1
Brett Walker
EDG 4930 Section 0459
Weather and Climate PBI Unit
1. Intro
The title of my project is “Weather and Climate” and includes a detailed study of natural
disasters and how they affect our weather and climate. This project is geared towards 6th grade
students in an Earth and Space Science class.
The weather and climate unit will last two weeks, so exactly ten school days. The project
will be introduced on the first day of the unit and will be presented on the last day of the unit,
day ten. Students will be expected to pay attention to the material taught during the unit and to be
working on their project throughout the unit. On day nine, the day before presentations, students
will be given an entire class period to prepare for their presentations. Students will most likely
need to meet with their group members before or after school throughout the two weeks to
complete the project; however, this project is not very time consuming if organized and prepared
properly.
The central theme of the project is natural disasters. Students will be divided into groups
of six. Each group will be assigned a different natural disaster to study and present to the class:
hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, or earthquakes. The students may present their information in
any way they would like as long as they share with the class what the natural disaster does, how
it affects us, how it affects our weather and climate, why it occurs, how we can prevent it, how
we can study it, and how we can protect ourselves from it while it is happening. The important
thing is for students to understand natural disasters and how they affect our weather and climate.
During the unit, we will have lessons on weather and climate, hurricanes, tornadoes,
earthquakes, and volcanoes, and we will be taking a field trip to the Museum of Science and
Industry in Tampa, Fl. The four natural disaster lessons will give each group a basic
understanding of their natural disaster, which will help them research it further. Also, the field
trip allows the students to interact with natural disasters on a completely different and fun level,
which will help them understand the disasters and how they work even further.
As previously mentioned, students will be expected to present their final products to the
class on the tenth day of the unit, which will be a Friday. Students will be in groups of five to six,
depending on the amount of students in each class. The presentation topics will be earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Each group will be accountable for discussing
what they do, how they affect us, how they affect weather and climate in different regions of the
world, why they occur, how we can prevent them, how we can study them, and how we can
protect ourselves from them when they hit. Each presentation should be at least 10 minutes long
and not longer than 15 minutes. The groups can decide how they want to present their
information; students may use PowerPoint, poster boards, skits, songs, or any other method.
However, students will need to tell the teacher a few days before presentations how they plan on
presenting their information.
1
2
The product is most definitely an authentic representation of real world issues because
natural disasters happen frequently and can be a threat to us; many states experience tornadoes
and earthquakes. Florida is known for its hurricanes and volcanic eruptions are also threats in
Hawaii, Washington, etc. Natural disasters can destroy our cities and it is important for us to
understand how they work, how we can avoid them, and how we can protect ourselves from
them. The product will be presented to the class on Friday; all of the students’ parents have been
invited and are encouraged to attend the presentations. The teacher will also post the
presentations on the class website in order for the rest of the community to view the information
the students presented. It is important for the adult community to use science in their everyday
lives and to remember that natural disasters are extremely important. They have a humongous
effect on us and can be quite devastating. It is our job, as scientists, to understand how the earth
works so we can protect our societies. The students also need to learn about the different kinds of
natural disasters; they are very young and may know very little about them from their previous
education. Every Floridian should understand how hurricanes work and the risks that go along
with living in Florida; this also applies to those who live near volcanoes or shifting plates.
2. CTS
Part I- The CTS
Section and
Outcome
I. Identify Adult
Content
Knowledge
6th Grade Weather and Climate – CTS by Brett Walker
Standards- and Research-Based Study of a Curricular Topic
Selected Sources and Readings for Study and Reflection
Current Research on Topic
General Questions
1. What “big ideas” and major concepts make up this topic?
Science for all Americans focuses on ‘The Earth’ as its ‘big idea’ with a
very general overview of earth’s composition, surroundings, and cyclic
patterns. Science Matters zones in on a more specific major concept‘The Atmospheric Cycle,’ and explains subtopics like convection and
the weather, weather report jargon, the greenhouse effect, and global
climate change.
2. What new content did you learn or improve your understanding of?
As important as tides are to me as an avid surfer, I almost forgot that
they are caused by not only the moon but also by the Sun’s
gravitational pull. This is why there are usually two high tides every
day; the bulges on both sides of our planet are results of the
gravitational tugs of the sun and moon.
