II: Unit Title: Meteorology: Air and Water Connections

I. Grade Level/Unit Number: 9 – 12/Unit 6

II: Unit Title: Meteorology: Air and Water Connections

III. Unit Length: 2-2.5 weeks (on a 90 min per day block schedule)

3-4 weeks (on a traditional schedule)

IV. Major Learning Outcomes:

The student will gain an understanding of:

·  Air masses as regions of the atmosphere that have similar properties throughout and move over the face of the planet in predictable ways.

·  Mapping weather variables (especially air pressure) in order to make predictions about present weather conditions.

·  Surface variables that affect weather patterns

·  Storms and precipitation and their association with low pressure regions in the atmosphere.

·  Interactions between the hydrosphere and atmosphere as it relates to global, regional, and local weather patterns.

o  Surface ocean currents

o  Surface winds

o  Importance of latitude

o  Areas of convergence and divergence air and water flow

·  How climate data is established

·  The consequences of human activities on the atmosphere and air quality

·  The role of regulations on air quality

V.  NC E/E (2004) Content Objectives Included (with RBT Tags):

Number / Competency or Objective / RBT Tag
1.03 / Evaluate the use of satellite images and imaging techniques in the Earth/Environmental Sciences (use as a primary data source) / A4, B4
1.05 / Analyze reports of scientific investigations and environmental issues from an informed, scientifically literate viewpoint. / D4, D5
1.06 / Solutions to EES issues at local, national, and global level / B5
2.05 / Create and interpret topographic, soil, and geologic maps using scales and legends (flooding, deposition in delta, wetland buffers) / C3, C4
4.03 / Analyze the mechanisms that produce the various types of shorelines and the resultant landforms. (Human impact, topography, hurricanes) / B2, B3
4.04 / Evaluate the relationship between water resources and air pollution / A4, B4, C4
5.01 / Analyze air masses and the life cycle of weather systems / B4
5.02 / Evaluate meteorological observing, analysis, and prediction / A5, B5, C5
5.03 / Analyze global atmospheric changes including changes in carbon dioxide, methane, and stratospheric ozone. (global warming—storm incidence and severity connection, sea level rise) / B2
2.07 / Evaluate the relationship between water resources and soil quality / A4, B4, C4

VI. English Language Development Objectives (ELD) Included:

NC English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standard 4 (2008) for Limited English Proficiency Students (LEP)- English Language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of science.

Suggestions for modified instruction and scaffolding for LEP students and/or students who need additional support are embedded in the unit plan and/or are added at the end of the corresponding section of the lessons. The amount of scaffolding needed will depend on the level of English proficiency of each LEP student. Therefore, novice level students will need more support with the language needed to understand and demonstrate the acquisition of concepts than intermediate or advanced students.

VII.  Materials/Equipment Needed:

Activity / Materials
Engage
Flooding of Midwest Summer 2008 / Article or video clip of flooding in June of 2008 Midwest
LCD and Computer
www.cnn.com has many archived articles and photos
Flood of 1993 / http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/ess05/sci/ess/earthsys/flood/index.html
This video segment shows the weather patterns that continued over a period of time resulting in the flooding.
Explore
Structure of the Atmosphere / Part 1
Atmospheric Structure
Ionosphere assignment-This requires students to have access to an am/fm radio. Most cars have this feature. This could be done in class if necessary
Explore
Air Movement in the atmosphere / How’s The Air Up There? Author: Charles Burrows found at www.dlese.org
1 computer with internet access per 2 students
Excel on computer
Print out of instructions from link above. Each computer will need the ability to download data and used in Excel
Crunch Time
(2) 2 liter bottles with caps
Source of hot water
Ice for faster cooling but not necessary
Explain
Weather Basics / Worksheets for weather station model, isobars, isotherms, gradient problems, and Earth and Environmental Science Reference Tables
Computer if you use the Jetstream link
Explore
Global warming / Computers
Paper for note-taking
Evaluate
Climate Change
Tic Tac Toe / Computers
Art Supplies
Reference material
Evaluate
2 Cities- Worlds Apart / Data collection sheets
Computer access
Colored pencils
Elaborate
Weather Case study / Computer
Reference materials
Excellent final project- the case study is well structured and is a good guide for students who have not ever done a long term research project.

VIII.  Detailed Content Description:

Please see the detailed content description for each objective in the Earth/Environmental Science support document. The link to this downloadable document is in the Earth/Environmental Standard Course of Study at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/scos/2004/25earth

This unit is divided into the following parts

Part 1: Structure and composition of the Atmosphere

Part 2: Variables of Weather and Weather Prediction

Part 3: Climate Change

Each part has some kind of assessment-either pen and paper or project. In an effort to meet the 21st Century objectives, the unit includes several project ideas that include writing and graphically analysis.

