Presenters: CeCelia Carroll, Katie Guthrie
Date: 10-28-10
GLCE: E.ES.07.72 Describe how different weather occurs due to the constant motion of the atmosphere from the energy of the sun reaching the surface of the Earth.
Materials:
1. weather maps of the same area over a few days time
2. fronts activity handout, w/scissors and tacks
3. experiment procedure activity w/ bottles, hot and cold water, index cards, red and blue food coloring
4. computer with internet access
Prior Knowledge:
The students will know that the sun heats the earth. The students will know that the earth heats from the ground up, and that the lower level of the atmosphere is heated as well. Students will know that different areas have different surface and atmospheric temperatures due to the amount of sunlight it receives, and other contributing factors. Students will know that the atmosphere moves and be familiar with air masses.
Lesson Objectives:
1.
SWBAT state that the energy that effects the Earth comes from the sun
2.
SWBAT predict what will happen when a cold front occurs
3.
SWBAT apply what they learn from their activity to their future assignment
Engagement:
We will show a video of a current weather report, as well as the forecast the next few days.
The questions that should be asked for a pre-assessment are:
What did the reporter forecast?
Why do you think the forecast is different than the current weather?
What factors do you think influence the weather?
Why do you think the temperatures and weather are changing?
How does this happen?

Exploration:
The students will be doing an activity that shows convection occurring between two plastic containers of water. The water in each container will be different temperatures (one hot, one cold). This will represent the warm air and the cold air reacting to one another, just like the warm air reacts with the cold air in a front. The students will infer where they think the warm air is coming from, in relation to the cold air (as if they were talking about the actual air in the atmosphere) and will explain their reasoning. The teacher will guide the students to watch what happens as the different waters
(representing air masses) interact.
Explanation:
The teacher will explain that the sun is the driving force of energy on earth, and that the lower level of the atmosphere moves. There are areas that have a warmer surface, such as Florida, than other areas that have colder surfaces, such as Alaska. The students should know that the surface temperatures in
Michigan are lower than those in Florida, and so forth. The students also know that the Earth heats from the ground up. The activity sheet with fronts will show what happens when the atmosphere moves and what happens when different air masses come into contact with one another. The completed activity can be used as a reference for what happens as different air masses meet.
Elaboration:
Students will be shown different weather maps of the same area over a few days time. They will have to come up with their own weather report and give a forecast for the general idea of what will be happening, and what future weather to expect. They will not have to use exact temperatures, but will give a general idea of what is going to happen. This elaboration can tie in many GLCE’s from across the curriculum and within the same subject area. This will connect their knowledge to what is happening in the current physical world, and give them a real life connection.
Vocabulary introduced or redefined from previous use will be:
Cold front, Warm front, Cold-front occlusion, Warm-front occlusion, Air mass, Heavy, Steady, Moderate, and Light Precipitation
Evaluation:
There is constant evaluation throughout this lesson. There is a pre assessment following the engagement activity, which consists of the guided questions following the video. There is also post assessment going on when the students make their own forecast and weather report describing what is happening in the area presented. In this activity, the students will tell the teacher what they have learned through their vocabulary, description, and reasoning in their weather report/forecast.

Resources:
“HPC Daily Forecast Map Archive." Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC) Home Page. Web. 26 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/noaa/noaa_archive.php?month=10&day=24&year=2010&format=gif& cycle=12>.
Foster, Michael, Elizabeth H. Lindsay, Patricia Twohey, and Cayce Guiliano. Weather & Climate: Grades 4-6.
Greensboro, NC: Education Center, 2000. Print.
Wcoo.com: The Best Search Links on the Net. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://www.wcoo.com>.
Digital Library for Earth System Education. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://www.dlese.org>.