The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project
Graphing Daylight
Graphing Daylight
A 6th Grade STEM Lesson
Melissa Hall
April 2023
Notes for Teachers
This takes place in a classroom over 2 classes (51 min. each).
Teachers will need to review rounding minutes to the nearest quarter hour before graphing.
Directions for how to edit the graph templates are included in this presentation.
List of Materials
Arizona Science & Math Standards
Science Standards:
6.E2U1.10 Use a model to show how the tilt of Earth’s axis causes variations in the length of the day and gives rise to seasons.
Science and Engineering Practices:
Analyze and interpret data.
Standards for Mathematical Practice:
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Arizona Computer Science Standards
6.DA.CVT.1 Compare different computational tools used to collect, analyze and present data that is meaningful and useful. As students continue to explore ways to gather, organize and present data visually to support a claim, they will need to understand when and how to transform data for this purpose. Examples of these computational tools could include Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.
Objective(s):
Agenda (2 separate 51 minute classes)
Explore Seasons Interactive simulation
Review rounding time to the nearest quarter hour.
How to enter data to create a graph using a spreadsheet.
Complete graphs and data analysis questions in the Google Classroom assignment.
Review graphs and discuss results.
Intro
Write your predictions for the following questions we will be investigating during this lesson. Explain your reasoning. Be ready to discuss your responses.
Hands-on Activity Instructions
Seasons Interactive
Where can you click to show the equator on the earth?
Where can you click to see what it would look like if the earth didn’t have a tilt?
How can you change the month seen in the simulation?
Rounding to the nearest quarter hour
2. How do you write these fractions as decimals?
3. How do you know when to keep the whole number the same or round up to the next whole number?
Rules for rounding to the nearest quarter hour:
If the minutes are ≤ 7, keep the whole number the same with no decimal.
If the minutes are closest to 15, decimal = .25
If the minutes are closest to 30, decimal = .5
If the minutes are closest to 45, decimal = .75
If the minutes are ≥ 53, round to the next largest whole number.
What would the January daylight hours for each city be if we rounded them to the nearest quarter hour and changed it to a decimal?
Anchorage = 6.5
Chicago = 9.5
Quito = 12.25
Melbourne = 14.5
Graphing your data
Directions for editing the graphs in your Google Classroom assignment.
Assessment
Teacher will review the Google Classroom assignment and assign students a grade according to this rubric.
Differentiation
One way to differentiate this lesson is to decrease the number of graphs a student will create. For example, a student can graph one city from the Northern Hemisphere, and one from the Southern Hemisphere.
Students can also work in pairs or groups to graph single, different locations and then compare them.
Remediation
Extension/Enrichment
Students can create double bar graphs showing temperature and daylight hours. They can then analyze the relationship between the two.