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A Texas cotton field at sunset in June, with a long golden evening and a thermometer on a fence post.

Science / All lessons / Seasons and the Moon

Daylight Through the Year

Temperature and day length by month.

Lesson 22 of 40

Try this first

Before we start

Today’s story

Daylight Through the Year

Think about a summer evening in Texas. You are still playing outside at 8 o'clock. The sky is bright. Now think about a January evening. It is dark by 6.

That is the pattern. Days get longer, then shorter, then longer again. The temperature follows along. Long days bring heat. Short days bring cold.

Scientists do not just notice this. They measure it. Today you will learn how to collect the numbers, spot the pattern and make a prediction. Follow the steps.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Daylight and Temperature Log

    20 minutes now and a few minutes each week · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • Almanac or weather website data for your town
    • Graph paper
    • Pencil
    • Two colored pencils
    • Ruler

    Do this

    1. Write the months from January to December across the bottom of the graph paper.
    2. Look up the hours of daylight for the first day of each month.
    3. Plot each number with a dot in one color and connect the dots.
    4. Look up the average high temperature for each month.
    5. Plot those in your second color on the same graph.
    6. Circle the longest day and the hottest month.
    7. Write a prediction for next month's daylight and temperature.
    Write or draw: A graph with two lines, and one sentence that describes the pattern.

    Watch for: The hottest month usually comes a little after the longest day. The ground and air need time to warm up.

    Safety: Use a trusted data source, and ask an adult before using the internet.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Measure at the same time and place.

    Different times of day give numbers you cannot compare.

    Rule 2Look for the pattern across many days.

    One warm day in winter does not change the season.

    Rule 3A prediction is a careful guess.

    You can check it later.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    pattern
    Something that repeats in a way you can predict.
    daylight
    The hours between sunrise and sunset.
    predict
    To say what will happen next, using what you know.
    data
    Numbers and facts from measuring.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

    Tap an answer. Green means right. You will see why.

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • How do you know the days are getting shorter in the fall? What evidence could you collect?
    • What do you do outside in the long days of summer that you cannot do in winter?
    Did you know

    Near the North Pole the Sun stays up all day for months in summer. In winter it may not rise at all.

    Someone who does this

    A meteorologist tracks daylight and temperature to forecast the weather.

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