Science and Technology K–6 · Years 1–2

Is it hotter in the sun: thermometer readings in sun and shade

Earth and Space (NSW 2017); Science understanding, Earth and space sciences, and Science as a human endeavour (ACARA v9)

PracticalLow risk

The idea

Air temperature changes through the day, and at the same moment a thermometer in sunshine reads higher than one in shade, which is why official air temperatures are measured in a shaded, ventilated screen.

What you need

Three identical alcohol thermometers (or digital probe thermometers) reading in degrees Celsius
Three sites chosen by the class: full sun on the asphalt, shade under a tree, shade beside a building; a stake or chair at each site to hold the thermometer 1 m above the ground
A timer; a recording table: site, 9.30 am reading, 12.30 pm reading, for five school days

How to do it

Predict which site will be warmest at midday and by how many degrees.
At 9.30 am place one thermometer at each site 1 m above the ground, out of direct contact with any surface. Wait five minutes. Read each to the nearest degree.
Repeat at 12.30 pm.
Do this for five school days and draw a bar for each site each day.
Compare with the prediction, and compare the 12.30 pm shade readings with the Bureau of Meteorology's reading for the nearest station at 12.30 pm, shown by the teacher from the Bureau's latest observations page, which lists the air temperature every half hour.

What you should see

At 12.30 pm the thermometer in full sun reads higher than both shaded ones on a sunny day, because sunlight heats the thermometer and the ground around it as well as the air. The Bureau of Meteorology measures air temperature in a Stevenson screen about 1.2 m above the ground, which lets air flow over the thermometer but prevents heating from direct sunlight, so the class's shade readings are the ones to compare with the Bureau's reading taken at the same time. The day's maximum is not used for the comparison, because it can come later in the afternoon than 12.30 pm. Readings are usually higher at 12.30 pm than at 9.30 am, and the gap between sun and shade is largest on clear days and smallest on overcast days; the number of degrees is the class's measurement. The learner knows it worked when the three thermometers, placed together indoors first, agree within a degree before they go out.

What changes

What you change: site (sun, tree shade, building shade); time of day
What you measure: temperature (degrees Celsius)
What you keep the same: same thermometers checked against each other
1 m above the ground
five-minute wait
same times each day

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

Shade is cold because it makes cold.
The thermometer measures how the air feels rather than a number that can be compared.
A thermometer in the sun shows only the air temperature (sunlight also heats the thermometer).

Safety card

Low riskLearners carry it out

Hazards

Sun exposure; glass thermometer breakage

Controls

Hats; thermometers carried in a case; digital probes preferred

Note

No chemicals or heat. Record the activity on the school's risk assessment (Primary School RiskAssess, Ecosolve Australia, riskassess.com.au).

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2017), NESA. Current syllabus; NESA's timeline is 2026 plan and prepare, 2027 start teaching the 2024 syllabus. Code read from the official syllabus document on 2026-09-22.ST1-10ES-S ST1-1WS-S
Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024), NESA. Implementation from 2027, so this code describes the future syllabus. Code read from the outcomes page on 2026-09-22.ST1-SCI-01 ST1-PQU-01 ST1-DAT-01
Australian Curriculum v9AC9S1U02AC9S1H01AC9S1I01AC9S1I02AC9S1I03AC9S1I04

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

All Concept Studio activities