My Angle on Cooling: Effects of Distance and Inclination. AAAS Science NetLinks. Grades 6-8.
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?Grade=6-8&BenchmarkID=4&DocID=418 . In this hands-on lesson, students measure the effect of distance and inclination on the amount of heat felt by an object and apply this experiment to building an understanding of seasonality. In Part 1, the students set up two thermometers at different distances from a light bulb and record their temperatures to determine how distance from a heat source affects temperature. In Part 2, students construct a device designed to measure the temperature as a function of viewing angle toward the Sun by placing a thermometer inside a black construction paper sleeve, and placing the device at different angles toward the Sun. They then explain how distance and inclination affect heat and identify situations where these concepts apply, such as the seasons on Earth and the NASA Mercury MESSENGER mission.
Effect of the Sun’s Energy on the Ocean and Atmosphere. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Grades 9-12.
http://icp.giss.nasa.gov/education/radforce/index.html . In this mock mission, students become members of a research team and conduct a series of tasks to audit Earth's radiative budget. They use a Java Applet/visual viewer to access satellite data sets, calculate the balance of incoming and outgoing solar radiation, and defend their answers to a number of science questions.
The Earth’s Heat Budget. National Association of Geoscience Teachers. Grades 9-12.
http://nagt.org/nagt/programs/teachingmaterials/9266.html. Hands-on laboratory activity that allows students to investigate the effects of distance and angle on the input of solar radiation at Earth's surface, the role played by albedo, the heat capacity of land and water, and how these cause the seasons. Students predict radiative heating based on simple geometry and experiment to test their hypotheses.
Energy Flows. NEED Project – Putting Energy Into Education. Grades 6-8.
http://www.need.org/needpdf/Energy%20Flows.pdf. This activity introduces students to different forms of energy, energy transformations, energy storage, and the flow of energy through systems. Students learn that most energy can be traced back to nuclear fusion on the sun.