Part a Synthesize for a Friend

Manny’s Trip

3rd grade

After analyzing and interpreting data about yearly temperature and precipitation of four South American cities with similar latitudes, develop reasoned questionswhose answer would help explore the phenomenon using the patterns in the data to support development of the questions.

Part A – Synthesize for a Friend

Your friend, Manny is confused. Manny’s dad has explained to their family they would be traveling to the city Antofagasta in Chile. Manny hurried to find a South America map and locate this city. To his delight Antofagasta was just south of the equator. Manny’s class had been studying the equator in 3rd grade and he remembered that most climates there were tropical. He couldn’t wait! However, when Manny began researching Antofagasta, the area didn’t look very tropical at all.

After sharing this picture of people playing soccer in a street of Antofagasta with you, Manny has asked you to analyze some data he compiled of four South American cities to compare the climates of the four cities. Write a letter to Manny describing a tropical climate and the evidence from the resources that supports and refutes whether Antofagasta, Chile has a tropical climate.

You have the following resources –

-South American map with Antofagasta and the other cities indicated as well as their latitudes and longitudes

-Yearly temperature and precipitation data for each city(The same data has been presented in two different ways – in a table and in graphs.)

-Readings about climate and tropical climate

Teacher Support: Classroom discussion here. Students share their evidence and discuss whether Antofagasta does indeed have a Tropical Climate. Then share the world climate map with students.

Part B – Generate Questions

Now that you have made a comparison of Antofagasta and the three other South American cities and analyzed the world climate map, consider the differences between Antofagasta and those cities and think about how those differences might affect the climate of the cities. Generate two questions that could be explored that might explain some reasons for the differences in climatebetween Antofagasta and the other cities and other parts of the world. Explain why/how an answer to the questions will help you understand the differences in climates between the cities, and show how the patterns in the data support the development of your questions.