Lesson Write-Up For Winter Quarter 2013
Your name: Fernando Olmos
Title of Lesson: Urban Heat Island Effect: Los Angeles Model
Grade Level: 9th to 12th
Subject(s): Physics
Summary:
This lesson will focus on the temperature difference of urban and rural areas, i.e. the urban
heat island effect. The purpose of the lesson is to understand the different heat transfer
mechanisms (conduction, convection, radiation), and how they contribute to make urban
areas hotter than rural areas. A brief presentation is given to the students consisting of a
brief review of the three heat transfer mechanisms, description of the urban heat island
effect, and an analysis of the Los Angeles metropolitan area urban heat island. Then,
students perform tasks in seven (7) different stations that will demonstrate how heat can
be transfer between different materials and the corresponding temperature of those
materials exposed to heat radiation. Next, students answer a worksheet based on the
collected data from the seven (7) stations and a Word- Search with the key words from the
lesson. Finally, a wrap-up activity is given to the students where they are given a picture of
a city, and they have to come up with three (3) solutions/changes to the city that will make
its temperature colder.
Time Required: 2 class periods (-45 min. each). The first period will consist of a
presentation to introduce the motivation behind the activity while the second period will
consist of filling out a worksheet and a wrap-up activity.
Group Size: 3 to 4 people per team
Cost to implement: $85.00 to buy the four (4) 300 W light bulbs and four (4) aluminum
clamp lamps. The rest of the materials are typical in a science laboratory.
Learning Goals:
After this lesson, students should be able to:
1) Understand how the following phenomena contribute to the Urban Heat Island
Effect:
a. Sun light
b. Black body properties of materials
c. 3 heat transfer mechanisms (conduction, convection, radiation)
2) Come up with solutions to mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect
Level of Inquiry:
Students will perform pre-defined tasks at each of the stations; however, they will be
allowed to spend time to discuss and explain the different results from the activities at each
station by answering a worksheet. Then, students will be asked to reflect, during the wrapup activity, on how the urban heating island effect can be explained through simple heat
transfer mechanisms; in addition, the teams will be asked to elaborate solutions to
decrease the urban heating island effect.
Introduction / Motivation:
As a mean to develop motivation about the lesson in the students, a series of graphs and
facts about the urban heating island effect in Los Angeles is presented. For example, the
urban heat island growth rate over the last decade, increase in temperature since 1880,
increase in electricity use, and increase in smog levels in the Los Angeles area. Also,
students are shown some diagrams that depict the difference in temperature in the urban,
suburban, and rural areas.
Lesson Background Concepts for Teachers:
Heat Transfer Mechanisms
Conduction: heat is transferred by direct contact between objects
Convection: heat is transferred in a fluid (liquid or gas)
Radiation: heat is transferred in the form of electromagnetic waves
The above heat transfer mechanisms are means by which heat is transferred from
objects/fluids to other objects/fluids. However, the most important heat transfer
mechanism is radiation since is the way the sun transfers its energy to the earth. In the
lesson, the three heat transfer mechanism are experience by the students at each station
since it is the way heat is transferred among the objects on earth (streets, buildings, cars,
etc.) once the heat is captured from the sun.
Electromagnetic Waves Spectrum and Black Body Radiation
Sun light energy is higher than ultraviolet energy, which in turn is higher than the
highest energy from visible light (blue/violet). This high energy from the sun has either
absorb or reflected by the different materials objects are made of. Black body radiation tells
us that any object has a capacity for absorbing or reflecting light, which also depends on its
color. The reflection coefficient of materials, and their corresponding colors, is called
albedo. High albedo materials are lighter in color while low albedo materials are darker in
color.
Vegetation Properties
Plants sweat water which cools down the tree and surrounding areas to the tree.
Mature tree can sweat 40 gallons of water per day.
Procedure:
Activity Logistic
The students will be divided into groups of 4. Each group will be given a set of
instructions for the activities at each station, as well as a data collection table. Then,
students will be assigned a group number and a “station schedule” to follow. Next, students
will be asked to do the activities at each station while having 5 minute time slots for each
station.
Station’s Activities Instructions
See attached instruction booklet for details.
Materials List
Each group will need:
 A instruction booklet per team member
 A set of data collection tables per team member
To share with the entire class:
The activity is based on 7 stations, where students will do different activities.
Station 1
1 power strip
1 stand
1 pole (minimum height of 60 cm)
1 right angle clamp
1 clamp
1 aluminum clamp lamp (rated for 300 W)
1 300 W incandescent light bulb
2 conventional thermometers
1 4cm x 4cm white paper square
1 4cm x 4cm black paper square
1 stopwatch
1 1Liter jar full of water or any jar tall enough to submerge the thermometers almost completely
Paper towels
Station 1 setup
Station 2
1 power strip
1 stand
1 pole (minimum height of 60 cm)
1 right angle clamp
1 clamp
1 aluminum clamp lamp (rated for 300 W)
1 300 W incandescent light bulb
2 conventional thermometers
1 600ml beaker
1 stopwatch
Masking tape
1 1Liter jar full of water or any jar tall enough to submerge the thermometers almost completely
Paper towels
Station 2 setup
Station 3
1 power strip
1 stand
1 pole (minimum height of 60 cm)
1 right angle clamp
1 clamp
1 aluminum clamp lamp (rated for 300 W)
1 300 W incandescent light bulb
1 conventional thermometer
1 150ml beaker
15 to 20 dark color marbles, enough to fill up the 150ml beaker
1 stopwatch
1 1Liter jar full of water or any jar tall enough to submerge the thermometers almost completely
Paper towels
Station 3 setup
Station 4
1 power strip
1 stand
1 pole (minimum height of 60 cm)
1 right angle clamp
1 clamp
1 aluminum clamp lamp (rated for 300 W)
1 300 W incandescent light bulb
2 conventional thermometers
1 200ml beaker full of tap water
1 stopwatch
1 1Liter jar full of water or any jar tall enough to submerge the thermometers almost completely
Paper towels
Station 4 setup
Station 5
1 manila folder
Set of 10 numbered visible light pictures
Station 6
1 manila folder
Set of 10 numbered infrared/thermal light pictures
Station 7
1 sheet of paper with the problem statement (1 sheet per team)
1 calculator
Safety Issues:
 High power/wattage lights bulbs are used, so there are four (3) safety
considerations for the activity:
1. Lamps/light bulbs will be turn on and off repeatedly, so a power strip should be
used to turn on/off the lamp in order to avoid direct plugging and unplugging of the
lamp.
