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Summary Table

We are investigating: What Makes the Weather Change? What conditions cause a storm?Phenomena: We analyzed weather conditions from various cities, and we notice that although the weather conditions listed were the same the values where different from city to city causing different weather.

Learning Set 1: What Causes a Storm?

What did we do? What did we observe? What have we figured out so far? How does this help us answer our question(s)?

Lesson 1Activity 1.1We examined weather conditions in 6 places around the world and looked at our local conditions.

Activity 1.2Created questions for the DQB

Reading 1.2What Can Clouds Tell Us about Weather?

A 1.1: Weather is made up of a set of atmospheric conditions: temperature, wind, humidity, precipitation etc.

Although these weather conditions appear everywhere, in different places they have different values (variables).

A 1.2: We asked questions about how changes in temperature and precipitation affect weather and how energy makes these condition occur.

Reading: Clouds can help predict the weather. (Students do NOT need to memorize the cloud types and weather conditions.)

Wind: moving air

Temperature: measure of thermal energy in matter.

Thermal energy is the kinetic energy of the random motion of the particles in an object.

Precipitation: the movement of evaporated water, moisture in the air (water vapor)

Cumulous clouds: fair/dry weatherStratus clouds: light rain/snowCumulonimbus: high winds, lots of rainCirrus clouds: few clouds indicates stable weather, many clouds indicate change in weather (storm)

We see that there are a lot of conditions involved in the weather.

Lesson 2Activity 2.1Created and defended a model of how the air is heated

We used our initial ideas and constructed a model of how air at the surface of the Earth is heated.

SP 1: Light energy from the sun is mostly transmitted through the air before reaching the ground, and the ground absorbs some of the light energy that reaches it.

An air mass is a large body of air collected in one location. It has similar temperature and moisture

We know that the sun is the main source of energy. However, only some of the energy is absorbed by the ground.

DQB: We wonder how it gets into the air?

smm revised 2-5-18 1

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properties.

We know that air masses can move and variables that affect the amount of thermal energy can change.

Lesson 2Activity 2.2We investigated how thermal energy is transferred.

Reading 2.2Why does conduction matter?

We observed that the heat traveled through the rod and then the oil closest to the hot plate melted first and so on down the line.

We read about how food is cooked through conduction.

SP 2: Heat energy can be transferred from one end of an object (rod) to the other end of the object. Heat can also be transferred from one object (rod) to another object (oil). This happens through collision between the molecules, and it is called conduction.

We can apply what happens to food being cooked to how heat transfers on the Earth.

Heat from the Earth can be transferred throughout the Earth and also to the air touching it.

SP 3: The air, at the Earth’s surface, is primarily heated by the transfer of thermal energy from the ground below it.

Lesson 3Activity 3.1We used a convection box to observe what happens to air when part of the box is heated and part has cool air.

HomeworkShow how convection happens in a room (explain matter and energy)

Air was heated on one side of the box with a candle. The other side of the box had cold air (ice cubes). We saw the hotter air rise but not the cooler air.

When an air mass is heated, it rises. Air heated near the Earth’s surface must rise.

Differences in temperature between two air masses can cause air to move and this movement creates wind.


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Lesson 3Activity 3.2Used a physical model to determine why some air rises

We put a balloon on top of a bottle. When the bottle was put in cold water, the balloon withered and got smaller. When the bottle was put in hot water, the balloon size increased.

When the air (matter) was heated, an object (balloon) gets bigger so the air molecules must be moving faster and spreading apart.

When the air (matter) is cooled, the object (balloon) gets smaller so the air molecules must be moving slower getting closer together and moving to the bottom of the bottle.

Less dense air (heated) moves faster (transfer of thermal energy) and molecules move apart and rise.

More dense air (cooled) moves slower and sinks.

Lesson 3Activity 3.3Created a consensus model of convection and one of how air moves in the atmosphere

Reading 3.3Why Learn about Convection?

We made a model of conduction and convection and then combined the two in this activity.

Convection is used when we roast marshmallows and bake cookies.

Conduction and convection both involve heat transfer and this contributes to moving air masses both near the Earth and in the atmosphere.

SP 4: Less dense air rises when surrounded by more dense things. The more dense air moves in to take its place. The movement of air masses is called convection.


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Lesson 4Activity 4.1We made a barometer.

Revisited in lesson 5.2

Our barometer starting level was______ SP 5: Air pressure at a location is related to the total weight of the air above that location.

Low-density air columns have low pressure and high-density columns have high pressure.

