Download Storms Unit Objectives

STORMS UNIT Lessons 1­7 Lesson 1: Thinking About Catastrophic Events Record ideas and questions about earth's natural catastrophic events Compare a globe with a map Use a globe and map to focus on the features of the earth Record where you think catastrophic events have occurred on the earth why you think they occur Lesson 2: Introducing Storms View images of clouds taken from space and identify patterns in the clouds Model the movement of air in a tornado or hurricane Create a working definition for the term: vortex Read to learn more about thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes Lesson 3: Heating Earth's Surfaces Observe and record the rates at which equal volumes of soil and water heat and cool. Graph and analyze the heating and cooling rates of soil and water Explain what happens to energy from the sun when it reaches the earth Read and interpret a data table Understand terms manipulated, controlled, and responding variables Know how manipulated and responding variables are graphed Lesson 4: Heat Transfer and the Movement of Air Investigate the effect of surface temperature on the temperature of the air above the surface Hypothesize how heat is transferred between the earth's surface and the air above it Observe and describe the effect of surface temperature on the movement of air above the surface Determine the basic conditions under which water moves through the air Develop working definitions for the terms: stable air mass, unstable air mass Lesson 5 Convection Currents in the Air Set up an investigation that demonstrates what happens to two air masses when they meet Analyze the movement of two air masses with different temperatures and humidity conditions Create working definitions for: convection current and weather front Relate the movement of air within the convection model to the formation of land and sea breezes and the development of tornadoes Explain how wind forms Lesson 6 Temperature, Pressure, and Cloud Formation Model and describe how water evaporates and condenses and how these processes play a part in cloud formation Model and describe the air pressure conditions under which clouds form Analyze weather maps Interpret data from tables in order to plot the path of a hurricane Lesson 7 Ocean Currents and Global Climate Analyze why the temperatures at the equator and poles differ Investigate the effect of water temperature on the way water moves Investigate the effect of wind on surface currents Locate some of the major ocean currents on a map and globe Analyze the effects of ocean currents on the global climate