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Unit Plan
Weather, It's All About the Air
Heather Hatch
Hanover-Horton Middle School
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
Unit Description
This is a middle school unit, designed to explain how weather conditions are affected by patterns of air
movement in the atmosphere.
Relationship to the Big Ideas in Earth Science:
Michigan Curriculum Framework Science Content Benchmarks
H.S. (EAW) V.3.2 Describe patterns of air movement in the atmosphere and how they affect weather
conditions.
National Science Education Standards
Heating of earth's surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within the atmosphere and
oceans, producing winds and ocean currents.
Unit Enduring Understandings:
1.
Air is constantly moving.
2.
Weather continually changes.
3.
Weather affects your life.
Unit Essential Questions:
1.
Under what conditions would snow be able to fall in Florida?
2.
Why does air move?
3.
How will the weather change?
4.
Where would you want to be when a cold front comes in?
5.
What will the weather be like tomorrow?
What students will need to know and be able to do (knowledge and skills):
1.
Read and interpret a surface map to explain current weather and to predict changes that will
occur.
What do students typically misunderstand?
The weather is consistant each year.
Air does not move.
Winds come from the earth rotating.
Clouds only form over large bodies of water and then move.
Rain falls out of the sky when the clouds evaporate.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
G What is the Goal of the performance?
Students will be members of a local news station. As a group they will need to give a weather report
from a visual aid. This will include a plan of action, a description of who is affected, and some current
events on that topic.
R
What Role does the student assume in the performance?
Members of a Local News Station (2 Anchors and 1 Meteorologist)
A
What Audience does the student address?
Anyone in the viewing area of their chosen city.
S
What is the Situation for the performance?
You have been asked to analyze a given surface map that includes fronts and pressure systems. The
meteorologist will be interpreting this map to present an hourly, day-by-day, and extended forecast. Two
news reporters will be discussing the weather report, what should be expected, who will be affected, and
a plan of action. They will also need to incorporate a few mock current events that tie into this type of
weather pattern.
P
What Product should be produced?
You will broadcast the weather using visual aids, predictions, and analysis.
S
What are the Standards for the product?
You will need to include the following:
1. A surface map that you analyzed and recreated using the appropriate symbols.
2. An accurate forecast of the weather based on your surface map. What would be expected and why.
3. Who will be affected by this weather and a plan of action to take.
4. Two mock current event stories related to this weather pattern.
Preconceptions Assessment:
Post a weather map and have the students brainstorm as many features as they can.
Quizzes, Tests, and Academic Prompts:
There will be daily warm ups dealing with ideas from the previous day. A couple of quizzes will be given
as a review and to see what they have learned. There will also be an end of the unit test. Then each
news cast will give a presentation.
Other Evidence:
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences, Instruction, and Resources
Use WHERE as a guide to describe the learning experiences, instructional
strategies, and resources you will use to help students address the essential
questions of the unit and achieve deep understanding of the big ideas.
Day 1: HOOK/Visual (Clip of different types of Storms) – What do you know about weather? Why is it
important? After the clips have been shown, have them sit in a circle. Each student will have a sheet of
paper and they will have ten seconds to write down one thing that that know about weather and ten
seconds to write down why weather is important. After their time is up they will pass the sheet to the
next person and they will get their neighbors sheet to contribute to. This will continue until everyone has
his or her own sheet back. Students will now have some ideas to contribute to a class discussion on what
they know about weather and why it is important.
Day 2: Post a weather map and have the students brainstorm as many features as they can. In groups
of three, have the students come up with a story containing as many “weather words” as they can. The
group with the most words wins a prize. Students will be asked to bring in current events and weather
maps to share with the class and post around the room from now until the end of the unit.
Day 3: Have students share their stories to the class. Students will then investigate the effects of air
pressure. They will participate in “The Pressure’s On” lab. This lab enforces that air has weight and
exerts pressure on everything with which it comes in contact. It also demonstrates that air pressure is
exerted equally in all directions. Students will hypothesize what air pressure has to do with weather.
Day 4: Students will investigate how pressure differences create wind. They will participate in a “Why
Winds Whirl Worldwide” lab. This will reinstate that wind results from pressure gradients, pressure
differences from place to place. It will also show that air generally moves from an area of high pressure,
to an area of low pressure. They will also see that wind continues until air pressure is equalized.
Students will look at weather maps and identify the different pressure systems that they see and what
characteristics follow with each.
Day 5: Students will have a short, four-question quiz on air pressure and wind. Students will then be
investigating the dew point of the air. They will be participating in a “Just Dew It!” lab. This lab
emphasizes that the maximum amount of water vapor that the air can hold depends on the air
temperature. Also, the dew point is a measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. Lastly, it will
touch on relative humidity being a measure of the actual amount of water vapor in the air relative to the
amount it can hold at its temperature. Students will brainstorm different forms of precipitation before
they leave.
Day 6: Students will be investigating the conditions that must be present for clouds to form. They will be
participating in the “A Cloud in a Jar” lab. This lab discusses what is needed for cloud formation: cooling
of air, water vapor, and condensation nuclei (dust, pollen, salt from ocean spray, smoke). It also touches
on water vapor needing something to condense on in order to form the droplets that compose clouds.
Students will share and discuss their brainstorm on precipitation from Day 5. What determines each type
of precipitation?
Day 7: Students will complete a short quiz on their knowledge of dew point, relative humidity, and cloud
formation. Students will be shown visuals of front formations and their effects on weather. In using a
multi-media projector they will be able to see how a front forms and the weather that comes along with
it. Students will then complete a weather packet that discusses fronts, air masses, precipitation, relative
humidity, air pressure, water cycle, reading weather maps, and predicting the weather.
Day 8: Students will have time to finish their weather packets and turn them in. We will go over the
weather packets and reinforce previously taught material (multi-media clips, discuss previous labs, etc.).
Day 9: Show a weather news clip, examples of current events, and discuss guidelines for creating your
own newscast. Have students practice predicting the weather from a variety of weather maps.
Day 10: Assign groups and handout weather maps that each group will be using. The students may
create a weather map of their own for their chosen city. Time is now given to interpret the maps and
make predictions from what they have learned.
Day 11: Work on newscast.
Day 12: Work on newscast.
Day 13: Work on newscast.
Day 14: Review Day – Pictionary
Day 15: Unit Test
Day 16: Presentations
Day 17: Presentations
Day 18: Students will reflect on what they have learned, enjoyed, and would have done differently with
their newscast. They will each complete an evaluation of their group members and self.
All of the labs listed are from the book, “Project Earth Science: Meteorology”. This contains background
information for the lab, the procedure, questions/conclusions, and the teacher’s guide.
W: Students will be introduced to weather maps that we will be revisiting throughout the unit. They will
also view a weather news clip and examples of current events that should help them in creating their
own newscast. Guidelines will also be discussed as well.
H: HOOK/Visual, the first day will include a short storm clip grabbing the students' attention on weather.
We will begin to discuss what they know about weather and why it is important.
E: The following labs will be a way throughout the unit for students to engage in learning the essential
questions and big ideas:
"Air Pressure's On"
"Why Winds Whirl Worldwide"
"Just Dew It!"
"A Cloud in a Jar"
R: Students will reflect on what they have learned, have enjoyed, and would have done differently. Each
student will also complete an evaluation of each group member and themselves.
E: Quizzes, Unit Test, and Newscast Presentation