Future of Four Seasons in Maine and the Maine Data Literacy Project
Are sunny days warm days?
Background: As fall approaches, the days get shorter and colder, and then in the spring,
the cycle reversed itself. The days get longer and warmer.
The graph below is a scatter plot of the daily temperature averaged over 50 years and the
hours of sunlight on that day.
Data Source: wunderground.com
1. Describe what the graph shows day lengths and temperatures. (Remember every year there are two
days with the same length of daylight. One is in the late winter, spring, or early summer, and the other is
in the late summer, fall, or early winter.)
(Purpose here is to elicit description of what the graph shows. Sample response: For each of the different lengths of
sunlight there is a warmer temperature and a cooler temperature, except when there is a very short amount of day
light or a very long amount of daylight.)
2. I interpret this graph to mean…
(Purpose here is to elicit an explanation (e.g. of the pattern or variability) or interpretation of the meaning in terms
of the context of the question. Sample response: The day in fall with 10 hours of sunlight is warmer than the day in
the spring because the heat from the summer is stored in the earth.)