3. OMIT
2
3
4. What other new insights about the topic did you gain from this reading?
A completely new concept I learned is that the same phenomena the
ocean experiences with tides being caused by the Sun and the Moon
also happens with the layer of air blanketing earth- it experiences the
‘high-tide effect’ too.
IA. Science for All Americans
Chapter 4, The Earth, pages 42-44
1. What enduring understandings should all adults, including teachers,
know about this topic?
All adults should know that the moon and sun have a gravitational
pull on the earth that cause tides to raise about twice each day. A
similar phenomenon occurs with the atmosphere as well due to the
sun and moon’s gravitational pull. As far as we know, Earth is the
only life supporting planet in our solar system. The Earth is able to
retain its atmosphere due to its large mass that is capable of its own
gravitational pull, and adulterating the delicate percentages of
specific gases within that atmosphere can be detrimental to our
global ecosystem. Earth is located at a perfect distance from the Sun
so that water is able to exist in all three states of matter (not so for
any other planet in our solar system.) All adults should definitely
know that the Sun is the main energy source and is responsible for
heating earth’s surface. They should also know that the tilt of earth’s
axis and its revolution around the sun results in differential heating
on earth’s surface (and its atmosphere). These differences in
temperature, combined with rotation, are the reasons for the seasons!
Lastly, it is the energy transfers of this renewable heat that result in
different layering of temperatures in our atmosphere.
2. What rich interconnections within the topic emerge from the
reading?
The reading connects earth’s massive atmosphere to everyday
human life. It talks about the oceans and atmosphere as being huge
natural systems that are capable of absorbing and recycling profuse
amounts of materials. Then, it interconnects this natural recycling to
humans by reminding us that the atmosphere is only able to
withstand a certain margin of change without having measurable
effects on global ecology. If there is a disturbance large enough, it
could produce very unfavorable effects on humans.
3. How does the reading help you see what a K-12 education is aiming
toward?
3
4
I am pleased to see that this book encourages K-12 education to
maintain a large perspective. Rather than scoping out to only
discussing why there are seasons or how seasons affect climate, the
book discusses reasons why they exist in the first place in relation to
our planet within our solar system (mainly providing an explanation
linking climate to solar radiation.)
IB. Science Matters
Chapter 14, The Atmospheric Cycle, pages 202-205
Chapter 18, The Greenhouse Effect, pages 270-274
1. How does the reading clarify the content of the topic? What additional
content knowledge did you gain from this reading?
This reading pointed out the ‘average Joe’s’ interpretation of how one
should distinguish amongst weather, seasons, and climate. It
summarized those three key terms as all being cycles, but more notably,
they are all cycles with respectively increasing lengths. This
interpretation is correct, and page 246 also indicated another
commonality: they all involve Earth’s atmosphere. I learned that the
atmosphere behaves similarly to earth’s mantle! (convection)
2. How does the reading help you identify the basic ideas underlying the
science topic?
This reading identifies the basics of the topic as being the layers of the
atmosphere, understanding convection as a mechanism, defining key
terms often used by weather reporters, learning the importance of
carbon’s role in earth’s climate, and the results of excessive addition of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It breaks it down into easy-tounderstand sections within my ‘big idea’ of weather and climate
systems.
3. Are there explanations or vivid examples you can use with students to
explain concepts in an interesting, comprehensible way?
Yes! I could relay to students that the earth’s atmosphere behaves
similarly to its oceans. Like the currents in the ocean, which I earnestly
hope each student has seen or experienced, the air circulates. Also like
the ocean, the atmospheric system has layers that are pressure and
temperature dependent. (My class that I have been observing has just
completed learning about convection as a method of heat transfer and
have even built models themselves to represent it in earth’s mantle. If a
student is utterly (and tragically) unfamiliar with the ocean and its
currents, I could ask the student to pick up their model they made,
which are all still sitting in the back of the classroom, and describe to
4
5
me the process of convection specifically detailing which temperatures
and densities tend to transfer in which general direction.)
II. Consider
Instructional
Implications
General Questions
1. What suggestions are provided for effective instruction of the topic?
The reading materials in this section suggest that students solidify
learning when projects or activities are completed in (or out of) class
because the demonstration of concepts with models that they can
manipulate help then be active with their own learning. When students
learn something that they ‘really get,’ it encourages them and boosts
their confidence. This leads to them feeling capable of conducting their
own scientific investigations so that they can gain the understanding of a
concept. It also suggested that students should seize opportunities to
learn science outside and in nature by keeping a field notebook and
recording their observations. After this, students are encouraged to share
their observations with their community including their family, friends,
teachers, and classmates.
