The Great Vacation Debate
Background:
You and your best friend are planning a vacation for your families
over February break. Your parents want you to learn something
from the vacation, so they have given you several choices:
Belfast, N. Ireland, or Moscow, Russia (~55 degrees N. latitude)
London, England or Warsaw, Poland (~52 degrees N. latitude)
It’s your job to choose one of the combinations above, research
weather and climate conditions for those cities, and choose the
best city from the two. Then create a PowerPoint for your
parents explaining your choice of vacation destination. If your
PowerPoint isn’t convincing, you might not get to go!
Process:
1. Introduction: Tell who you are, what choices you had, and
which city you chose. List three things the audience will
learn during your presentation that will convince them that
you made the best choice.
2. Define weather and climate and explain the difference.
3. Tell how different weather occurs due to the constant
motion of the atmosphere. Explain how the heat of the
sun, combined with the rotation of the earth, causes wind
and causes the water cycle. Include the term convection.
4. Describe the location and climate for each of your cities.
Show your audience how your cities are either near or far
from an ocean. Include information on average weather
conditions for February.
5. Explain how the ocean causes differences in climate for
your cities. Use the terms specific heat, convection, and
ocean currents.
6. Name and describe the ocean current(s) that affect your
seaside city’s climate. Why is it a warm (or cool) current?
Why does it flow past your city? Where does it come
from?
7. Declare which city is your choice. Defend your choice with
information about climate and weather as well as local
attractions.
8. Include a list of websites you used for your information.
Google is NOT a source.
Web Sources:
Definitions of Weather and Climate
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/climateweather.html what
is the difference
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/climate.htm what is climate
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/Weather%20Words.htm
weather vocabulary list
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/climate/cli_de
fine.html what is climate and how it’s different from weather
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/wdl/climate/kids/kid1.asp what is
climate
The Sun and Earth’s Rotation cause weather
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/wind1.htm what causes wind
http://www.wxdude.com/page1.html the sun starts it all
http://www.wxdude.com/page13.html the sun heats the earth
unevenly
http://www.wxdude.com/page25.html water cycle
http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_is_convection.htm
what is convection
Location
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/ outline maps of US,
Europe
http://www.worldatlas.com/ more maps – choose your location
http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/ more maps – choose your
location
Climate/Weather for your Cities
http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/vacationplanner/?fr
om=secondarynav Type in the name and country of your city.
You can find average weather as well as attractions, hotels,
etc. here
http://www.worldclimate.com/ climate for cities around the
world
http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/losangeles/l/bl_la_temp.htm
Los Angeles climate info
http://www.travel-climate.com/ Choose the country and then
the city for climate info.
http://www.visiteurope.com/ccm/travel_information/climate/?
nav_cat=256293&lang=en_US European climate info – click on
the map to find info about your country.
How the Oceans affect Climate
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/educate/temps_ans.shtml
conduction, convection, radiation
http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/JRD/SCHOOL/002/mt002a_2.php
conduction, convection, radiation
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Water/ocean_
heat_storage_transfer.html&edu=elem why oceans affect
climate
http://physics.suite101.com/article.cfm/why_extreme_contine
ntal_climates why water moderates climate – includes
definition of specific heat
http://trc.ucdavis.edu/biosci10v/bis10v/media/ch31/climate_c
urrents_v2.html map of warm and cool ocean currents
http://www.mos.org/oceans/motion/currents.html ocean
current info
http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/climate/older/British_Climate.
html British Isle climate/current info
http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wxfacts/NorthAtlantic-Drift-Gulf-Stream.htm Gulf Stream info
http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/what-causes-oceancurrents what causes ocean currents
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/ci
rculation/ocean_circulation.html ocean current info
http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=215 Gulf Stream
info
http://www.cbs6albany.com/sections/weather/research/topics
/topicsixteen/ differences in water and land heat capacity
(specific heat)
Local Attractions
http://www.gotobelfast.com/thingstodo/index.cfm/level/page/
category_key/197/Page_Key/279/Parent_Key/0/type/Page/Pa
GeName/Things_to_do Things to do in Belfast
http://www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukibel03.htm
Belfast points of interest
http://www.moscow-taxi.com/4children/index.asp Moscow for
children
http://www.igougo.com/attractions-l585things_to_do_in_Moscow.html Things to do in Moscow
http://www.ukguide.org/london/attract.html London
sightseeing
http://www.londonpass.com/londonTopAttractions.asp Top ten
London attractions
http://www.warsawtour.pl/index.php?id=55&olang=5 Warsaw
for children
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/city/135/key_attractions/Eu
rope/Warsaw.html Warsaw attractions
Evaluation:
Omitted or
Below
Plagiarized (0 Expectations
points)
(7 points)
Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations
(9 points)
(11 points)
Introduction
None or text Some
is obviously requirements
cut and
met.
pasted
Most requirements Explains the purpose
met.
of your presentation
and lists at least three
things the audience will
learn.
Define weather and climate
and explain the difference.
Missing or text Some
is obviously requirements
cut and
missing.
pasted
All requirements
met.
All requirements met
and are clear, concise,
and complete.
Tell how different weather
Missing or text Some
occurs due to the constant
is obviously requirements
motion of the atmosphere.
cut and
missing.
Explain how the heat of the
pasted
sun, combined with the rotation
of the earth, causes wind and
causes the water cycle.
Include the term convection.
All requirements
met.
All requirements met
and are clear, concise,
and complete.
Describe the location and
climate for each of your cities.
Include information on average
weather conditions for
February.
Missing or text Some
is obviously requirements
cut and
missing.
pasted
All requirements
met.
All requirements met
and are clear, concise,
and complete.
Explain how the ocean causes
differences in climate for your
cities. Use the terms specific
heat, convection, and ocean
currents.
Missing or text
is obviously Some
cut and
requirements
pasted
missing.
Name and describe the ocean
current(s) that affect your
seaside city’s climate. Why is
it a warm (or cool) current?
Why does it flow past your
city? Where does it come
from?
Missing or text Some
is obviously requirements
cut and
missing.
pasted
All requirements
met.
All requirements
met.
All requirements met
and are clear, concise,
and complete.
All requirements met
and are clear, concise,
and complete.
Declare which city is your
choice. Defend your choice
with information about climate
and weather as well as local
attractions.
Missing or text Some
is obviously requirements
cut and
met.
pasted
All requirements
met.
List of Sources
None
Most sources seem List appears complete
to be listed
Presentation was Presentation was
interesting.
thoroughly enjoyable.
Pictures, diagrams, Audience participation
and photos used
encouraged.
for each slide.
Read from notes.
Power Point Presentation Skills Presentation
not made to
the class
Too few
sources listed
Presentation
lacked photos,
too much text,
or read from
slides.
Recommendations and
results are
exceptionally clear,
concise, and complete