IX.  Unit Notes

Overview of Unit Six

Atmospheric structure, weather and climate are threads that can be taught throughout the course. “Weather” events happen every day and so data collecting, predicting, and patterning are easily modeled over time. Over the course of a students’ tenure in the North Carolina education system, weather and weather patterns are addressed several times. At the high school level, this unit serves to unpack the variables associated with the patterns, the methods of data collection, the global significance of these patterns and how humans are having an effect on the patterns and structure of our atmosphere.

It is suggested that the classroom have a “weather center” where current data can be displayed and discussed on a regular basis. Additionally, there is a long term project with this unit that requires students to collect and compare weather data for a minimum of 30 days. You may wish to assign the project 2 weeks before beginning the unit or you may wish to have the due date occur 2 weeks after completing the unit. Either scenario is useful.

In each unit, Goal 1 objectives which relate to the process of scientific investigation are included. In each of the units, students will be practicing the processes of science: observing, hypothesizing, collecting data, analyzing, and concluding.

The Unit Guide gives an overview of the activities that are suggested to meet the North Carolina Standard Course of Study Goals for Unit Six. Detailed activity pages follow the guide. The guide includes teacher notes on how to weave the activities into the content and supplementary notes related to other issues such as preparation time and time to complete the activity. If a teacher follows this unit (s)he will have addressed the goals and objectives of the NCSCoS. However, teachers may want to substitute other activities that teach the same concept.

Teachers should also refer to the support document for Earth/Environmental Science at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/scos/2004/25earth for the detailed content description for each objective to be sure they are emphasizing the specified concepts for each objective.

Essential Questions for Meteorology:

The essential questions for this unit are those questions that will help students cultivate enduring understanding. These questions help students construct a base knowledge that will last a lifetime. Teachers are encouraged to display these questions and to refer to them often throughout the unit of instructions.

·  How is Earth’s atmosphere structured?

·  What variables are measured as scientists study Earth’s atmosphere and weather?

·  What is the role of technology in monitoring, predicting, and projecting climate issues?

·  How does the atmosphere interact with the hydrosphere and lithosphere?

·  What are some relationships between the atmosphere and the economy, human impact on the environment and the natural environment?

Key Knowledge and Skills:

Students will know:

ü  The structure and composition of the atmosphere

ü  The major air masses affecting the USA and North Carolina

ü  How weather fronts move across the USA and in the open ocean.

ü  The role of surface ocean currents and global wind patterns in the formation of weather systems

ü  The specific interactions between human activity and the “health” of the atmosphere

Students will be able to:

ü  Identify and explain effects the ionosphere on communications

ü  Understand the use of and importance of technology in the study of the atmosphere

ü  Explain how a variety of weather systems are monitored, measured, and reported

ü  Predict and generate solutions for problems associated with climate change

ü  Give examples that show how Earth’s atmosphere interacts with the hydrosphere, the biosphere, and the lithosphere

ü  Evaluate and propose solutions regarding human impacts on Earth’s atmosphere

Evidence of Understanding:

ü  Unit Exam – 30 multiple choice questions and 5 extended answer questions.

ü  Concept map that demonstrates understanding of the variables that are responsible for weather events, climate and atmospheric structure

ü  Lab and Class Activities

ü  2 Cities: A World Apart

Prior Knowledge:

Kindergarten / Grade 2 / Grade 5 / Grade 7 / Grade 8
COMPETENCY GOAL 2:
The learner will make observations and build an understanding of weather concepts. / COMPETENCY GOAL 2:
The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate tools to build an understanding of the changes in weather. / COMPETENCY GOAL 3:
The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate technology to build an understanding of weather and climate. / COMPETENCY GOAL 3:
The learner will conduct investigations and utilize appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of the atmosphere. / COMPETENCY GOAL 3:
The learner will conduct investigations and utilize appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of the hydrosphere.

Modified Activities for LEP Students:

Those activities marked with O as LEP have a modified version or notes designed to assist teachers in supporting students who are English language learners. Teachers should also consult the Department of Public Instruction website for English as a Second Language at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/esl/ to find additional resources.

Vocabulary:

Weather

Climate

Ozone

Troposphere

Stratosphere

Mesosphere

Ionosphere

Thermosphere

Pressure

Altitude

Temperature Inversion

Primary Pollutants

Secondary Pollutants

Clean Air Act

Radiation

Convection

Conduction

Solar Budget

Albedo

Greenhouse Effect

Carbon Dioxide

Greenhouse gases

Coriolis Effect

Convection cells

Global Wind Belts

Land Breeze

Sea Breeze

Humidity

Adiabatic processes

Air Mass

Weather Front

Isobars

Isotherms

Pressure gradient

Climate Change

El Nino

Cyclone

Anticyclone

Doppler Radar

La Nina

Proxy data

Background Information For Teachers

1. Teachers Domain: www.teachersdomain.org (general site home page)

You will need to register to use the site but it is FREE!!! This site is an excellent resource not only for this unit but for others as well.

2. GLOBE: Introduction to the Atmosphere This site has information available in multiple languages and is free. It is recommended that if you can participate in a GLOBE workshop-do so - very valuable! This link provides you with excellent background information about Earth’s atmosphere. It is very user friendly and easily accessible.

