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Wymon H. Lee Global Classroom Pre-planning template
Global Classroom Module:
Pre-planning template:
Designer: Wymon H. Lee
Summary: Students in my 8th grade science class will be learning about weather and how it various like
solar energy and fluid circulation contribute to the formation and forecasting of said weather and
climate.
Goals are:
1. Students to score proficiently on the county assessment on atmospheric phenomena
assessment with a class average of 80% or higher.
2. Student to work collaboratively as STEM groups to produce a product that demonstrates the
STEM process to predict/hypothesize the weather at a location outside of the United States.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
1. Hypothesis/brainstorm a list of reasons why being able to forecast the weather is impactful to
everyday lives.
2. Define and explain factors that are used to determine weather
3. Collect data and construct tables and graph local and international weather data
4. Create weather forecasts for local and international weather using data
5. Create a video forecast for a corresponding class using a video sharing program
6. Evaluate and offer critique to peer videos from corresponding global network class
Background:
My intended class that I plan to implement this global collaborative lesson will be an 8th grade class or
approximately 30 students of mixed gender and ethnicity. The school demographics are as following
chart supplied from the school counseling resource teacher (H. Cohen, personal communication,
October, 2012) as of the fall of 2012:
Number of Students: 952
School Ethnicity Percentage:
Ethnicities
Caucasian
African American
Hispanic
Asian
American Indian
Other
Percentage
34
23
12
25
>1
>6
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Wymon H. Lee Global Classroom Pre-planning template
Percentage of subsidized lunches: 20%
Related demographic site: http://publicschoolsk12.com/middle-schools/md/montgomerycounty/240048000863.html
Time Frame: Typically the MCPS unit on Solar Energy and Fluid takes 44 days. However the portion that
deals directly with weather causes and a project associated with it would take about 15 days. I would
plan for about 16 schools days broken down as such:
1. Day 1 & 2: How weather change history/why it is important, scripting questions for global
correspondence, weather Blog Diaries Setup
2. Day 3: Connect with corresponding class and share thought and ideas via Skype
3. Day 4 - 7: Curriculum content on fluid circulation
4. Day 8-9: Weather forecasting simulations, weather Blog Diaries entries and correspondence
5. Day 10: Predicting Local Weather/Data collection/Blog entries
6. Day 11: Predicting Global Weather/Data collection/Blog entries
7. Day 12-14: Start video work on forecasting the weather of the corresponding class
8. Day 15: Post and share with corresponding classes
9. Day 16: Evaluate and post comments
Subject and Grade Level: 8th grade Investigations in Earth Space Science (IESS)
Proposed Topic and rationale: The topic of the lesson would be forecasting weather. The 8th grade IESS
science curriculum content delves into the concepts related to how weather and atmospheric conditions
occur. The planned unit and lesson would support this while making a meaningful and relevant
connection to students everyday lives.
Global Network Planned to be used: I plan on using ePals. The inspiration lesson is on weather. I plan to
test run this lesson with a class hopefully across the globe with a similar time zone. If not then I can
always record and show.
Weather project lesson link: http://www.epals.com/project-detail.php?id=21471df3-5758-4723-8c002a7efbd592c7&search_text=weather
Key Challenges: I suspect that the key challenge is actually finding a teacher to collaborate with and
connecting regularly. Email will probably be the best way to correspond with and plan with a fellow
educator around the world that may be in another time zone. This too maybe a problem in terms of
having students interact with one another in real time if the time zones are different. I will have to
search very carefully for this right situation. So far my ePal inquiries to other educators through ePals
have not yielded any responses yet. Perhaps school is not in session for teacher in China right now.
Prior Knowledge: Student will have to have a small working background with the curricular content
from this unit. Students will need basic typing skills as well as internet use. It would be helpful if any of
the students have had any background in blogging or video sharing.
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Wymon H. Lee Global Classroom Pre-planning template
Standards and Key Concepts:
Content Standards:
MCPS Solar Energy and Fluid Circulation:
1.3 The student will carry out scientific investigations effectively and employ the instruments,
systems of measurement, and materials of science appropriately.
1.4 The students will demonstrate that data analysis is a vital aspect of the process of scientific
inquiry and communication.
1.5 The student will use appropriate methods of communicating in writing and orally the
processes and results of scientific investigation.
1.6 The student will use mathematical processes
2.3.1 The students will describe how energy and matter transfer affect Earth systems.
Atmospheric circulation
4.7 Analyze the functioning and application of thermal technology systems.
Source:
Montgomery County Public Schools (2013). Investigations in earth space science. Retrieved from:
https://mymcps-instruction.mcpsmd.org/sites/ic/science/ESSHon/default.aspx
NGSS Weather and Climate:
MS-ESS2-5. Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of
air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Source:
Achieve Inc. (2013). MS. weather and climate. Next Generation Science Standards. Retrieved from:
http://www.nextgenscience.org/msess-wc-weather-climate
NETS Standards:
1. Creativity and Innovation: Students will apply existing knowledge to create an video using
models and simulations to form predictions/forecast the weather.
2. Communication and Collaboration: Students will work together as a STEM team in class and with
their global partner class to collect data, analyze, communicate results, and evaluate, and revise
final weather forecast.
