Download ESS2-6 Fall 15

Teacher: Jennifer Bashara, Zachary Kemper
Date: 12/7/15
Subject / grade level: 6th
Materials: Tin pie plates Water, Oregano or chili powder (or any herb that floats), Paper or plastic straws,
Food coloring, 150 ml beakers, Hot plate (if hot tap water is not available), Table salt, and Map of the world.
Paper, markers and pencils.
Hot and cold water and clear tubs and food coloring.
NGSS-MS-ESS2-6--Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth
cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
Lesson objective(s): After the activities students will understand how the earth’s rotation causes
movement of the ocean currents and how heat is distributed throughout the world.
Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs: N/A
ENGAGEMENT

For Our engagement we will have the student watch a video. In the video we have picked out you only
need to show between 1:22-1:54.

The point of this engagement is to get the students interested in the topic. It is to get their mind flowing
with questions and ready to jump into the explore.

Video: http://study.com/academy/lesson/ocean-circulation-patterns-effect-on-climate.html
EXPLORATION
This Science Standard would take several class periods to complete. Therefore, there are multiple exploration
activities covering different topics of the standard.
Activity 1: This activity will help students understand that one of the effects of the Earth’s rotation on the air
and oceans is called the Coriolis Effect and it causes objects including air and water to move to the east in
the Northern Hemisphere and to the west in the Southern Hemisphere.
Activity 2: This activity is to demonstrate the global ocean currents and how the warm and cold water interact.
Students will have a clear bowl of cold water, dyed with blue food coloring, and a cup of hot water, dyed with
red water. They will dump the red hot water into one side of the bowl that is filled with blue water. Students
will record their observations.
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Activity 3: For this activity students will see how the ocean currents are affected by landforms. This is the Tin
Pie Plate activity. In this activity students will show the visual aspects of what happens to ocean currents once it
hits a land form.
The activities are explained further at the end.
EXPLANATION

Go over explore activities and have the students generate questions they have on ocean currents and
atmospheric patterns and how their own climate might be affected.

Show video to explain the triple cell model and go deeper into the lesson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHrapzHPCSA

The video also demonstrates the Earth tilt during seasons, which will help explain to the students what
causes the climate in their area. (Worksheet is attached)
ELABORATION

This is where we introduce the vocabulary.
Surface heat changes by season due to the earth’s tilt of 23.5*, the sun’s direct light heats the Northern
hemisphere more directly in summer and the Southern hemisphere more directly in winter. (unequal heating)


Sun warms the water closest to the equator

Air at the poles is dry and cold, land at the higher latitudes is cold (regional climate)

Warm water is less dense and flows towards the poles. Water at the poles is denser and sinks down and flows
towards the equator. (single cell model)(transfer of heat by the global convection cycle)

Coriolis Effect causes the direction of the surface winds to blow to the right in the northern hemisphere and
left in the southern hemisphere (westerly winds). Winds carry the ocean currents (Constrained by Coriolis
effect and the outlines of continents)
CORIOLIS EFFECT: apparent deflection of moving objects caused by earth’s rotation (i.e. wind in the
atmosphere and water in the ocean)


Warm current flows from equator to pole along eastern edge of continents, cool currents flow from the poles
towards the equator. Westerly and easterly winds blow towards continents from the ocean bringing moist air to
the region.

Climate at the middle latitudes, caused by warm wet tropical air mixing with cool dry polar air. (regional
climate)
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EVALUATION

Review explore activities at the end of each and have the students generate questions in their science
journals they have on how it effects their own climate.

As a homework assignment, students will write a paragraph about what they have learned about ocean
currents and the Coriolis Effect.

