of the concepts being presented and discussed. Original estimates that the hottest part of the day would be the afternoon made sense. They deduced that since the sun had been out all morning by then that it would be warmest in the afternoon. They fell into two groups when guessing the coldest part of the day. One group believed it would be the nighttime and the other early morning. No one guessed the afternoon. As students went into the computer lab to begin the simulation, there was a level of excitement. All of the students were interested and engaged, excited to find out what the hottest and coldest parts of the day actually were. As students logged in and began typing in the web address, it became apparent that this may actually be the toughest part of the lesson! They did a fine a job given that some of the pre-requisite skills are still limited. Typing is a weak skill for most and copying while looking from a paper back and forth to the computer an even weaker skill. Students worked together though assisting by reading the letters off or holding the paper so that it could more easily be seen. Once the simulation screen appeared students immediately began manipulating the earth, rotating it and watching the movement and the changing temperatures. It didn’t take them long to discover the hottest and coldest points. You could hear them reacting as they realized how their estimates fit into the actual results. They spent many minutes exploring the screen. Results were then recorded and discussed. I found this lesson interesting on many levels. It is of course possible to modify all lessons for many different age levels, but when deciding to do this lesson with this age group, I wondered how well they’d actually do with the content. I was surprised to find that their background knowledge was sufficient to understand and reason within the initial concepts. They also understood and assimilated the correct results quickly. As I mentioned earlier, probably the most difficult component of the lesson was actually accessing the web site. I do think utilizing the internet with this concept and this lesson provided immediate, clear visual information to the students. I am quite sure that we would not have gotten the conclusions about the two extreme temperatures of the day so easily or so quickly. As a final note of interest, I was approached by most of the other

second grade teachers in the building as word spread. Since this is a part of the second grade science curriculum, I am being lobbied to assist the other teachers with this same lesson as it becomes relevant for them in their classrooms. What better way to validate what we’re learning and doing then by helping others to learn and implement technology as well?!