2. What student learning difficulties, misconceptions, or developmental
considerations are mentioned?
The phases of the moon continues to have numerous and reoccurring
misconceptions among students (and even some adults.) Reasons for
seasonal changes are another big topic that many students have a
difficult time thinking out.
3. Does the reading suggest contexts, phenomena, representations, or
everyday experiences that are effective in learning in the topic?
Yes, a great example would help clarify the previously mentioned
concept of the phases of the moon. Since all of the students have
probably seen the different phases of the moon at some point or another
in their lives, they may have an understanding of what each phase looks
like, but they might have a hard time understanding or explaining why
the moon looks the way it does during each phase. An activity that
involves a ping pong ball, cut out paper, and a flashlight could easily be
set up for the student to figure out how they could model the process
on their own.
IIA: Benchmarks for Science Literacy
4B, The Earth general essay, page 68; grade span essays, pages 67-60
1. How does the general essay help you gain a K-12 “big picture view” of
the topic?
5
6
Our earth is a large and complex system. With any large and complex
system, it will take a long time to repeatedly instill the basic concepts of
in order for students to piece all together. This is why it takes years and
years for students to build up knowledge that will last them a lifetime on
this subject matte
IIB: National Science Education Standards
Grades K-4, Standard D essay, pages 130, 134; Vignette Weather, pages 131133, and Weather instruments, page 136
Grades 5-8, Standard D essay, pages 158-159
Grades 9-12, Standard D essay, pages 187-189
1. How do the essays and vignettes illustrate the central role inquiry plays
in learning the ideas in the topic?
I found the middle school student development to be particularly
crucial to the role inquiry plays because it is in my future Earth and
Space Science class where I will be responsible to link these two
cosmic systems. By linking these two systems (earth and the solar
system), I provide the foundation for students to investigate an infinite
number of relations between and within earth’s major systems (the
geosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.) Inquiry is responsible for
providing students with a desire to learn about things that they may or
may not have direct access to. What students have seen their whole
lives up till the fifth grade will provide the foundation to what they will
build upon in middle school. If a phenomena cannot be seen directly by
the student, perhaps it was an inquiry lesson that has taught or will
teach it to them.
2. OMIT
III. Identify
Concepts and
Specific Ideas
General Questions
1. Which learning goals align well with the topic?
Earth and Space systems is quite literally the biggest system taught in
schools. Well, it covers the greatest amount of space anyhow. Anything
that has to do with earth or space systems could will align with my
topic. Some example of learning goals include climate and weather of
course, as well as basic understandings of astronomy, geology, and
paleontology.
2. What concepts, specific ideas, or skills make up the learning goals in
this topic?
6
7
Earth’s dynamic oceans, energy gained from the Sun each day, and the
atmosphere that encompasses it all have everything to do with weather
and climate. Science changes, just like the earth! So if the earth is
changing and constantly evolving, so is science. The thought that
humans are the main contributor to the unusually high recent climate
changes is a valid scientific thought. Learning about how our
atmosphere works and what the differences between weather change
and climate change is important for science education and our future.
3. OMIT
4. How do these goals help you determine what you can eliminate or place
less emphasis on?
Age breakdowns of when specific learning goals are best taught at
helped me to know which ones to spend less time getting into details
on. With this CTS being mainly aimed for helping a sixth grade science
lesson, I looked at the content that would be deemed as prerequisite
knowledge for an eighth grade student so that I will not deny any
students from learning the things they will be responsible for in the
future. After reading, I now know what I should and should not
incorporate into my lesson plan.
5. OMIT
6. How do the ideas in the Benchmarks compare to the ideas in the
NSES?
Both books use a similar format that involves the theme of building
upon previous knowledge in order to finally gain a firm understanding
of Earth and Space that gradually paints a picture into a masterpiece.
Benchmarks suggests that teachers should ask “provocative” questions
for students to work out in their minds. They should be attention
grabbing and open ended, yet have a correct answer. The NSES urges
that “it is important to maintain the spirit of inquiry by focusing the
teaching on questions that can be answered by using observational data,
the knowledge base of science and processes of reasoning.” Because
most things in and on Earth and out in space are not able to be directly
observed, both books presented ideas to get the learning goals of each
benchmark in each students attention with a way to logically figure out
any described process.