We would also have the students do an ocean current worksheet. This worksheet would familiarize the
students with ocean currents around the world.
Lesson Plan: Twisting the Air Away - The Coriolis Effect
Overall Lesson Goal:
The student will understand that one of the effects of the Earth’s rotation on the air and oceans is called the
Coriolis Effect and it causes objects including air and water to move to the east in the Northern Hemisphere and
to the west in the Southern Hemisphere.
Individual Learning Objectives:
The student should be able upon completion of the lesson to predict in which direction an object will move
when being affected by the Coriolis effect.
Materials: ¼ Poster Board, 2 Different Color Markers
Procedures:
Step 1: Ask the students to predict in which direction a straight line will turn when drawn from top to bottom
on a page spinning clockwise.
Ask them to predict which direction the line will turn when drawn in the same direction if the paper is rotating
in a counterclockwise direction. Have the students draw their predictions in their notebook.
Step 2: Break the class into groups of four students. Give each group a piece of poster board and two different
colored markers-one for each side. I’ve tried this with photocopy paper but larger paper works better. Use paper
that is clean on both sides. That way, when you reverse rotation you can work on the reverse side. Also, it really
takes a little practice to get the procedure correct.
Step 2 (a): After the students have recorded their predictions, let them move to any available free wall or
black/whiteboard.
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Step 2 (b): One student should hold the paper at the center using either a finger or capped pen firmly enough so
that it does not drop but loose enough so that another student can spin the paper around the center point on the
paper.
Step 2 (c): Have the second student practice spinning the paper clockwise at a steady rate.
Step 2 (d): While the second student is turning the paper, have the third student practice drawing a line from
top to bottom on the paper with the non writing end of the marker.
Step 3: After the students have synchronized their movements and are comfortable, have the student with the
marker turn the marker to the writing position and while the paper is spinning, draw a line downwards from the
top to the bottom of the paper.
Step 4: Have the fourth student label the sheet with the direction of travel and the start and end points of the
line.
Step 5: Repeat Step 1 through Step 4 after turning the paper over and reversing the direction of spin. The only
difference is the direction of the spin. All students should repeat their roles.
The paper turning counterclockwise represents the Northern Hemisphere, clockwise represents the Southern
Hemisphere.
When this activity is completed, ask the students if their predictions agreed with their results. Ask the students
to describe the lesson and write a paragraph or two describing how the procedure modeled the effect of the spin
of the Earth on the ocean and air masses. Ask the students which of the two directions represented movement
related to the Coriolis effect in the Northern Hemisphere.
Keywords: Global winds, Coriolis Effect, Wind
Ocean Currents
Grade Levels: 3 - 6
Objectives

Students will map the patterns of the major ocean currents.

Students will learn about the influences of wind, water temperature, landmasses, and water density on
currents.
Materials

Tin pie plates

Water

Oregano or chili powder (or any herb that floats)
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
Paper or plastic straws

Food coloring

150 ml beakers

Hot plate (if hot tap water is not available)

Table salt

Map of the world

Reference materials
Procedures
1. Point out that ocean currents are driven by the wind and influenced by the landmasses that obstruct the
flow of water as well as the density and temperature of the water.
2. Demonstration 1: Fill a tin pie plate to the inner rim with cold tap water.
3. Sprinkle a teaspoon of herb (oregano or chili powder) over the surface.
4. Using a plastic or paper straw, gently blow across the middle of the surface from one side of the pan.
5. Write a sentence to describe the patterns created by the motion of the herbs.
6. Students should observe that the water is rippled by the artificial wind they create and that the currents
on the surface circulate around the edges of the pan. Point out that the wind they created is analogous to
the Equatorial Currents flowing west at the Earth's equator. These currents are forced into a clockwise
rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and a counterclockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere
because of the Earth's rotation and the landmasses that obstruct the waters' flow.
7. Demonstration 2: If hot tap water is unavailable, use a hot plate to warm 50 millileters of water. BE
SURE TO EXERCISE PROPER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN THE USE OF THIS EQUIPMENT.
WEAR GOGGLES.
8. Add a tablespoon of salt to the warm water and several drops of food coloring. Stir the mixture.
9. WEAR HEAT RESISTANT GLOVES and carefully pour several milliliters of the warm water into the
same water-filled pie pan used in Demonstration #1.
10. Write a sentence to summarize your observations about how this denser mixture behaves when poured
into cool water.
11. Have students label the major ocean currents on a map of the world.
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Ocean Current Worksheet.
Unequal Heating
Objectives: After using the model the students will be able to see the unequal heating.
Materials:

Clear bowl that you can see through.

Red food coloring

Blue food coloring

Cold water

Warm water
Procedure:

Students will have a clear bowl of cold water, dyed with blue food coloring. and a cup of hot water,
dyed with red water.

They will dump the red hot water into one side of the bowl.

Students will record their observations and in this model.

The blue water moves along the bottom of the clear bowl towards the hot, while the hot, red water
moves along the top towards the cold blue side.
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