Download 5. LessonPlan-cloud formation

5E Template- Science
Name: Daniela DiCarlo
Date: December 3, 2012
Content Area: Earth
Grade Level(s): 6—90 minute
Science
class period
Topic(s): Cloud Formation
Standards (NSES or Benchmarks)
Benchmark: Whenever energy appears in one place, it must have disappeared from
another. Whenever energy is lost from somewhere, it must have gone somewhere else.
Sometimes when energy appears to be lost, it actually has been transferred to a system
that is so large that the effect of the transferred energy is imperceptible. 4E/M1*
Standards (SOL)
6.1a-j, 6.3cd, 6.6e
Objectives (UKD’s)
U1: The Earth receives only a very small portion of the sun’s energy, yet this energy is
responsible for powering the motion of the atmosphere, the oceans, and many
processes at Earth’s surface.
K9: As bodies of water (oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.) absorb thermal energy, the water
evaporates causing the air to be warm and moist. Warm, moist air is less dense
than cold, dry air, so it rises relative to colder, drier air. As warm, moist air rises,
it gives off some thermal energy as the moisture condenses, forming clouds.
K10: The atmospheric conditions that allow for the formation of clouds.
D8: model the role of heating and cooling in the formation of clouds.
D9: model the atmospheric conditions needed for cloud formation.
Topic/Essential Question
Cloud Formation. What are the conditions needed for cloud formation?
Materials & Resources
5 rectangular pans, 5 rectangular rubber erasers, 5 rulers, table salt, 5 glasses with
wide mouth
Safety Considerations
This lesson doesn’t really have any special considerations that need to be taken.
Engage – Time Estimate 15 minutes
Students will have a discussion question on the board, they will think-pair-share their
answers. The question is “how are clouds made?”. Students will be instructed that they
must write down individually what they think, then share with the person next to them,
and then we will have a short class discussion to introduce ideas.
Explore – Time Estimate 25 minutes
Place the students into groups of 4. Pass out materials to each group. Place a small pile
of salt on the desk of each group. Ask students to fill their pans with 0.5 cm of warm
water (Make sure to use fairly warm water. This will aid in the formation of condensation
on the grains of salt.) Have students lay their eraser flat in the middle of the pan (the top
of the eraser should not be under water). Ask students to place a few salt grains on the
surface of the eraser and place the glass upside down over the eraser. (Make sure that
your students spread the salt grains apart rather than clumping them. This will help
them see the phenomenon more clearly.) Observe the salt grains every 5 minutes for 20
minutes. Have them fill out the chart (attached) for what they see happening and how
this could relate to clouds in real life.
Explain – Time Estimate 35 minutes
Ask students: What happened to the salt grains? (Students should report that they
observed a water droplet around each salt grain)
Ask students: How did the water droplets get from the pan to the salt grains? (Look for
the concepts of evaporation and condensation in students’ answers. If you have already
covered these concepts in class, look for the terms.)
Ask Students: Based on your results from this investigation, what could you predict is in
the atmosphere that makes cloud formation possible? (Students should recognize that
water forms around particles in the atmosphere and that many of these very close
together create a cloud. In the discussion, be sure to tell students that the particles
could be dust, pollen, or many other particles – not necessarily salt, although that was
what they used for this model.)
Ask the students: What do you think the steps of recipe card would say if you wanted to
make clouds?(Make a list of the atmospheric conditions that are necessary for cloud
formation [provide these to students AFTER the discussion prompts the list to be
made])
If students are having trouble making connections, I will tell them to look at the second
column of their lab worksheet.
Extend – Time Estimate 15 minutes
With a partner, have students go onto the weather channel or weather underground
website. Have them look for the next ten days. Based on what the website is predicting
the conditions to be like each day, do you think that clouds will be present or not? Have
them make a list of their predictions for each day in their science journals.
Evaluate – Time Estimate
This lesson will be evaluated with the lesson that comes after this on the basic types of
clouds.
Plans for Diversity
Student(s): Category/Characteristics: Accommodations:
ADD/ADHD: Students will be able to participate in hands on activities while working with
classmates. Activities will be kept simple and to the point so students can stay on task.
ELL: Students will be provided with a visual representation of clouds forming and will
also have a copy of the steps provided for them to refer back to
Connections
This is the 5th lesson in this unit. It comes after convection so students should already
have a grasp on how air is moving by convection. This lesson is the last big part of the
unit and will bring together the information they have learned about what is going on in
the atmosphere.
Steps Needed for Cloud Formation:
In simple terms:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The sun evaporates water from lakes and oceans.
As the air rises, it cools.
The water vapor condenses into tiny droplets of water.
The droplets crowd together and form a cloud.
Scientific Steps:
1. Air is warmed near the ground, becomes less dense, and rises.
2. Water enters the atmosphere through evaporation.
3. Rising air expands and becomes cooler.
4. Water vapor condenses onto particles in the air.
5. Clouds form.
INVESTIGATE!
Draw and label what you see every 5 minutes.
My investigation: include puddle,
air, particles (salt), and water
droplets
In the real world: include water
body, air, particles, and water
droplets