Download Week-At-A-Glance Monday Fronts Tuesday High and low pressure

Week-At-A-Glance
Monday
Fronts
Tuesday
High and low
pressure systems
Wednesday
Formative
Thursday
Lightning storms
Friday
Tornadoes
Grade level: 7th grade
Subject: Science
Teacher: Lusk
Lesson Topic: Lightning storms
Date: Sept 20th
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Standards (CCS/ES):
Key Ideas from the Standards:
7.E.1.3: Explain the relationship between the movement

Thunderstorms are characterized by the
of air masses, high and low pressure systems, and frontal
presence of lightning and thunder.
boundaries to storms (including thunderstorms,
 They are produced rapidly when rising air
hurricanes, and tornadoes) and other weather conditions
causes cumulus clouds to build upward into a
that may result.
thunderhead.
 The cloud type associated with thunderstorms
is cumulonimbus.
 Thunderstorms are usually accompanied by
strong winds, heavy rain and sometimes snow,
hail or no precipitation at all.
 Thunderstorms are brief, intense storms that
affect a small area.
What will the students be able to do?
Vocabulary:
SWBAT understand that electrical storms occur because Thunderstorms
static electrity forms between the thunderclouds and the
Cumulonimbus
landscape beneath them.
Cumulus Static electricity
Sources/Materials/Technology:
__ __Literary Text:
__X__ Informational Text (articles):
http://www.hko.gov.hk/education/edu01met/wxphe/ele_thunderstorme.htm#q2
_ __Charts/Graphs:
____Videos:
____Art:
__X__Technology: Powerpoints
_X___ Lab or demonstration: Teacher will be demonstrating how lightning is formed.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Informal: Exit Ticket:
Formal:
1. What causes lightning to form?
Students will complete their lab write up.
2. What type of clouds cause lightning?
3. Write about a time where you were caught in a
serious thunderstorm.
Stage 3 – Opening Activities
Warm Up: (5 minutes)
o On your way in, I handed you an article. Please begin reading this article.
Stage 4- Learning Plan
Guided Practice “WE DO” (25 mins)



Teacher will pass out the new JMMS lab write up rubrics.
Teacher will pose students with the question, “How can we create lightning using only common household products?”
Students will answer question. Before forming their hypothesis, they’ll use the research sheets to figure out how
lightning is formed. Students will create a hypothesis.

Teacher will begin the demonstration.
1. Push the thumbtack through the center of the aluminum pie pan from the bottom.
2. Push the eraser end of the pencil into the thumbtack. (The pencil becomes a handle to lift the pan.)
3. Put the styrofoam plate upside-down on a table. Rub the underside of the plate with the wool for one minute. Rub hard and fast
like these kids are doing.
4. Pick up the pie pan using the pencil "handle, " and place it on top of the upside-down plate.
5. Touch the pie pan with your finger. If you don't feel anything when you touch the pan, try rubbing the plate again .
Lesson Focus “I DO” (10 mins)

Teacher will explain what causes lightning to occur.
Independent Practice “YOU DO” (40 minutes)
 Students will continue to fill out their JMMS lab sheets and will write up a lab report.
 What are thunderstorms?
When bolts of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, followed by rumbles of thunder,
thunderstorms are said to have occurred. In Hong Kong, thunderstorms occur mainly in spring and
summer.
Picture of lightning taken at Fanling
(Photo: Mr. CHAN Cheuk-yin, HKO)
 How do they form?
Thunderstorms are formed by the uplifting of warm and humid air. There are many factors that lead
to the uplifting of air, for example, solar heating; in the vicinity of low pressure troughs; when two
different air streams meet; or when air is forced uphill.
When humid air is lifted, it will be cooled and the moisture in the air will condense to form cloud.
Upon further uplifting, the cloud will extend higher. Water droplets in the cloud continue to grow in
size. As the cloud extends further upward, ice crystals may form because of low temperature there.
A cumulonimbus cloud results when it grows to a height of 10 to 20 kilometres. Thunderstorms are
produced by cumulonimbus clouds.
Development into a cumulonimbus cloud
 How are lightning and thunder produced?
Because it is very turbulent inside a cumulonimbus cloud, the water droplets and ice crystals in it
will break up and become electrically charged. Generally speaking, the upper portion of the cloud is
positively charged, while the middle and lower portions are negatively charged. When the electric
voltage between the positive and negative charges is large enough, discharges take place between
clouds or between cloud and the earth's surface, and lightning is said to have occurred. The electric
current in a lightning discharge generates a large amount of heat. This causes a very rapid expansion
of the local air, resulting in rumbles of thunder.
Distribution of positive and negative charges inside a cumulonimbus cloud
Thunderstorms are sometimes preceded or accompanied by heavy rain and squalls. These arise when
the water droplets in the cumulonimbus cloud can no longer be supported by the underlying air and
fall down as rain. The downward rushing air produces squalls.
http://www.hko.gov.hk/education/edu01met/wxphe/ele_thunderstorme.htm#q2