Rising air pressure usually brought sunnier, nicer weather. Low pressure brought cloudier weather.

Lesson 4Activity 4.2

DemonstrationsTrial 1: room temp blue and room temp red water

Trial 2: hot red and cool blue water

Water has some of the same properties as air so we used water to demonstrate how air masses behave.

Trial 1: same temperature waterSaw a purplish area between the two water masses. Water mixed.

Trial 2: Only a small amount of mixing occurred between the two colors. Blue, colder water moves under the red, hot water and pushes it up.

SP 6: Large air masses can behave as closed systems for long periods of time before reaching equilibrium with the surrounding air masses. A front is the boundary between these large air masses.

SP 7: Air masses move when high-pressure air pushes into the space of lower-pressure air.

SP 8: Air masses move when more dense air slides underneath less dense air, causing the less dense air to be lifted upward. This less dense air is unstable as it is forced upward. It transfers energy to the surrounding air and cools as it rises.

SP 7: (cont.) At the surface, greater differences in pressure over smaller distances result in stronger winds.

SP 9: Movement of air masses causes changes in weather in predictable ways

Lesson 4 Storm clouds build getting bigger and Air cools as it rises, because it is The hydrological cycle contributes to the


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Activity 4.3Looked at pictures of clouds and watched a video of storm clouds

Revisited the barometer and data we collected.

higher.

The lower clouds appear to be moving up and push the clouds above them higher.

The top of the cloud eventually flattens out.

(Barometer data)When the air pressure was higher, the water in the tube rose because the air was pushing down on the water. It forced the water up. Vice versa for low air pressure.

transferring energy to the surrounding air.

Water vapor in the air condenses and changes to liquid.

In order for the water to condense, it must condense around something. In the atmosphere, it condenses around dust and other particles in the air. This forms a cloud.

formation of storm clouds. Evaporation must happen for clouds to form. As the water vapor rises it cools forming a cloud (made of water droplets).Different clouds indicate different kinds of weather.

Lesson 5Activity 5.1Examined weather maps: surface area, satellite, and radar

Reading 5.1How do Scientists Get the Data?

Surface area maps showed many aspects of the weather.*cloud coverage, H/L pressure areas, warm fronts (red), cold fronts (blue), arrows indicate the direction the fronts are moving

Satellite maps showed cloud coverage.*gray colored clouds, warmer, closer to Earth*whiter clouds, colder, higher and thicker*clouds in Gulf of Mexico were getting higher*yellow, red and purple shades are highest and coldest clouds

Radar maps showed precipitation*type and intensity can be interpreted

Different maps help us understand different aspects of the weather.

We noticed connections between our class consensus maps and the various weather maps.

We can use maps to understand the weather and see patterns in what is happening.


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from using a map key

Lesson 5Activity 5.2Created an Isobar Map showing air pressure

Reading 5.1How Do Scientists Get the Data?

We drew lines of equal pressure on the map.

If the lines in an area went from higher numbers on the outside to lower numbers in the interior, that was a low pressure area.

If they went from lower numbers on the outside to higher numbers in the inside, it was a high pressure area.

Low-pressure areas are warmer, denser, and container more water vapor. Rain usually occurs in areas of low pressure.

High pressure areas are cooler and denser with less clouds and water vapor. They usually indicate fair weather.

Although this did not help us answer how a storm was created, it helped us understand pressure and when rain is more likely to happen. Rain occurs with low-pressure systems.

Lesson 6Activity 6.1 Analyzed data from a storm in Chicago

Activity 6.2Compared our stormdata to our storm model

Reading 6.2Is It Going to Snow or Rain or….

We saw patterns in storm data:

Temperature before storm was steady, dropped during the storm and stayed cooler and steady after the storm

Air Pressure: steady before, dropped right before and continued to drop during, rose sharply after the storm

Humidity: steady before the storm, rise during the storm, continued to go down after the storm

Precipitation: little to no before storm, heaviest during the storm, tapered off and stopped after

We figured out what conditions are necessary for a storm, and we can create an accurate model representing these storm conditions.

Temperature Air pressure Humidity Precipitation

We were finally able to answer to the question:

“What causes a storm?”


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Learning Set 2: Why is Weather Different from Place to Place?

What did we do? What did we observe? What have we figured out so far? How does this help us answer our question(s)?

Lesson 7Activity 7.1Located our cities on a map

We looked at a chart of average daily temperatures for a year.

Our 6 places are located at different longitudes and latitudes, some north of the equator and some south.

Temperature patterns we noticed:The cities that had relatively the same distance of latitude from the equator had similar temperatures.