IIIA: Benchmarks for Science Literacy (omit all)
4B, The Earth, pages 67-70
IIIB: National Science Education Standards
7
8
Grades K-4, Standard D, Objects in the Sky, page 134; Changes in the Earth
and Sky, page 134
Grades 5-8, Standard D, Structure of the Earth System, pages 159-160;
Standard F, Natural Hazards, pages 168-169; Risks and Benefits, page 169
Grades 9-12, Standard D, Energy in the Earth System, page 189; Standard F,
Natural and Human Induced Hazards, pages 198-199
1. 1. What facts, concepts, principles, or theories are embedded in the
standards?
The standard under Earth and Space Science in K-4 calls for students to
“develop an understanding of: properties of earth materials, objects in
the sky, and changes in earth and sky.” Embedded within this is the fact
that earth materials like the air, water, soil, and rocks are all things that
provide us with the resources we use every day. Students at this age
should learn to observe and describe objects in the sky that they might
come across like birds, planes, and clouds. They should know that the
moon, stars, and sun are not located on this earth, but in outer space. K4 students will also learn to describe the patterns of these objects above
and know that weather has the potential to change every day and can be
described by how hot or cold the air is, which way the wind is blowing
from, and how much it is raining.
The standard under Earth and Space Science in 5-8 calls for students to
“develop an understanding of: the structure of the earth system, Earth’s
history, and Earth in the solar system.” Students will be well rehearsed
with the concept that the earth has different layers made of different
compositions. They will know that heat transfers like mantle
convection drive theories like plate tectonics. Because of plate
tectonics, constructive and deconstructive forces exist and continually
(but at many various rates) shape the crust with different structures.
Soil has a different chemical composition than solid rocks do, but are
made up partly by finely weathered rocks. Students will also
understand that water is a solvent that plays a large role in many cycles
by dissolving various gases and minerals and transporting them into
oceans. The oceans, lakes, and ice caps cover the majority of the earth’s
crust and water circulates from this crust in the oceans and land up
through the atmosphere and back down again via evaporation,
condensation, and precipitation. Students will know the composition of
the atmosphere at being a combination of mainly oxygen and nitrogen.
An important fact for my specific topic within this standard is that
condensing water vapor forms clouds which have an effect on the
regions climate and weather where they exist over. Since water is good
at holding heat, oceans are great for regulating temperatures. The
atmosphere fluctuates similarly as tides do and thus causes an effect on
local weather. Humans and other living organisms can affect all of
these systems. The processes that occur today mirror those that
8
9
happened in ancient geologic time, evidence in rocks and fossils
provide proof of this principle (formally known as the Principle of
Uniformitarianism.) Students will learn where earth is located within
the solar system and that it, like many other things in the solar system
behave in such a manner that is often able to be predicted. The force of
gravity, and the basic fact that the sun is the source of energy that fuels
countless processes on earth. Lastly, this standard states that seasons
are caused my how much heat a vast region of the surface of the earth
receives. The reason this heat received varies is due to earth revolving
on its tilted axis and its revolution around the sun.
The standard under Earth and Space Science in 9-12 calls for students
to “develop an understanding of: energy in the earth system,
geochemical cycles, origin and evolution of the earth system, and origin
and evolution of the universe.”
2. How do the organizers used in the standards help you think about how
to organize ideas in a topic?
They help to display how I should choose the ideas for my lesson that
are most pertinent to my 6th grade classroom. The book does this in
such a way that caters to how much time a teacher has at that moment,
and how in depth he or she wants to go within the topic. It is truly
wonderful and encourages me to not focus on one detail for too long if
it means there won’t be time left to address a major sub topic within the
topic. It organizes content standards within Earth and Space Science for
grades 5-8 into three subtopics that “all students should develop an
understanding of.” These subtopics call for students to understand
earth’s history, and the structure of it acting as both its own system and
as a part of the solar system.
IV. Examine
Research on
Student Learning
General Questions
1. What specific misconceptions or alternative ideas might a student have
about this topic?
The most prevalent difficulty that came up for students studied in the
Existence of Air passage was the idea that air is not a material matter.
Students described in these research studies expressed that air had
similar properties (or lack thereof) as “thoughts” might have.
2. Are there suggestions as to what might contribute to students’
misconceptions or difficulties?