2. The high power/wattage light bulbs need to be 300 W, so a lamp compatible for that
wattage is required. Do not use lamps that are not rated for 300 W.
3. The clamp lamps are made out aluminum, and will get to very high temperatures, so
students should not touch the lamps. Likewise, the light/heat radiated from the
light bulb could burn any surface, so a vertical distance of 20 cm is recommended
between the surface and the light bulb. It is also advised that if there is any sign of
smoke from the surface to raise the light bulb another 10 cm.
4. All materials will be very hot, so students should use gloves and should be careful
when handling materials at the different stations.
Lesson Closure:
On the second day of the lesson, a worksheet is provided to answer some questions
regarding the data collected at the stations. The results from the questions will make
students realize that darker colors in materials heat up more than lighter color. Also, they
will realized that in enclosed spaces radiation gets reflected back and forth heat up the
enclosed space even more than open space. Then, a Word-Search puzzle with the key
words from the lesson is given to the students to solve and review the lesson’s important
concepts.
Finally, with the knowledge gained from the activities at the stations and the results
from the worksheet, students will be asked to discuss in groups possible solutions to
mitigate the urban heating effect in Los Angeles. They will be given picture of a small
section of a typical urban city, where students will need to discuss with their partners three
(3) possible changes to make to the picture in order to make it colder. The
solutions/changes could be to change the materials or color of existing objects, adding or
subtracting objects from the picture, or any creative alternative. The solutions will be
shared to the whole class, and current solutions to mitigate Urban Heat Island effect will be
discussed afterwards, as a way to compare them to the students’ solutions.
Assessment:
Pre-Activity Assessment:
The activity becomes more valuable once topics of heat transfer mechanisms, black body
radiation, and electromagnetic waves are covered. If the latter topics have been studied by
the students before hand, a small review of the concepts should be done by asking students
orally about the definitions of the concepts. If students are not confident with the
aforementioned topics, then a quick PowerPoint presentation should be given explaining
the concepts required by the activity, along with a Word-Search or Cross-Word puzzle in
order to reinforce the concepts in the students.
Activity Embedded Assessment:
Students will answer a worksheet based on the collected data from the seven (7) stations,
which will reflect their performance at the different stations. The worksheet should assess
if they can use the collected data to solve problems within it. Then, a Word- Search puzzle
with the key words from the lesson will be given to the students to reinforce the important
concepts from the lesson.
Post-Activity Assessment:
Finally, since students will be asked to discuss and develop solutions to the urban heating
effect, this will be the best assessment as they will applied everything they did in order to
provide an integral solution to the problem. They will be given picture of a small section of
a typical urban city, where students will need to discuss with their partners three (3)
possible changes to make to the picture in order to make it colder. The solutions/changes
could be to change the materials or color of existing objects, adding or subtracting objects
from the picture, or any creative alternative. The solutions will be shared to the whole
class, and current solutions to mitigate Urban Heat Island effect will be discussed
afterwards, as a way to compare them to the students’ solutions.
References:
[1] Emily Cleare, Urban Heat Islands: An Investigation of the Causes, Consequences and
Solutions, http://www.brynmawr.edu/geology/206/cleare.htm
[1] Contribution: materials, facts, figures, and information for the lesson presentation.
[2] ASU Global Institute of Sustainability teaching resources
http://ecologyexplorers.asu.edu/docs/explorers/lesson_plans/4_predicting_temp_lesson.p
df
http://ecologyexplorers.asu.edu/docs/explorers/lesson_plans/4a_predicting_temp_pictur
es.pdf
[2] Contribution: description and materials for one of the stations.
[3] Everett Meredith Middle School (Delaware), Science Rocks, Energy Web, Heat Transfer
Demonstration Lab General Information
http://www.mmscrusaders.com/newscirocks/wethrweb/heat2.htm
[3] Contribution: description for some stations.
[4] 7 Common Problems of Black Body Radiation, Physics Learning Center.
http://www.physics.fisikastudycenter.com/high-school-physics/29-7-common-problemsof-black-body-radiation
[4] Contribution: materials for some stations.
Attachments:
 PowerPoint Presentation (lesson introduction): Urban Heat Island: Why it is hotter
in the city than in the countryside? – Los Angeles Model.
 Activity instructions booklet, data collection tables, lesson worksheet, and wrap-up
activity document
 Materials from reference [2]
 Word-Search puzzle
 Mathematical problem statement
 Schedule for teams
List CA Science Standards addressed:
3. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, although in many processes energy is
transferred to the environment as heat. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know heat flow and work are two forms of energy transfer between systems.
c. Students know the internal energy of an object includes the energy of random motion of
the object’s atoms and molecules, often referred to as thermal energy. The greater the
temperature of the object, the greater the energy of motion of the atoms and molecules that
make up the object.