Summer Solstice Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan: Measuring and Graphing Light Throughout the School Year 

Grade Level: elementary level (adaptable) 
Time Frame: 15 minutes per session, recurring throughout the year 
Core Subjects: Science, Math, Utah Studies 

 

Objectives 

Students will: 

  • Use a PocketLab sensor to measure daily illuminance (light levels). 

  • Record and graph data across the school year. 

  • Analyze seasonal changes in light and connect them to Earth’s movement and Utah’s geography. 

  • Interpret line graphs and use data to predict trends. 

 

Materials 

  • PocketLab sensor (or other light sensor) 

  • PocketLab app or compatible device (tablet or laptop) 

  • Data tracking sheet (paper or digital)  

  • Graph paper or digital graphing tool (e.g., Google Sheets) - you could put students in charge of updating the Google Sheet or Excel table. 

  • Classroom calendar 

  • Optional: thermometer or weather journal for enrichment (PocketLab also has a temperature sensor if you want to track that at the same time as illuminance). 

 

Procedure 

Launch Lesson (30–45 minutes): 

  1. Introduce Illuminance 

  1. Define illuminance as the amount of light falling on a surface, measured in lux. 

  1. Discuss real-life examples (e.g., classroom lighting vs. outdoor sunlight). 

  1. Demonstrate Measurement 

  1. Show students how to use the PocketLab sensor to take a light reading at a specific location and time. 

  1. Practice consistent data collection as a class. 

  1. Create Class Data Chart 

  1. Decide on a daily or weekly schedule for data collection. 

  1. Create a system for recording data and noting any changes (e.g., cloudy day). 

  1. Students could work alone/in groups to track in notebooks/digital program. 

Ongoing Routine: 
4. Daily or Weekly Data Collection 

  • Assign student teams to collect light measurements at the same location and time of day. 

  • Record date, lux reading, and any weather notes. 

  1. Graphing 

  1. Create a line graph: 

  1. X-axis: Day of School Year (or Date) - you could go by week of the term/semester/school year.  

  1. Y-axis: Light Intensity (lux) 

  1. Update regularly and analyze trends over time. 

  1. Analysis and Reflection 

  1. Discuss observed patterns as seasons change. 

  1. Relate light data to Earth’s tilt and orbit. 

  1. Make predictions about future light levels. 

 

What more do you want to know?  

  • What is illuminance like on other planets? How can we know?  

  • Inverse Square Law, distance from our Sun and illuminance on other planets. 

  •  

 

Utah Core Standards Connections 

Science 

Grade 4: 

  • 4.1.1: Construct an explanation for the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface. 

  • 4.1.2: Develop a model to show how the sun’s position changes throughout the year. 

Grade 5: 

  • 5.1.1: Develop a model to describe the movement of Earth and the moon and how they relate to observable patterns (day, night, shadows, and seasons). 

  • 5.3.1: Ask questions to plan and carry out investigations that identify the cause and effect relationships between weather patterns and Earth’s systems. 

Grade 6: 

  • 6.1.4: Analyze and interpret data to describe how Earth’s tilt and orbit affect seasonal changes in temperature and daylight. 

  • 6.1.5: Use evidence to describe how seasons result from variations in the amount of sunlight received. 

Mathematics 

Grade 4: 

  • 4.MD.4: Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements. 

  • 4.MD.2: Use the four operations to solve word problems involving measurement. 

Grade 5: 

  • 5.MD.2: Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit, and use operations on fractions to solve problems. 

  • 5.G.2: Graph points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane and use them to solve real-world problems. 

Grade 6: 

  • 6.SP.4: Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including histograms and box plots. 

  • 6.SP.5: Summarize and describe distributions using mean, median, and variability. 

Social Studies – Utah Studies (Grade 4): 

  • Standard 1.1: Use geographic tools to locate and describe physical and human features in Utah. 

  • Standard 1.2: Explain how the physical geography of Utah has influenced human activity, including how daylight and seasonal patterns affect life in the state (e.g., agriculture, school year, timekeeping). 

 

Optional Extensions and Enrichment 

  • Compare light data indoors vs. outdoors. 

  • Graph additional variables like temperature or cloud cover alongside light levels. 

  • Explore historical timekeeping in Utah (e.g., how Indigenous communities, pioneers, or farmers observed seasonal light). 

  • Create artistic or reflective responses to light trends using visual journals or photography. 

Utah Core Standards Connections 

Science 

Grade 1: 

  • 1.1.1: Plan and carry out an investigation to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface. 

  • 1.3.3: Obtain and communicate information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather. 

Grade 2: 

  • 2.1.1: Carry out an investigation to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface using tools to measure temperature and light. 

  • 2.1.3: Design a structure that reduces the warming effect of sunlight on an area. 

Grade 3: 

  • 3.1.1: Analyze and interpret data to describe patterns of Earth’s features, including how the sun appears to move across the sky. 

  • 3.3.1: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object (may be a connection if light intensity is used to observe shadow movement). 

Grade 4: 

  • 4.1.1: Construct an explanation for the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface. 

  • 4.1.2: Develop a model to show how the sun’s position changes throughout the year. 

Grade 5: 

  • 5.1.1: Develop a model to describe the movement of Earth and the moon and how they relate to observable patterns (day, night, shadows, and seasons). 

  • 5.3.1: Ask questions to plan and carry out investigations that identify the cause and effect relationships between weather patterns and Earth’s systems. 

Grade 6: 

  • 6.1.4: Analyze and interpret data to describe how Earth’s tilt and orbit affect seasonal changes in temperature and daylight. 

  • 6.1.5: Use evidence to describe how seasons result from variations in the amount of sunlight received. 

 

Mathematics 

Grade 1: 

  • 1.MD.4: Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points. 

  • 1.MD.3: Tell and write time in hours and half-hours, useful for anchoring light readings to consistent time of day. 

Grade 2: 

  • 2.MD.10: Draw a picture graph and a bar graph to represent a data set with up to four categories. 

  • 2.MD.7: Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes. 

Grade 3: 

  • 3.MD.3: Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. 

  • 3.MD.4: Generate measurement data and show the data by making a line plot. 

Grade 4: 

  • 4.MD.4: Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements. 

  • 4.MD.2: Use the four operations to solve word problems involving measurement. 

Grade 5: 

  • 5.MD.2: Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit, and use operations on fractions to solve problems. 

  • 5.G.2: Graph points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane and use them to solve real-world problems. 

Grade 6: 

  • 6.SP.4: Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including histograms and box plots. 

  • 6.SP.5: Summarize and describe distributions using mean, median, and variability.