This misconception (described in the previous answer) was
understandably due to the fact that air, although a material matter, is not
always a visible nor tangible matter. Some students only conserved
9
10
mass for air when it was directly affecting their senses like when a
strong gust of wind is felt or smoke from a fire can be seen.
3. OMIT
4. Is there an age or grade where students are more likely to learn certain
ideas in the topic?
The Sere study on page 105 of Making Sense of Secondary Science
explicitly breaks down their results and offers a clear suggestion to
teachers: “although some students between the ages of 11 and 13 think
that air has negative mass (that is, the property of ‘lightness’), the
concept of air having mass is easily acquired when taught at the age of
13.” This conclusion was most probably made because at this age, most
students are completing middle school and have had a solid foundation
of Earth within the solar system and are more than ready to begin
thinking more microscopically.
5. How does the research draw attention to important prerequisites?
According to the CPALMS website, elementary school benchmark
‘SC.3.E.5.4’ requires students to “explore the Law of Gravity by
demonstrating that gravity is a force that can be overcome.” In order for
students to have deep knowledge regarding what air is and how its
properties affect weather and climate, it is crucial that students are able
to draw upon a solid foundation of prerequisite knowledge detailing
gravity as a mechanism that influences almost everything on this
planet. The research conducted by Ruggiero et al discovered an
intriguing relationship that 12 and 13 year olds made between the
relationship of gravity and air. Some students believed that the two
were “inseparable,” and that objects don’t fall in outer space since it
lacks an atmosphere. They based their reasoning on this by writing “in
the absence of air, weight becomes zero.” Research like this signals
educators to make sure that students assess, activate, and if necessary
reteach prior knowledge/ prerequisites.
IVA: Benchmarks for Science Literacy
1. How can the research be used to clarify the benchmark ideas? (read The
Role of Research on page 327-329)
The research methods and results presented in this section reveal many
ways educators can begin to elucidate benchmarks for their lessons.
Rewording complex controlled experiments into a simplified ‘fair
comparison’ has been found to be suitable for younger/elementary aged
students. Also, the incorporation of prerequisite knowledge into
10
11
benchmarks helps clarify what exactly the students are learning that is
new to them. For example, if a high school benchmark’s idea has a
similar concept to the corresponding middle-school grade level’s
benchmark, incorporating prerequisite knowledge in the high school’s
benchmark will help to link the benchmarks across the K-12 range and
conspicuously reveal the parts of the concept that have been reworked
to be more/less detailed.
IVB: Making Sense of Secondary Science: Research into Children’s Ideas
Chapter 13, Existence of Air, pages 104-105; Wind, page 111
1. Are there examples of questions or tasks that could be used to find out
what students know about the topic?
Yes, Wind gave an example of some students’ ideas of what wind is
and described a common theme amongst the students accounting wind
by means of things they could directly see like the moving clouds or
changing tides. I could ask an open-ended question that directly asks
my class “what makes wind?”
Existence of Air details a study that confirmed 11+ year old children
know that air exists in open containers by providing them with an open
ended question about the properties of air. I would also be interested to
see what middle school students will say when I ask, “can there be air
without wind?”
2. Are there suggestions for helping students avoid or overcome
misconceptions?
Absolutely. Wind outlines what the major misconceptions found in the
study were which included some students ideas that wind is caused by
earth’s rotation relating to the cooler temperature at the poles. Students
also incorrectly linked strong winds with cold winds and gentle breezes
with warm winds. To fix this, Making Sense of Secondary Science
suggests to point out that wind is caused by differentiating pressures
between the layers within our atmosphere.
3. Is there a framework or set of rules students use to reason about ideas in
the topic?
Yes, Stavy’s study described on page 104 in the book gave students a
framework that involved the prediction and conduction of an
experiment. This study asked students to formulate a hypothesis
relating the result of how much a CO2 cartridge would weigh both
before and after it was utilized to make carbonated water AND how
much the cup of “soda” would weigh both before and after the gas
11
12
bubbles had escaped. This framework in particular reminded me of the
framework I utilized in my acid rain lab which hinted students to (by
designing their own experiment) hypothesize how much a limestone
rock would weigh before and after being exposed to a weak acid. Some
students successfully thought to test not only the initial and final weight
of the rock sample, but also of the saturated and unsaturated solution of
the vinegar provided.
V. Examine
Coherency and
Articulation
V: Atlas of Science Literacy
1. How does a map help you trace a concept or skill from its simple
beginning to a culminating, interconnected, sophisticated idea?
