Weather, or Not!
Overview:
What causes changes in the weather? What are the effects of weather systems on temperature,
precipitation, and other weather conditions? In this investigation, students work collaboratively
to locate, collect, and analyze real-time (or archived) data to find changes in the weather. Based
on this data, they make predictions of the possible causes of these changes; then, using an
interactive map animation they confirm or refute their predictions. This inquiry-based lesson
allows students to make connections between the interactions of air masses and their resulting
weather conditions.
This is an excellent, engaging lesson that makes weather real and relevant and will give students
an opportunity to explore our nation’s weather, to track storms, and to whet their appetites to
further study of weather.
Lesson Concept:
Students will make connections between the interactions of air masses (fronts) and the resulting
weather conditions (temperature, humidity, precipitation, pressure, sky condition, and wind).
 A warm front is the boundary between the approaching warm air and cooler air. It is
depicted by a red line with semi-circles.
 A cold front is the boundary between the approaching cold air and the warm air. It is
depicted on the map by a blue line with arrows/triangles.
 The H stands for a high pressure cell or system.
 The L stands for a low pressure cell or system.


Fronts travel across North America from west to east.
High pressure areas usually have dry weather, clear skies. Because high pressure inhibits
clouds, the clear skies allow the solar radiation in, resulting in warmer temperatures.
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
1




Low pressure areas have unstable air, usually clouds and rain. Because air rises near low
pressure areas, it often results in cloud formation because as the rising air cools, it
condenses.
A cold front brings cold air resulting in lower temperatures. As a cold front moves into an
area, the heavier, cool air pushes under the lighter, warm air. The warm air cools as it
rises. If the rising air is humid enough, water vapor in it will condense into clouds and
maybe precipitation.
A warm front brings warmer air (resulting in warmer temperatures), but when it collides
with cold air, stormy weather results. As the warm air approaches, it goes over the dense
cold air ahead of it. As the warm air rises, the water vapor in it condenses into clouds that
can produce rain and snow.
Stationary fronts or occluded fronts may occur when warm fronts and cold fronts collide
resulting in clouds, rain, or snow.
CA Science Standards (6th grade):
Energy in the Earth System
1. Many phenomena on Earth’s surface are affected by the transfer of energy through radiation
and convection currents. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know the sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on Earth’s
surface; it powers winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle.
b. Students know solar energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of
visible light.
c. Students know heat from Earth’s interior reaches the surface primarily through
convection.
d. Students know convection currents distribute heat in the atmosphere and oceans.
e. Students know differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in
changes of weather.
NGSS Alignment:
MS-ESS2-5. Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of
air masses results in changes in weather conditions. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on
how air masses flow from regions of high pressure to low pressure, causing weather (defined by
temperature, pressure, humidity, precipitation, and wind) at a fixed location to change over time,
and how sudden changes in weather can result when different air masses collide. Emphasis is on
how weather can be predicted within probabilistic ranges. Examples of data can be provided to
students (such as weather maps, diagrams, and visualizations) or obtained through laboratory
experiments (such as with condensation).]
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect, Patterns
Science Practices: Using models, Analyzing and Interpreting data, Constructing explanations,
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. (Note: The Extension activities broaden
the scope of the practices used by the students.)
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
2
Common Core Connection:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under
study.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.3 Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing
claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
(Extend Lesson: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a
question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.)
ISTE NETS Standards:
1. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a
variety of sources and media.
2. Digital Citizenship
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning,
and productivity.
Cyberinfrastructure Tools:




http://www.wunderground.com/ for students to collect weather related data.
Google Form to allow students to enter collected weather data.
Google Spreadsheet to share data collected by students for different regions.
http://www.wunderground.com/ or http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/ for their
Interactive Weather Map and Radar to create an animation showing the change of
weather systems over a period of days.
Lesson Activities
Teacher’s Notes:
1. Prior to the teaching of the lesson, using weather information from
http://www.wunderground.com/, the teacher should a select a period of time (approx. 7
days) of “interesting weather.” It would be great to have a variety of weather systems
including a cold front. For example, this lesson featured the weather from January 26February 1, 2014.
2. The teacher should also select 8-10 cities that were affected (or not) by the weather. For
example, this lesson featured a variety of cities like Chicago, Fargo, Kansas City,
Nashville, New York City, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Atlanta, Austin, and North Platte.
These were chosen because the cities were affected by cold fronts, warm fronts, and high
and low pressure systems.
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
3
3. The teacher should create a survey using Google Forms asking for the following
information: names of students, name of city, date of observation, mean temperature
(actual), average humidity, sea level pressure, wind speed, precipitation, events/sky
condition. At the bottom of the survey, you will see a section called Confirmation page.
Select the box, “Show link to submit another response.” To share this form with your
students, you will use the blue button to “send form.” Copy the link and paste onto your
website for students to access it.
4. The students may now begin to collect data from http://www.wunderground.com/, the
Weather Underground site. To do so, the students enter a location (the name of their
selected city.) They will go to a page with weather data for that city. As they scroll down,
they will find and click on View Calendar Forecast. Here they will find decades of
archived weather data. (Note: the weather icon (sun, thunderstorm, snow) depicts the sky
condition and some events. As they click on the date (hyper-linked numeral), this will
lead them to the weather data for that day. Warning: Students might confuse the Actual
Mean Temperature with the Average Mean Temperature. They want to get the actual
temperatures, in the first column under Actual. Data collection may take an hour to
complete.
5. Google Docs will create a spreadsheet for the teacher to share the data with the students.
In the sharing settings, “Anyone with the link” should be selected under Visibility options.
Under Access, it should be Anyone (no sign in required) Can view. (You don’t want
your students to be able to edit the data!)
6. The teacher should organize/edit the data to group it by city and put it in chronological
order. It is now ready to be shared with the students by copying and pasting the link.
7. The teacher should make the animation of the weather map. To do this, go to
http://www.wunderground.com/. Under the Maps & Radar tab, select WunderMap.
Under Layers, select only Radar and U.S. Fronts. Click on the triangle to hide the Layers.
(Note: Near Layers there is also a Legend with the different kinds of fronts and
explanation of Radar colors.) Zoom out by clicking on continent or by using the zoom
in/out tool. Next, click on the calendar icon in the lower left hand corner of the page. This
will allow you to choose the dates of your animation. For example, select January 26,
2014 by clicking on the calendar or the drop-down options. Under Animation Duration,
select the number (7) and change the increments to days. (Note: Increments can be hours,
days, weeks, and even years!) To start the weather animation, press play (white triangle
in blue box.)
8. To share this animation with your students, click on Link & Share. Copy the link and
paste it on a website for the students to access it.
9. This lesson is designed to take place over a period of a few days. The data collection by
students should be modeled by the teacher and should occur prior to the lesson below.
Students should have some basic knowledge of what a cold or warm fronts are. Due to
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
4
time, it is suggested to focus on temperature change in this lesson, specifically the effect
of cold or warm fronts. The effects of high and low pressure systems or the cause of rain
and thunderstorms can be explored using the lesson idea or explored by groups of
students in expert groups as described in the extension lessons. Additionally, this lesson
gives students opportunity to practice making claims and citing evidence to support their
claims. If the students are proficient at this, the explore process can be streamlined with
the teacher expecting the students to write claims and evidence based on the patterns they
observe in their charts.
10. This lesson opens the door for many possible extension activities. It is very important to
keep the lesson as inquiry based as possible, so that the work is being done and the
connections are being made by the students with the teacher facilitating. The primary
website has dozens of possible uses and tons of material to use for similar activities.
ENGAGE
Teacher Does
Student Does
DAY 2--Teacher shows weather
