This investigation gets students observing changes in temperature throughout the day. It’s a great cross curricular science / math activity where students will learn and practise lots of skills from reading scales to data handling.
It’s best to give the input for this investigation the day before they take the measurements in order to allow for the greatest difference in temperatures as you want the students to take their first reading as early in the day as possible.
Teaching Structure (over a period of 3 days):
The day before the investigation:
- Explain to the students that they are going to measure the changes in temperature throughout the day.
- Get the students to complete the investigation plan and set times for their measurements to be taken the following day.
You want to make sure the first measurement is taken as early as possible and the last one as late as possible to allow for the greatest change in temperatures. Encourage students to choose different places around your outdoor space – this allows them to compare results and think about reasons for any differences.
The day of the investigation:
- Get students to record the temperature at the specified times throughout the day. After the investigation:
- Once they have collected all of their results they can then complete the line graph and conclusion sheets.
- Extension: Students can compare results, thinking about any reasons for similarities or differences.
Equipment needed:
- Activity pack
- Thermometers
Math, Science
This investigation gets students observing changes in temperature throughout the day. It’s a great cross curricular science / math activity where students will learn and practise lots of skills from reading scales to data handling.
It’s best to give the input for this investigation the day before they take the measurements in order to allow for the greatest difference in temperatures as you want the students to take their first reading as early in the day as possible.
Teaching Structure (over a period of 3 days):
The day before the investigation:
- Explain to the students that they are going to measure the changes in temperature throughout the day.
- Get the students to complete the investigation plan and set times for their measurements to be taken the following day.
You want to make sure the first measurement is taken as early as possible and the last one as late as possible to allow for the greatest change in temperatures. Encourage students to choose different places around your outdoor space – this allows them to compare results and think about reasons for any differences.
The day of the investigation:
- Get students to record the temperature at the specified times throughout the day. After the investigation:
- Once they have collected all of their results they can then complete the line graph and conclusion sheets.
- Extension: Students can compare results, thinking about any reasons for similarities or differences.
Equipment needed:
- Activity pack
- Thermometers