The Global Sun Temperature Project is an Internet-based multidisciplinary
project which will enrich a student's learning experience through
"Unique and Compelling" applications of instructional technology.
In particular, this project taps into some of the exciting applications
of the Internet in education by having students collaborate
in large numbers across great distances to determine how proximity
to the equator affects average daily temperature and hours of
sunlight. By participating in this project, students also have
the opportunity to interact with experts online, use an online
asynchronous discussion board to to discuss project-related
topics, and publish their own work to this project web
site.
The Global Sun Temperature Project has four Core Activities
that will teach students how to apply the knowledge and thinking
skills of mathematics, science, and technology to explain Real-World
Phenomena. Specifically, students will determine their latitude
and longitude coordinates, measure and record temperature and
minutes of daylight, calculate averages, plot and analyze data,
draw conclusions based on raw data from the Internet, and communicate
their results. Students will also have the opportunity to interact
with other students from around the world and study their geographic
location, environment, and culture.
Each of the four core activities are designed to be used in
a 45 minute class period, although this may depend on the grade
level of your students. Additionally, students will need a small
amount of class time (approximately 15 minutes) every day during
the week of
Dates to be Determined to record the
temperature and sunrise / sunset times. It is recommended that
students go through the lessons in order, beginning with the
Lesson 1: Submit a Class Letter of Introduction before continuing
on to the other lessons. The Teacher
Guide section contains detailed lesson plans for the core
lessons as well as supplemental and enrichment lessons, curriculum
standards, implementation strategies, as well as other useful
information. It is also recommended that you review each of
the lessons carefully and use your judgment for allocating the
appropriate amount of class time for the project.
Additionally, you may need to download the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader if you have not done so already to
access some pages that are stored in .pdf format.