report/broadcast.
(This can be played from the beginning or
could be cued up around 1:00 minute play to
about 2:03.):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05_qs_6J
Wg0
Note: Showing this video to the entire group
rather than allowing the students to view at
their own computers is much more efficient
and causes less confusion. Students may
want to see the video more than once.
Have you seen weather reports like this
before?
Teacher shows weather map with symbols.
What are these symbols and what kind of
weather systems to do they represent?
After students pair/share, teacher charts their
responses on the board, eliciting cold/warm
front and what those mean. Teacher also lists
questions for future research.
Students talk with partners or table group
about the symbols for cold and warm fronts
used on a weather map.
Students share responses with class and also
present questions for the class to consider
while continuing with the next steps of the
lesson, the concepts and topics that they
want to explore.
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
5
EXPLORE
Teacher Does
Student Does
DAY 1—Data Collection--First part of
lesson (prior to the Engage):
1. Teacher introduces students to the
Weather Underground website for data
collection: http://www.wunderground.com/
Teacher models the data collection process.
(5 minutes)
Warning - Some students may confuse
average mean temperature in an area over
time with the actual mean temperature for
each day.
2. Teacher provides a link to the Google
form for data entry and group collection.
Students should double check each other to
ensure accuracy before entering data onto the
form. (15 minutes)
1. Students log onto computers and choose a
location (from a teacher directed list). They
log onto http://www.wunderground.com/ to
view their location’s data on given dates temperature, pressure, humidity, and
precipitation, wind speed, and events/sky
condition (snow, rain, fog, thunderstorm,
etc.) (5 minutes)
2. Students enter their city’s data collected
from Weather Underground website onto
the Google form. (This activity will take the
students about one hour to complete, and for
some groups, up to one hour and 30 minutes
SPED and slower groups.)
DAY 2--Next part of lesson (after the
Engage):
1. Teacher asks: What causes the changes
in the weather? What patterns do you see
in the data? (Teacher models this process,
looking at data displayed for the whole class
to see. 5 minutes)
1. Students log onto computers accessing
compiled data and animated weather map.
They should also have their materials
including chart, construction paper map, and
colored pencils. (3 minutes)
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
6
2. Let’s examine some data together. Let’s 2. Students look at data to find changes in
weather.
look at North Platte, Nebraska. What do
you notice in the data? (They will see either
snow or temp drop.) Let’s be systematic
and put this information in a chart. The
chart will not only record our information,
but it will help to reveal patterns. (Teacher
displays chart for all to see and records a
change in the weather. For example, the
temperature dropped from ___ degrees to
___ degrees.)
3. What kind of weather system might’ve
caused this? Write your prediction in your
chart. (Ask students to share predictions.
Teacher accepts all answers.)
3. Students write in their chart, following
the teacher’s model. They write and share
their prediction of the cause of the weather
change.
4. Now, let’s look at the video of the
weather map showing North Platte. What
caused the lower temperatures? (Cold
front came in.) I wonder if that will always
happen with a cold front. Let’s see if we can
find it happening again. When looking for
patterns, I always make a chart. That way I
can gather my evidence and it makes looking
for patterns easier. Based on my patterns, I
can make a claim about what cold fronts do,
or in another case, what causes temperatures
to go up.
4. Students watch animation video on their
laptops and discuss reason for the change in
their groups before sharing with the class.
Then, they fill out their chart with the actual
reason and cite evidence.
5. In your teams, look for some patterns or
changes in the weather. Use the chart to
keep track of what you find. Make your
prediction of the cause and then look at
the weather maps to find the possible
cause. As you explore these patterns, begin
to formulate claims.
5. Students explore on their own, looking at
data, charting the changes, predicting the
causes, and watching the video to try to
figure out the effect of air mass movement
on the weather.
DAY 3
1. Teacher provides construction paper and
map of USA for groups to use to share what
they’ve found out with the class. (This
writing and discussion will give students a
chance to begin writing cause and effect
statements or “claims” about weather
1. Students use the map, colored pencils,
and the information recorded in their charts
to share what they found during this
exploration. They draw the appropriate
weather symbols on the map along with
“claims and evidence,” or statements about
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
7
systems and their effects.)
how their predicted reasons resulted in
changes in weather.
Use this map to visually share what you
have found out about the causes of
changes in the weather from at least two
cities.
An actual student example of data
supporting their claim or prediction: “In