An arrow connects one benchmark to another and the concept the arrow
stems from needs to first be understood by the student before he or she
is able to fully grasp the one the arrow is pointing to. In one case on my
map there is a double arrow. This means that the concepts within them
are interrelated. In other words, a student cannot truly understand one
concept without the other.
2. What connections can you identify among concepts or skills in the
topic?
Atlas of Science Literacy eloquently quotes that “Logic alone is seldom
adequate to characterize growth of understanding. Psychological and
developmental factors must also be considered.” The connections
between benchmarks in this book are not only based off of the content
matter, but they also reflect how the students learn. The benchmark
boxes have concepts that link to another box by an arrow that points to
essentially the same concept presented in a more advanced way. This
often includes the addition of new key terms and other new learning
skills.
3. What connections can you identify to different content areas within and
outside of science?
Learning about earth patterns and systems is vital to science education.
Connections within science can be made stemming towards learning
about how these processes are fueled by heat transfers and
understanding that a heat transfer is an energy transfer. We can connect
this to the behavior of earth’s atmosphere by learning about and
observing the different patterns it exhibits. Outside of science, skills in
other content areas are needed. What is science without math or
physics? Teachers must make the connections jumping from subject to
subject in order to show students that everything in this world is a
system and thusly is related.
12
13
4. What prerequisite ideas can you identify for learning the topic at your
grade level?
Students in the K-5 range should have acquired the following
prerequisite knowledge: the Sun heats earth’s surfaces; liquid water can
turn to gas or vapor through a process called evaporation; excess heat
that we may need does not escape our planet thanks to the greenhouse
effect that traps it in the atmosphere; weather may change by the day or
even hour, however climate change spans for longer periods like years,
decades, or eras.
5. How do the “storylines” or conceptual strands in a map help you think
about the way to coherently organize the concepts and skills in a topic?
Rich interconnections among the concepts showed me how to sort out
the specific skills within a topic. A good, solid concept map should
show this organization, and the storylines within the map encourage me
to demonstrate the same coherency skills while I am teaching my topic.
6. How do the map and its narrative section improve your overall
understanding of the topic?
The narrative section was most useful to highlight specific key terms
that are integral to learning my benchmark. I gained a large perspective
of the topic by being able to look at what a student in the K-12 system
will be expected to learn over the entire course of his or her school
career.
7. How do the skill benchmarks relate to the knowledge benchmarks?
Skill benchmarks articulate what students should physically already be
able to do. If presented with a form of assessment, the skill benchmarks
describe the task that the student ought to be able to complete. A skill
benchmarks sets up a knowledge benchmark, which describes what
concepts the students should know from a previous grades.
VI. Clarify State
Standards, 21st
Century Skills,
and District
Curriculum
General Questions
1. Which suggestions from Sections II-V align well with your state or
district standards or frameworks? Where do you see gaps that need to
be addressed?
Clearly this or any CTS is going to be way more thorough on a given
topic than most state or district standards will be, but Alachua County
Public School’s pacing guide does still provide a solid outline for 6th
13
14
grade Earth and Space Science. The specific benchmark concepts
within both align perfectly, but as far as addressing teaching
techniques, sharing research, and recognizing common student
misconceptions, the ACPSPG is lacking. The “Suggested Resources”
column has the potential to be a gold mine for teachers, yet has
suggestions like “periodic table in back of textbook” paired with a
moderate cognitive level benchmark like: SC.8.P.8.4 which asks
students to “classify and compare substances on the basis of
characteristic physical properties that can be demonstrated or measured;
for example, density, thermal or electrical conductivity, solubility,
magnetic properties, melting and boiling points, and know that these
properties are independent of the amount of the sample.” Seriously?
For any teachers that wish to have resources on this topic, please feel
free to use this CTS as a reference. I have also provided book titles with
page numbers next to each section of this CTS. The readings from
section II discussed the importance of instilling a big picture into
student’s minds and then elaborating deeper and deeper on that picture
in order to get a full understanding. Section III honed in on looking at
guides to the content standard and detailed information on weather and
climate systems. Section IV’s theme was student misconceptions within
this concept and possible underlying/prerequisite concepts.
2. How does the addition of cognitive performance verbs affect the
learning of the ideas in the topic? Are the verbs in your state or district
standards appropriate for the nature of the content and researchidentified difficulty of the ideas in the topic?
