Valeska Rickman
Lissete De Alba
Weather Fronts and Air Masses
Grade: 7
30-40 minutes
GLCE: E.ES.07.74
Describe weather conditions associated with frontal boundaries (cold, warm,
stationary, and occluded) and the movement of major air masses and the jet
streams across North America using a weather map.
Objective:
Students will be able to define cold, warm, stationary, occluded fronts as well as
air masses and describe the weather associated with these properties.
Materials:
For each group:
 1 glass bowl filled with room temperature water
 1 cup of hot water with red food coloring
 1 cup of cold water with blue food coloring
 1 marinating syringe
References:
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/af/frnts/home.rxml
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es200
2/es2002page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/TCR/0743936671_030-031.pdf
http://earthstorm.mesonet.org/materials/ref_weatherfronts.php
Ahrens, Donald. Essentials of Meteorology. 5. Belmont, CA: Thomson, 2008.
Engage:
Does everybody remember Halloween this year, just a few weeks ago? Who
went trick-or-treating? Anybody pass out candy? What was the weather like that
day? (warm and sunny) That’s right it was nice and warm and sunny. But what
happened just 2 or 3 days later? What was the weather like then? (cold and
cloudy) Why do you think that happened? How could that change in weather
come so relatively fast? Well, lets find out!
Explore:
Students will conduct the hands-on activity with different colored water
temperatures represented by different colors in a glass bowl.
Explain:
We will explain that cold and hot water behave the same way as cold and warm
air in the atmosphere. We will introduce the different types of fronts: cold, warm,
stationary, and occluded. We will also explain the properties of air masses.
Elaborate:
Students will predict what the weather would be like in a particular region on a
U.S. map depending on the fronts that are affecting the region.
Evaluate:
Students will have a homework assignment to bring back the next day, which will
ask what they have learned.
Hands-on Experiment
(Students will get into 3 or 4 groups of 4)

Students will have a bowl filled with room temperature water, a cup with
cold blue water, a cup with warm red water, and a marinating syringe.

They will take the marinated syringe and fill it half way with the cold blue
water.

They will insert the syringe about halfway down into the bowl then slowly
push the cold blue water out.

They will then fill the syringe about halfway with hot red water.

They will put the syringe halfway down the bowl then slowly push the hot
water out.

Students will observe to see what happens and record their findings on
the activity observations worksheet.
Activity Observations
What happened to the
cold blue water when you
put it in the glass bowl?
What happened to the hot red
water when you put it in the
glass bowl?
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
Draw what you saw
happen to the cold blue
water in the bowl.
Draw what you saw happen to
the red hot water in the bowl.
List of Facts
Air mass- Large body of air remains over an area for several days
or weeks, the body of air may change its thermal or moisture
properties according to the land or water under it. The air
exchanges heat with the land or water; either warming or cooling
until its temperature closely matches that of the surface below it.
Cold front- cold and warm fronts meet and cold front pushes
warm front up and away. Clouds form; result may be rain or even
thunderstorm.
Warm front- cold and warm front meet; warm front slides over
cold front. Condensation occurs and a drizzle or slow steady rain
results.
Stationary front- when neither air mass can overpower each other
and may not move for a long time. A long steady rain is usually
associated with this front.
Occluded front- may begin as a stationary front when cold air
moves on the west side of the line made by the front, while warm
air moves on the east side of the line. Eventually the cold air lifts
the warm air above it, so warm air is over the cold air mass.
Occluded fronts always bring precipitation.
Name: ____________________
Date: ________
Weather Conditions
1. Describe the different types of fronts located on the map below; identifying
them by color.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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________________________
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____________
2. Cold and warm front meet; warm front slides over cold front, condensation
occurs and a drizzle or slow steady rain results.
a) warm front
b) cold front
c) air mass
d) stationary front
3. Cold and warm front meet and cold front pushes warm front up and away.
a)
b)
c)
d)
warm front
cold front
occluded front
stationary front
4. When neither air masses can overpower each other and may not move for
a long time.
a) cold front
b) warm front
c) occluded front
d) stationary front
5. May begin as a stationary front; eventually the cold air lifts the warm air
above it, so warm air is over the cold air while still being pushed by the
cold air mass.
a)
b)
c)
d)
cold front
warm front
occluded front
jet stream
True or False
6. Stationary fronts usually produce hot, dry climates. T/F
7. Occluded fronts always bring precipitation. T/F
8. Air mass is a body of air that resembles the characteristics of the surface
under it. T/F
Fill in the blank
9. If air mass moves over land you get _____________ climate.
10. If air mass moves over water you get _______________ climate.