North Platte, on the 29th of January, the
temperature rose from 9 degrees to 27
degrees. Just like we thought a warm front
came by making the temperature warmer.”
Include the appropriate weather symbols
and claims, statements showing cause and
effect about the weather systems and the
data. (The ability of the students and their
experience with making claims and
providing evidence will vary. Accept all
formative claims or even just cause and
effect statements. Students should be able to
cite evidence that supports or does not
support their claims.)
An actual student example of data not
supporting claim or prediction: “ In
Chicago, on the 29th of January the
temperature rose from -3 to 12 degrees. We
thought a warm front would (have) come
and make (made) it warmer, but a warm
front never came. The cold air that was there
just left which warmed up the temperature.”
2. Because students couldn’t examine the
data from every city, students use their maps
to share what they’ve learned with the whole
class. The teacher facilitates this class
discussion so that based on the patterns (i.e.,
in every city a cold front resulted in lower
temperatures) students could make a claim
about cold fronts. What generalizations can
we make about cold fronts?
2. Students share their maps and findings
with the class. They are also encouraged to
write about the questions that they have
about weather and weather systems. (Many
students naturally asked about stationary
fronts and occluded fronts and their effects
on the weather, the causes of rain, the
effects of low and high pressure systems,
etc. These questions will be researched in
the Extend portion of this lesson.)
Interestingly, some students may not report
data that didn’t support their predictions.
Teacher might want to ask: Did anyone find
evidence that didn’t support your reason(s)?
(Students will generalize that cold fronts
bring colder temperatures, but also
incorrectly generalize that all increase in
temperatures must be because of warm
fronts. Some students will be reluctant to
share when their prediction or hypothesis
was not supported by the data. These
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
8
situations are perfect springboards to further
learning and research.) Also, it is important
to use this discussion as a formative
assessment, to see what information the
students still need to learn.
EXPLAIN
Teacher Does (5 mins.)
Student Does (10 mins)
Teacher gives students this prompt: Based
on what you have learned, write at least
one claim about a weather system and its
effect on the weather. Be sure to provide
evidence to support your claim.
Students individually answer this prompt in
writing.
(For some students, the prompt might
need to be more directed, like “Write a
claim about a cold front and its effect on
the weather.)
EXTEND
Teacher Does
Student Does
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
9
What do you want to investigate about the
weather? How can you use the weather data
and maps from Weather Underground to
confirm what you learn from informational
texts?
Questions might include: What is a
______________________ and what kind of
effect does it have on the weather?(warm
front, cold front, occluded front, stationary
front, low pressure cell, high pressure cell)
Why do some cold fronts have rain or snow
but others don’t?
Why do some warm fronts have rain or snow
but others don’t?
What are the geographical origins of cold
and warm fronts? (6 main air masses that
affect weather in North America)
In teams, students pose weather related
questions and conduct short research
projects. Students use informational texts
and models found on websites to research
weather systems, to make a claim about a
weather system, and use weather data and
maps as evidence to support their claim.
They will present their findings in a
multimedia presentation using Prezi,
Popplet, or Google docs.
For articles about weather and weather
systems:
 http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weat
her/wstorm0.htm
For simulation of four fronts:

http://www.phschool.com/atschool/ph
sciexp/active_art/weather_fronts/
For weather info for kids:

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/inde
x.htm

http://geography.about.com/od/climat
e/a/highlowpressure.htm

http://www.ncclimate.ncsu.edu/edu/k12/Backgroun
dandBasics
STEM/WORKFORCE
PREPAREDNESS
CONNECTION
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
10
Teacher Does (Time)
Student Does (Time)
Teacher provides links to students:


Students will explore the sites related to
careers in meteorology. They will respond
http://www.meetmeatthecorner.org/ep
to questions about the nature of the work in
isode/an-interview-with-ameteorology, the tools a meteorologist uses,
meteorologist (video)
the education required, and employment
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/res opportunities.
ource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.kidmeteor/
kid-meteorologist/ (video about a 14
year old girl who is a “kid
meteorologist)

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/care
er-becoming-meteorologist.htm

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physicaland-social-science/atmosphericscientists-includingmeteorologists.htm

http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/
pdfs/careermet.pdf
Contributors: June Richards, Tim Bennett, Nancy Cotter, Kim Olsen
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Weather, or Not!(last updated 09/15/2015)
11