3. Research and Information Fluency: Students will apply the information from a variety of online
and actual data sources to create an accurate weather forecast
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Wymon H. Lee Global Classroom Pre-planning template
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making: Students will collect and analyze real
weather data to create and justify weather forecast.
5. Digital Citizenship: Students will engage in responsible research and engage in respectful online
communication with the partner global classroom.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts: Students will select and use the most impactful tools to
carry out and complete their investigation in weather forecasting.
Source:
ISTE (2007). ISTE NETS.S Retrieved from:
http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-s-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Global Theme:
These lessons would best fit under the 5th global theme. Planer Management:
Resources/Energy/Environment. In the third paragraph of this section it refers to topic such as acid rain,
global warming, and drought. All of these aspects are related to weather and climate. Students will have
to consider why the weather and forecasting weather accurately is important as well as share their
forecast for their corresponding global partnering class. So considering the ramifications of severe or
extreme weather conditions definitely helps students to tackle global issues.
Source:
Collin, T., Czarra, F. and Smith, A. (2000). Guideline for global and international studies education. The
American forum for Global Education. Retireved from:
http://www.globaled.org/guidelines/page2.php
Pre-lesson Steps: Before this lesson can be implemented, I will need to:
1. Send out an inquiry email or message to all the teachers/educators on ePals network that I
plan on working with my proposal lesson/unit ideas
2. I will need to get permission from my principal to engage in such a collaborative lesson.
3. After contact is made planning must be done via email or another format like google docs.
4. May have to conduct Skype correspondence with the corresponding educator.
5. Reserve enough web-cam capable computers from within the school.
Technology Used:
The technology that I will need to use is internet connect computers in the school computer lab or
netbooks with webcams, video/Flip cameras, blogging website, Skype, Youtube.
Essential Questions: Based on the MCPS IESS curriculum, the essential questions that these lessons will
relate to are:
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Wymon H. Lee Global Classroom Pre-planning template
1. How does sunlight on various surfaces affect local air temperature?
2. How do scientists use instruments to observe, analyze, and predict the weather?
3. How does the movement of water in the hydrosphere illustrate equilibrium in nature?
Starting Activity Module: Students will engage in the lesson hook: “How weather changed history.”
Using the netbooks, students will view a series of short videos from the Discovery Channel series “How
weather changed history.” Students will then begin to set up a group blog and brainstorm ideas of how
being able to accurately predict the weather could affect their lives. The groups will then start scripting
question they will ask the next class via Skype or blog to the corresponding international class.
Lesson Plans:
Summary of Two Lesson Plans: The two lessons from this unit that I will outline is the first and the last
lesson:
1. Lesson 1: How Weather Change History: In this introductory lesson, students will first
brainstorm ways that weather impacts their lives on a regular basis. Then students will set up a
weather blog/online journal to record their weather data and thoughts from various lessons
throughout the unit. From there students will watch a series of short YouTube video clips from
the Discovery Channel’s “How the Weather Changed History.” Students will then leave
comments and thoughts on these videos on their blog site to share with their corresponding
global classroom partners. From here students will pose general questions about life where
their corresponding global classroom is to get to know and establish a working acquaintance.
2. Lesson 2: Weather forecast video: This is one of the last lessons in this unit. Students will
compose and create a Youtube video weather forecast and give reasons and justification for
their weather forecast. After posting, students will be viewing and critiquing the posted video
weather forecasts from their corresponding global partners for their accuracy and detail.
Summative Assessment: The summative assessment for these lessons will be the video forecasting of
the international location that the partner global classroom is located, using data to support the
forecast. Additionally, students will have to post constructive evaluations of the corresponding class
videos critiquing the accuracy and support they use to predict the weather. In turn, students will make
comments on the Youtube videos that have been uploaded.
Various Web Resources used during this unit:
1. When weather changed history: Titanic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwjTczi1fZc
2. When weather changed the world: Hindenburg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSlw8WBnKec
3. When weather changed the world: Washington:
4. When weather changed the world: London:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIYigHIlG0E&list=PLki90Aw2Gjde8Wr7wuwhblE77tvq2QJE3
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Wymon H. Lee Global Classroom Pre-planning template
5. When weather changed the world: Deadly force:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSlw8WBnKec&list=PLki90Aw2Gjde8Wr7wuwhblE77tvq2QJ
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6. When weather changed the world: Napoleon’s army:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXXimOEvrpc&list=PLki90Aw2Gjde8Wr7wuwhblE77tvq2QJ
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7. Napoleon continued:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT_p4CFsEW4&list=PLki90Aw2Gjde8Wr7wuwhblE77tvq2QJ
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8. How to forecast the weather info sheet: http://www.marisys.com/how-to-forecastweather_2010-05-26/
9. Forecasting the weather: http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/forecasttips.html
10. Weather Creator Interactive: http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/
11. How to predict weather game: http://www.edheads.org/activities/weather/
12.
13.
14.
15.
National Weather: weather.weatherbug.com
National Weather: http://www.weather.gov/
International Weather: https://www.weather.org/
International Weather: http://www.internationalweather.net/