How Do Long and Short EM Waves Interact with the Earth's Atmosphere?

Little Shop of Physics, Center for Multi-Scale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes

This is a kinesthetic activity that demonstrates how shortwave radiation emitted by the sun and longwave thermal radiation emitted by the earth interact differently in the atmosphere. It allows students to experience this difference and reinforces their understanding of greenhouse gases as well. Students should have an understanding of shortwave and longwave thermal radiation and of greenhouse gases before doing this activity, but there is a minimal amount of background information about those topics included in this pdf. Additional resources and background information for teachers can be found on the website for the Little Shop of Physics.

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Notes from our reviewers

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This activity requires a fairly large open space for students to move around. This activity is fairly straightforward but seems somewhat complex when starting. It would be good for students to practice before acting out the entire demonstration. When used at the middle school level, more instructions about the set up should be provided, perhaps with a diagram. In case the students have difficulty seeing the bigger picture while in the middle of the activity, teachers could film a "model" group of students or teachers doing the activity that could be watched later for discussion. It would be helpful to have party hats and/or other props for the game. The instructional pdf includes photos of students doing the activity, but it would helpful to also have a diagram of the greenhouse effect or a "model" video of the activity to get the big picture. Teachers would need to plan how to incorporate this activity into a larger lesson. The link to CMMAP (Center for Multi-scale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes) at CSU does not work and as of 2016 this NSF-funded Center is no longer active. The Earth System Modeling and Education Institute (ESMEI) at CSU now does this work: [link http://esmei.colostate.edu/]
This kinesthetic activity allows students to pretend to be the sun, earth, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and electromagnetic radiation. This activity engages students with learning through movement. The teacher should be familiar with the different roles students play and how to coordinate/manage movement. In addition to the kinesthetic activity, questions are included to facilitate discussion.