What is Albedo?

My NASA Data, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

In this resource, students watch a 2-minute video explaining albedo. The video shows visualizations of albedo across Earth and how it can change. Students will interpret the images in the video and answer questions about albedo.

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Notes from our reviewers

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Good as an engaging warm-up/introductory visualization that can be extended and connected to how changes in albedo affect the warming and cooling of the climate. The activity could be extended/strengthened by exploring other seasonal patterns of the earth and how those might/do appear on maps. Links are available at the bottom of the page to other related mini-lessons/complete lessons/activities for middle and high school, in addition to related "scientifically interesting stories." Some students may finish the activity within 10 minutes and teachers may want to have other activities ready for those students. The resource specifies a target of grades 3-5 but reviewers felt the information presented was better for an older audience. Students would need to be familiar with some of the mathematical concepts presented, such as fractions.
This video gives a basic overview of albedo (amount of light reflected by earth). The science is sound and accurate and at the right level of detail and complexity. Younger students may not yet understand percentages, decimals, and the relationship between them so they may not fully grasp the mathematical aspect of albedo, but the video and the post-video questions promote understanding of the scientific concept. Visualizations (color-coded maps depicting the amount of reflected light at different points during the year) are included in the video. The data are from NASA. Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
In this activity, students watch a short video and answer 5 questions to analyze and interpret data from maps. The visualizations move very quickly, so it may be hard for some students to notice the connection between different times of year and albedo. The activity is not strongly inquiry- or problem-based, but it does promote independent thinking through the questions asked. The activity is simple so the instructions serve as a teacher's guide. The "Teacher Note" lets teachers know how this activity can be used. The webpage also provides a link to a broader guide called "Instructional Strategies for the Earth Science Classroom." The questions in the activity could be used for assessment. If a teacher wants the answer key, they would have to email the creators via their school email. The answers are quite straightforward, so this is likely unnecessary. The video includes modern animations and will likely engage most learners. Could be good for ESL because there are lots of visuals - captions and audio help in conjunction with the visuals and tie them together.