My benchmark is a level 2 cognitive complexity and appropriately calls
for students to ‘differentiate.’ This cognitive performance verb affects
how I would expect my students to demonstrate knowledge when given
an assessment. The verb also might play a role in how I design the
assessment. In this case, I feel that presenting the students with
descriptions of various cities’ weather or climate, students will be able
to match each description to the correct key term.
3. How can the research findings inform the placement of your state or
district standards? Are they appropriately places, or are there some that
may need to be reconsidered?
The research seems to have been consulted and incorporated by the county
standards because the pacing guide flows well with sorting content
matter and building upon prior knowledge throughout the K-12 system.
After reading through the pacing guide, a teacher will be able to
understand what a child at that benchmark in time is expected to know
already, and what might be new to them.
14
15
4. How do the readings improve your interpretation and understanding of
the concepts and skills associated with the topic in your standards,
curriculum guide, or materials?
Without these readings, I could not hope to teach as good of a lesson as
I could after reading all of the provided materials and writing up this
CTS. Also without these readings, I would not have understood how
much I did not know (or at least needed to brush back up on.) As they
say, the more you know the more you realize you don’t know.
VIA: State Standards: Link Sections II-IV to learning goals and information
from your state standards or frameworks that are informed by the results of the
topic study.
1. Which learning goals in your state standards are integral to learning the
ideas in the topic?
Earth systems and patterns is the fundamental learning goal in my
standard. This goal encompasses all of the benchmarks that are needed
for this topic. The next learning goal listed in the standards is Earth
Structures, which is a very interesting topic that may help some
students understand earth’s systems and patterns, however it is a bit
more advanced, so I would incorporate it wisely.
2. How did reading sections I-V help you better understand the meaning
and intent of your standards or frameworks?
I learned about handling student misconceptions, identifying what
every adult should know about the topic, and how concept maps help
both student and teacher understand the interconnections between Earth
and Space Systems.
3. How did your results help make a bridge between a broad content
standard and a learning goal?
Starting out with a specific benchmark topic like “differentiate between
weather and climate,” I was able to bridge that learning goal to fit into
the big idea of Earth systems and patterns by completing this CTS and
reading up on all of the provided materials listed in sections I-V.
4. How can the study results help you improve K-12 articulation of your
standards?
By looking at the results, I was able to point out what a fifth grader
knows that a third grader doesn’t, or even what an 8th grader knows
that a sixth grader doesn’t. I now know what details I should refrain
from getting into until high school. I also found the Atlas of Science
15
16
Literacy book very helpful with improving my stand-back view of what
students need to know at each age.
5. How do the end points in the 9-12 section of your standards related to
the topic compare with the adult literacy ideas in Section I?
Adults should have basic knowledge on the topic that would be
equivalent to the benchmarks represented in the 9-12 section of my
standards. It is true that many adults will know far more on the topic
thanks to college and other resources, but sadly it is also possible that
not many know earth’s systems and patterns including patterns of
weather and climate created partly by our atmosphere because some
adults still have not achieved in getting their high school diploma.
6. How do the results of Sections I-V improve your understanding of
students’ opportunity to learn and demonstrate your state standards?
Since I am now familiar with what students have learned in the past
working up to this section, I am able to activate that prior knowledge by
asking open ended questions related to weather and climate to assess
where they stand. During this introductory discussion on the topic, this
CTS has also prepared my ears to hear red-flag misconceptions and
assess them quickly.
VIB: District Curriculum Guide or Instructional Materials: Link Sections II-IV
to learning goals and information from your district curriculum guide or
instructional materials that are informed by the results of the topic study.
1. Which concepts or skills, essential to developing a coherent
understanding of the topic, are included in your district curriculum
guide or curriculum materials? What gaps would you fill, based on your
study?
My students will be expected to fully know the difference between
weather and climate. Since we live in Florida, and not all students have
experienced many different types of colder temperate climates. For a
student that has not seen snow before, describing the effects of how
serious a blizzard can be is an important gap to fill in order to reach the
learning goal.
2. How do the results help you recognize that some topics need to be
revisited within or at different grade levels with new contexts and
increasing sophistication of concepts?
