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I'm Hot and You're Not!
Resource ID#: 130020
Primary Type: Lesson Plan
This document was generated on CPALMS - www.cpalms.org
The students will investigate the effects of solar radiation on air, land, and oceans.
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 6
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Microsoft
Office
Instructional Time: 1 Hour(s) 30 Minute(s)
Keywords: heat, temperature, weather, convection, air pressure
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan, Worksheet, Problem-Solving
Task, Presentation/Slideshow, Formative Assessment, Student Center Activity, Learning Goal
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Earth Systems
ATTACHMENTS
POEWorksheet.docx
MiniLabWhichHeatsUpFaster.docx
MiniLabWhichHeatsUpFasterQuestionsandKey.docx
SeaBreezeWorksheetandKey.docx
LESSON CONTENT
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Lesson Plan Template:
General Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this
lesson?
Students will describe how weather is related to the heating of the air above water and land.
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Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should know:
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the parts of the water cycle.
how climate is related to location.
that weather is determined by barometric pressure, air temperature, humidity, and wind speed.
the climate of a region is related to its proximity to bodies of water.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
How does the sun's energy influence weather?
How do winds form over coastal areas?
How does heating the land, ocean, and air affect local weather?
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Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
Assessing Prior Knowledge:
Download the Big Idea 7 PowerPoint from the University of South Florida PROPEL program. Use slides 79 to review the water cycle and explain the interaction between land, air and water. Ask the students the
following formative assessment questions:
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"What drives the water cycle?" Expected responses: The sun
"What do you think happens when solar energy heats the land?" Expected responses: The land
gets hot.
"Which one do you think will heat up faster, the water or the soil? Why?" At this point, students
may not know the answer to that question.
"What happens to heat when the water and the land cools down?" Expected responses: It
disappeared, it goes into the air. Answers will vary.
Convection of Air Demonstration:
Students will observe a hot air balloon demonstration and use a POE (Predict, Observe, Explain) strategy to
record their hypothesis, observations, and explanation about what happens when air is warmed and cooled.
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Before class, use the directions from WikiHow to make a hot air balloon. This balloon will be
used for the demonstration.
Distribute the attached POE worksheet or have students draw the POE format on a sheet of paper
or in a science notebook.
Show the students the hot air balloon and tell students that you are going to light the candles. Ask
them to Predict what they think will happen.
Next, light the candles and allow the balloon to rise. After it rises a few feet, blow out the candle
and allow the balloon to sink.
Instruct students to document their Observations and Explain what happened in the related
sections.
Note: At this point students may not know the word convection.
Review student answers as a class or have them share with a peer prior to sharing with the class.
Post-Lab Questions:
Ask students the following questions:
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"What happens when you're walking on the beach on a sunny day?" Sample answers: the sand is
hot, it burns etc.
"What happens when you get in the ocean water?" The water is cold.
Say, "From the balloon demonstration, you learned that warm air rises and cool air sinks. Going back to the
previous questions, where would the air be rising, over the water or over the sand?" Expected response:
Over the sand, because is it hot. The air is heated by the sand and then rises.

Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher
guidance?
Students will be grouped. The Scholastic article "15 Quick and Creative Ways to Group and Partner
Students" has a myriad of effective grouping methods that can be used to do this.
Stations should be prepared with the following materials and equipment.
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Reflector lamp with 100 watt bulb
2 x 250 mL beakers
150 mL soil
150 mL water
Thermometer
Paper towels
Teacher Directions:
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Provide the What Heats Up Faster Mini Lab sheet as well as the Post-Lab Questions to students.
Review the lab procedure with them, modeling each step.
Ensure each group has all the materials required and understands safety guidelines for the use of
glassware and thermometers. Students should adhere to the following safety rules:
 If glassware or thermometer is broken, stop where you are. Report the breakage to your
facilitator. Do not move until your facilitator says it is safe to do so. If anyone is cut,
report it immediately. Your teacher will collect the broken glass, not you. More cuts
occur after this type of accident than during it.
 Do not bend or slam thermometers.
 Students must wear goggles at all times
 No running and playing in the lab.
Students Directions:
9. Place 150 mL of soil in one beaker and 150 mL of water in the other beaker.
10. Place a thermometer in each beaker and record the starting temperature.
11. Position the lamp 10 cm from both beakers. Make certain that both beakers are at an equal
distance from the lamp and that both receive an equal amount of light.
12. Turn on the lamp and record temperatures every minute for 10 minutes.
13. Turn off the lamp and record the temperature every minute for 10 minutes.
14. Answer the post lab questions. (The soil will heat up faster and also cool off faster. The water will
warm up more slowly, but will then also cool off more slowly.)
15. Answer the Post Lab Questions.

Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce
the concepts and skills developed in the lesson?
Provide each student with a copy of the Sea Breezes Worksheet in black and white (first page of the
attachment). Students will need colored pencils or crayons; be sure that red and blue are included. Give
students about 5 minutes to color the illustration.
When time is up, use an LCD projector or doc cam to display the Sea Breezes Worksheet in color (second
page of the document). Lead a class discussion about how the illustration models a convection current.
Direct students to label the illustration and then write a detailed description of what is happening. You
might choose to give your students the following word list:
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heat
warmer
cooler
rises
sinks
breeze
toward
Solar energy (Sun)
An expected description may be: Solar energy heats up land faster than water. As land is heated, the air
above it is also heated and rises. This creates a decrease in air pressure at the surface. The ocean is cooler
than the land, since it heats up slower. Therefore, the air over the ocean sinks, due to it being cooler than
the air over land. This creates and area of high pressure over the ocean. Air moves from areas of high
pressure to areas of low pressure. Therefore, the breeze will blow from the ocean towards the land (beach).
If students are not familiar with the causes of increased and decreased air pressure, an expected response
would be: Solar energy heats up the land faster than water. As land is heated, the air above it is also
heated and rises. The ocean is cooler than the land, since it heats up slower. Therefore, the air over the
ocean sinks due to it being cooler than the air over land. This creates a convection current where the
sinking, cooler air will move into the space made available by the rising warmer air. Therefore, the breeze
will blow from the ocean towards the land (beach).

Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the
lesson?
Lead the class in a a follow-up group discussion. Ask, "If I told you that the land also cools down faster
than water, what can you infer about land and sea breezes at night?"
Expected answer: The process will reverse because the ocean will be warmer than the land. Now the air
rises over the ocean and sinks over the land. A convection current will form spinning in the opposite
direction. The air movement will change to a land breeze moving towards the ocean.
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Summative Assessment
A student-labeled copy of the Land and Sea Breeze Illustration worksheet indicates if the students
understand how heating affects the movement of air over land and ocean. The labeled illustration will be
used by students to guide them in writing a description of what is happening. A work list will also be
provided to assist students as to the requirements for writing the description. For more information, see the
Independent Practice section.

Formative Assessment
During lesson introduction, the teacher will assess the students' prior knowledge by asking the following
questions:
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"What drives the water cycle?" Expected responses: The sun
"What do you think happens when solar energy heats the land?" Expected responses: The land
gets hot
"Which one do you think will heat up faster, the water or the soil? Why?" Answers will vary
"What happens to heat when the water and the land cools down?" Expected responses: "It
disappeared, it goes into the air." Answers will vary.
The teacher walks the room during the lab and monitors the data collection and documentation while the
students are working in groups. The teacher will also survey students' understanding of the safety rules and
consequences of safety violations.
Successful and accurate completion of the post-lab questions indicates that students understand the mini
lab. A key is provided on the second page of the attached document.
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Feedback to Students
Students will receive summative feedback following the teacher's assessment of the analysis, or even
extension portion, of the lab.
Example feedback will include:
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"You guys are doing a great job following the safety procedures."
"This group is working collaboratively very well."
The teacher should also provide written feedback on the lab sheets. Examples of written feedback may
include: "I like that you supported your answers."
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
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Accommodations:
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combination of written, verbal, and pictorial instructions with scaffolding
repeated demonstration of procedure and support practice
preferential seating to avoid distractions and minimize extraneous stimuli
extra time for set up and completion of lab work
Address safety procedures for students with a variety of sensory and mobility abilities, including
the provision of visual lab warning signals.
For ESOL:
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Utilize outlines and charts during class presentation.
Model instructions for experiments to introduce and explain new vocabulary.
Explain all safety procedures clearly.
Extensions:
Students will receive the following writing prompt to complete for homework:
Your class is going to the beach tomorrow. Write a weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow (you can
listen to or research weather statistics online) and talk about the temperature, wind, and precipitation. Do
you think your classmates will be happy with this forecast?
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
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
See Teaching Phase demo, Guided Practice lab
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Further Recommendations:
Here are a few suggestions for managing the lab. Do advise students to:
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Conduct themselves in a responsible manner at all times. Frivolous activities, mischievous
behavior, throwing items, and conducting pranks are prohibited.
Lab and safety information and procedures must be read ahead of time. All verbal and written
instructions shall be followed in carrying out the activity or investigation.
Eating, drinking, gum chewing, applying cosmetics, manipulating contact lenses, and other unsafe
activities are not permitted in the laboratory.
Working in the laboratory without the instructor present is prohibited. Unauthorized activities or
investigations are prohibited. Unsupervised work is not permitted.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Milly Pierre
Name of Author/Source: Milly Pierre
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Miami-Dade
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
SC.6.E.7.5:
Description
Explain how energy provided by the sun influences global
patterns of atmospheric movement and the temperature
differences between air, water, and land.
Remarks/Examples:
Florida Standards Connections: MAFS.K12.MP.7: Look
for and make use of structure.