Students use thermometers, white and dark paper, and lamps to measure differences in albedo between the light and dark materials.

Students collect weather data over several days or weeks, graph temperature data, and compare the temperature data collected with long-term climate averages from where they live. Understanding the difference between weather and climate and interpreting local weather data are important first steps to understanding larger-scale global climate changes.

Students will review global visualizations of incoming sunlight and surface temperature and discuss seasonal change.