classroom embedded assessment [cea] title: world...

Page | 1 Authors: Maria Hines, McCracken County Schools, Kentucky ©University of Louisville Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Teacher Development Diane Johnson, Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform May be used by teachers in nonprofit, classroom teaching environments

Project ASSESS (2016-18) – sponsored by KY Dept. of Education (KDE) MSP Program NOTE: All materials are those of the project team and do not represent KDE endorsement.

Classroom Embedded Assessment [CEA] Title: World Turned Upside Down

a. Targeted Performance Expectation(s)

Supplemental Information about Targeted Performance Expectation

From Evidence Statement: The length of the day gradually changes throughout the year as Earth orbits the Sun, with longer days in the summer and shorter days in the winter.

b. Learning Goal(s)

1. Use similarities and differences in patterns from graphical displays to analyze change for the phenomenon of daylight hours in the northern and southern hemisphere. [Crosscutting Concept-patterns, & Disciplinary Core Ideas]

2. Analyze and interpret data to make sense of this phenomenon, using logical reasoning. [Science & Engineering Practice]

3. Use evidence to construct an explanation about the difference in daylight hours in Frankfort, KY and Sydney, Australia on June 1st. [Science & Engineering Practice]

c. Instructional Context

This CEA would be used midway in the unit on Earth’s Place in the Universe. Students have used evidence from shadow data and

models to explain day and night cycles; created sundials and used the regular pattern of Earth’s motion to determine time; graphed data

to construct an explanation about the pattern of daylight hours for their hometown; used daylight hours for cities to determine their

location. They have seen and explored a model (globe plus bright lamp) to see how pointing the North or South pole at the light

changes the amount of light in northern or southern half of the planet.



d. Student Task/Prompt – see end of document for exact copy of handouts distributed to students

- See Student Task Sheets at end for the text of this story.

e. Success Criteria

Exemplary student response: The amount of daylight hours changes in a predictable increasing/decreasing pattern as the Earth orbits the Sun for all places on Earth. This pattern is evident for both Frankfort and Sydney, but the pattern is reversed. If fact, if you cut out the two graphs, they would fit together (turning Sydney graph upside down) almost perfectly. The shortest 10-hour days in Frankfort (Jan. and Dec.) match with the longest 14-hour days in Syndey, adding to a total of 24 hours (one full day). And the longest 14-hour days in Frankfort (June) match with the shortest 10-hour days in Sydney, again adding to 24 hours. So when put together upside down, each day adds to about 24 hours – one full day! Hours of daylight increase from January to June and then decrease from June to December for Frankfort. For example, Frankfort receives about 10 hours of daylight in January and 14 hours of daylight in June. The pattern of daylight hours for Sydney decreases from January to June and increases from June to December. Sydney has 14 hours of daylight in January and 10 hours in June. There are key dates (solstices) during the year that correspond to places in Earth’s orbit around the Sun that signal maximum or minimum amounts of daylight. From the Frankfort graph, the maximum amount of sunlight is in June, and from the Sydney graph, the maximum amount of sunlight for them is in December. These dates (maximum and minimums) correspond to which pole is tilted toward the Sun. The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs when the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun. As the Earth continues in its orbit, the North Pole tilt starts moving away from pointing at the Sun, decreasing the amount of daylight. Because Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, the pattern is the opposite. While the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun in June, the South Pole is tilted away from the Sun in June, and as Earth continues its orbit, the South Pole is tilted more toward the Sun until by December the South Pole is point right at the Sun (and North Pole away from Sun), providing more hours of daylight for the southern half of Earth.


Project ASSESS (2016-18) – sponsored by KY Dept. of Education (KDE) MSP Program NOTE: All materials are those of the project team and do not represent KDE endorsement. Students might include a diagram like the one below to help with their explanation.

f. Next Instructional Steps

For students who have difficulty comparing the data: Small group, teacher-led First, ask students to describe the pattern for daylight hours for each city. Then, ask students to identify the dates when there are more hours of daylight and how they knew this. Do the same for fewer hours of daylight. Use sentence stems for patterns to help students organize their thinking for writing (often they know/see the pattern, but they don’t know how to write it). Remind students how we tackle graphs that display a large data set – overall pattern first, then note highest and lowest values. For students who have difficulty explaining the difference in daylight hours for cities in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere: Individual, teacher-monitored Have students model Earth’s orbit around the sun using a globe and light. Students will note the direction of the North and South Pole with respect to the Sun and relate that to the graphs. Some students may benefit from viewing a video, which demonstrates this. (Simple Science http://bit.ly/1V5HrWd, stop at 2:00 min. mark)

http://bit.ly/1V5HrWd



g. Student Work Samples

None for newly developed CEA.

h. Reflection and Revision

None submitted.

NOTE: Student handout pages begin on next page



World Turned Upside Down

Help! My cousin has moved with her family to Sydney, Australia, and we can’t figure out why she is experiencing fewer hours of daylight than

me in June? We thought there were more hours of daylight in summer than in winter. Please explain this to us.

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Hours of DaylightFrankfort, KY

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Hours of Daylightin Sydney, Australia

Image free to use from Flickr.com

Give a detailed explanation about the patterns below. After describing, explain what is happening between Earth and Sun at key points in the year.

classroom embedded assessment [cea] title: world...

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