3.  NOAA’s National Weather Service

http://www.weather.gov

WEB RESOURCES

4. Lyndon State College – Current Weather Data and Models
http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/index.html
5. University of Illinois – Online Guides Meteorology
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/home.rxml
6. Exploring Weather and Climate Change Through the Powers of Ten
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/index.html
7. Discovery Channel – Global Warming
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/globalwarming.html
8. Teacher Resources – Global Climate Change / Inconvenient Truth
http://oneplanetfundraising.com/teacherresources.aspx
9. Inconvenient Truth – Global Warming Lessons
http://www.ohea.org/GD/Templates/Pages/OEA/OEADetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=4&Content=929

10. http://www.auf.asn.au/meteorology/index.html
This Guide is a reasonably comprehensive examination – directed towards Australian conditions – of the atmospheric structure, the physical laws and the forces which together produce the atmospheric phenomena referred to as weather – a good understanding of which is essential to safe aerial navigation.

11. UCAR – Layers of the atmosphere
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/layers.html&edu=high
12. Jetstream – Online School for Weather http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/
13. Animated diagram for the atmosphere
http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/atmosphere/index.html
14. The Layers of the Earth’s Atmosphere
http://curriculum.calstatela.edu/courses/builders/lessons/less/les3/layers.html

INTERNET-BASED LESSON PLANS
15. Cloud Formation http://www2.gsu.edu/~mstjrh/clouds.html
16. Cloud in a Bottle with investigation questions
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:5u7gEdbuCgcJ:k12s.phast.umass.edu/stem/sess/snyder/Adiabatic_Change_and_Cloud.doc+cloud+formation+demonstration&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us

17. Lapse Rates and Adiabatic Processes Practice Problems
http://daphne.palomar.edu/jthorngren/adiabi.htm

18. Cloud types in several languages
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/Cloud_ID.html

X.  Global Content: Aligned with 21st Skills:

One of the goals of the unit plans is to provide strategies that will enable educators to develop the 21st Century skills for their students. As much as students need to master the NCSOS goals and objectives, they need to master the skills that develop problem solving strategies, as well as the creativity and innovative thinking skills that have become critical in today’s increasingly interconnected workforce and society. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills website is provided below for more information about the skills and resources related to the 21st Century classroom.

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=120

NC SCS Earth/Environ.

/ 21st Century Skills / Activity
Communication Skills
1.01, 1.02 / Conveying thought or opinions effectively / Climate Change ad campaign
1.05, 1.06 / When presenting information, distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information
1.02 / Explaining a concept to others / Climate Change ad campaign
1.02 / Interviewing others or being interviewed
1.02 / Computer Knowledge
1.02 / Using word-processing and database programs / ·  Climate Change ad campaign
·  2 Cities
1.02 / Developing visual aides for presentations / ·  Climate Change ad campaign
·  2 Cities
1.02 / Using a computer for communication / Most activities
1.02, 6.05 / Learning new software programs
Employability Skills
1.02, 1.04 / Assuming responsibility for own learning / All activities
1.02, 2.05 / Persisting until job is completed / All activities
1.01, 1.02, 2.03, 2.05 / Working independently / 2 Cities
1.02 / Developing career interest/goals / http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/navigation/careers.cfm
Careers in the EES
1.02 / Responding to criticism or questions
Information-retrieval Skills
1.01, 1.05 / Searching for information via the computer / 2 Cities
1.01, 1.05, 1.06 / Searching for print information
1.05 / Searching for information using community members
Language Skills - Reading
1.04 / Following written directions / Most of the activities can be presented as opportunities for students to follow written directions. The teacher will have to work with most students to develop this skill over time.
2.01, 2.06 / Identifying cause and effect relationships / 2 Cities
1.05, 1.06 / Summarizing main points after reading
1.01, 1.02, 1.05, 1.06 / Locating and choosing appropriate reference materials
1.01, 1.05 / Reading for personal learning
Language Skill - Writing
1.02 / Using language accurately / All activities
1.02 / Organizing and relating ideas when writing / All activities
1.02 / Proofing and Editing / 2 Cities
1.01, 1.05, 1.06 / Synthesizing information from several sources
1.02, 1.05, 1.06 / Documenting sources / 2 Cities
1.02 / Developing an outline
1.02 / Writing to persuade or justify a position
1.02 / Creating memos, letters, other forms of correspondence
Teamwork
1.01, 1.02, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06 / Taking initiative
Goal 1 / Working on a team / Most of the activities are designed to be done and discussed in teams.
Thinking/Problem-Solving Skills
1.01, 1.02, 1.06 / Identifying key problems or questions
1.03, 1.05, 2.06, 2.07, 3.01, 3.02, 4.02, 4.03, 4.04, 4.05, 5.01, 5.02, 5.03, 6.01, 6.02, 6.04, 6.05 / Evaluating results / 2 Cities
1.06 / Developing strategies to address problems
1.02 / Developing an action plan or timeline

ENGAGE