Atlanta and Buenos AiresSingapore and BelemOslo and Ushuaia

Weather is what the conditions are like at a specific location at a specific time.

Climate is the average conditions over a 30 year period.

Average yearly temperature varies by latitude. It is warmer at the equator all year long and cooler at the poles.

Cities the same distance from the equator had similar temperatures.

We know the difference between weather and climate.

We see that our places are located at different latitudes and longitudes and have different temperature patterns.

Temperatures seem to follow a pattern by latitude, not longitude with warmer temperatures yearlong closer to the equator and colder temperatures yearlong closer to the poles.

Lesson 7Activity 7.2We looked at the amount of daylight hours for our 6 locations.

We compared the amount of daylight with the temperature.

Average Hours of Daylight by Month(January and July)Buenos Aires – 14 hrs. and 9.9 hoursOslo – 6.5 hours and 17.6 hours

Average Hours of Daylight by YearBuenos Aires – 12.02Oslo – 12.07

DaylightAll places receive the same number of hours of daylight in a year, but it varies by month.

Comparing Daylight and TemperatureTemperature on a monthly basis varies from place to place and corresponds to the hours of daylight for the month (i.e., more daylight in a month, the higher the temperature).

Lesson 7Activity 7.3Used a paper lantern to

Sensor readings:

Equator _________

The closer you are to the equator the more direct and intense the light (sun).

The light (sun) at mid-latitudes seems

We are wondering if the angle of light hitting the Earth (and therefore the intensity of the light) makes a


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represent the Earth and took light readings with a light sensor

Mid-latitudes _________

Poles _________

to shine at an angle and is less intense.

At the poles the light (sun) is even at a greater angle and the least intense.

difference in temperature.

Lesson 7Activity 7.4We shone a flashlight at different angles on graph paper and counted the number of squares that the angle affected.

Number of squares covered by light:

Equator _________

Mid-latitudes _________

Poles _________

We saw that even though we used the same source (flashlight) and it shone the same amount of light, the light covered more area with less intensity at the poles and less area with more intensity at the equator.

This light intensity was compared to our temperature data.

More light intensity means more energy and warmer temperatures at the equator.

Less light intensity means less energy and colder temperatures at the poles.

SP 12: Intensity differences explain why temperatures vary in the same pattern.

Lesson 7Activity 7.5Constructed an explanation of why temperature varies at different locations

Why does temperature vary at different latitudes?

See class model and explanation

The angle at which light hits the earth affects intensity (more spread out, less intense) and therefore temperature.

Light intensity corresponds to temperature.

SP 10: Intensity of light varies

The sun hits the Earth most directly at the equator; therefore the light is more intense. This is where the highest temperatures were.


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Homework 7.5:Do the data match the explanation?

depending how far north or south of the equator you are and how long the light shines on a place.

SP 11: Temperatures vary in a predictable pattern depending on the latitude.

Lesson 8Activity 8.1Graphed the temperatures for the 6 cities to compare the data

The cities in the northern hemisphere have their coldest temperatures while the cities in the southern hemisphere have their warmest temperatures.

The cities near the equator have nearly the same temperatures all year long.

We see that different hemispheres have opposite seasons except for near the equator where it seems to be the same season all year long.

We are wondering why this is the case?

Lesson 8Activity 8.2We made a Styrofoam model of the Earth to see if its movement affects temperatures.

Reading 8.2Day and Night

Earth spinning on its axis (rotating - rotation).

Earth going around the sun (revolving – revolution).

People used shadows to tell time and that led to the construction of the sundial.

Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, creating day and night.

Earth revolves around the sun once a year.

Earth’s orbit is almost a circle, and its distance from the sun does not vary much over the course of a year.

These two movements (rotation and revolution), still do not account for the temperature changes in the hemispheres.

Lesson 8Activity 8.3 We explored what would happen if the Earth was tilted

We titled Earth and saw the light intensity was:

North of the Equator ______

When we tilt the Earth, the hemisphere tilted away had colder temperatures and the hemisphere tilted toward the light (sun) had warmer temperatures.

SP 13: The Earth is tilted on its axis, causing light to hit the Earth more intensely and for longer periods of time in different parts of the Earth during the year. This causes the


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Reading 8.3Seasons of the Year

Equator ______

South of the Equator ______

We read about how different areas on Earth had greater changes in temperature and precipitation than others.

We saw that when the northern hemisphere was colder, the southern hemisphere was warmer and vice versa.

When the northern hemisphere has winter, the southern hemisphere has summer and vice versa.

seasons.


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