The Albedo Effect in Action

• In this 45-minute activity, students read about the albedo effect, conduct an experiment to illustrate this concept, and relate the albedo effect to climate change. 

Positives

• The resources can be downloaded and used offline or printed. 
• The lesson plan includes an answer key, which facilitates implementation. 

Additional Prerequisites

• This experiment should be carried out on a sunny day.
• Teachers will need thermometers for students to use in the experiment.
• Teachers should check for understanding of the albedo effect after students read the description on the handout and before moving on to the experiment.

Differentiation

• This lesson can be related to life science by having students identify how water and land ecosystems can be altered by this effect.
• Cross-curricular connections can be made with math as students will need to calculate averages.
• Students can complete the experiment individually or in groups.
• If teachers have a limited number of thermometers, students can use one and repeat the process for each color paper.
• Other resources that pair well with this lesson include this video that relates the albedo effect to the urban heat island effect and this experiment-based lesson on the difference between ice melting on land and in the oceans.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.