The results specifically helped me recognize the misconceptions
students had and how to address them. The results also made me
recognize that revisiting topics that may be easy to understand, but
16
17
difficult to define is important. Going back over the mechanisms that
drive various weather phenomena like convection within ocean currents
is key to making sure the knowledge foundation I will be building upon
with these students is solid.
Part 2- The Narrative
Completing this curriculum topic study gives me a clear guideline that explains the order
concepts should be taught in. I was familiar with how interconnected the atmosphere is with
other earth systems because I know that the atmosphere encompasses the entire biosphere and
geosphere, but I am now able to detail specifically those interactions and why they occur. Most
importantly, I am able to realize what type of scientific jargon I should and should not use during
my lesson while describing these phenomena.
This CTS also trained my ears to listen for misconceptions that will immediately raise red
flags to me so that I can address them to that student and to the whole class. If one student has a
misunderstanding of how a process works, it is just about guaranteed that others in the classroom
will too. Prerequisite knowledge outlined in the CTS is essential to see what concepts the
students understand and are able to build upon. For example, a concept a fourth grader should
know is that weather can be discussed by using descriptions like temperature, amount of rain,
and wind speed/ direction. If I just assumed every child in my sixth grade class knew this
already, how could I ask them to differentiate between weather and climate?
The ‘big picture’ view of this topic this CTS provides me combined with the detailed
sections within the associated readings aids me as a teacher by giving me a deep understanding
of the content material- probably deeper than any other middle school teacher who hasn’t
completed a CTS on the topic. For this class, it will act as the blueprint for the construction of
my PBI unit. It guides me by organizing information on my topic. I started out with numerous
17
18
resources and loads of information. By answering the questions within the sections of the CTS, I
was able to break down the vast amount of information and sub-divide it into a few of the
broadest concepts. After this was complete, I determined which specific ideas and learning goals
made up each of these concepts and figured out which ones will be breaking new ground for my
middle school class. Matching these specific ideas to the concepts aligned in the benchmarks
within my standard in the pacing guide for Alachua County helped give me a suggestion of
where my students are at and where they need to be as I develop my PBI unit.
Working at the museum with the children that visit with their families or come with their
school has often put me in positions where I have to spontaneously make assumptions on what
content a child knows solely based on the age I guess the child to be around and what grade level
that is associated with. This CTS now acts as a resource that I can refer to again and again even
after I use it to develop my unit. Writing it has helped me to understand which specific key terms
that certain age groups should be familiar with or not. I am excited to practice my explanations in
words that may be understood to very specific age groups the next time we have a home school
day program because these programs are flooded with students literally ranging from
kindergarten to twelfth grade.
This CTS has provided me with a wealth of information that would undoubtedly be
useful to other teachers. It has prepared me for misconceptions, detailed ideas within concepts of
important benchmarks, and taught me how to organize a lesson or unit by dividing up the
information out there into sections that can be understood by different age groups. Here is an
idea to close, why doesn’t each teacher take a weekend (or even one hour each weekend) to work
towards completing just one CTS for a topic that they teach. These CTSs that can be geared
18
19
towards several benchmarks could then all be posted under the resources column in their
county’s public school district pacing guide.
3. Project Challenge/Engage and Driving Question
Engage
The engagement is a five-minute YouTube video entitled “Top 10 Infamous Natural
Disasters of the Last 100 Years”. As the title indicates, this video allows us to journey in time all
the way back to the 1930s; we explore the worst natural disasters that were the deadliest and the
most expensive. The teacher will open up the lesson by asking the students what natural disasters
they have experienced or have heard on the news before. The five-minute video will then be
showed to the students, who will be quietly listening and making mental observations. The rest
of the class period will be spent introducing the project and understanding the previous
knowledge and misconceptions students have about natural disasters. The video ties perfectly
into the lesson in that they discuss the major natural disasters; the challenge will then be read
where our Earth is having a major natural disaster crisis that needs to be solved by the student
scientists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW2qCK0I6cw
Challenge
Attention fellow scientists! Something has gone terribly wrong with our planet! All over
the world we are experiencing natural disasters that are wrecking our lands and endangering our
people. We need several teams of the best and most knowledgeable scientists to help us survive
and study these harsh conditions. You have been offered the position to work with other
esteemed scientists and geologists to study the various natural disasters that have occurred. Each
team of six will be given a different task: to study the hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, or
volcanic eruptions that have been documented all over our planet. It is your mission, if you
choose to accept it, to study them, figure out how and why they are occurring, and how
dangerous they can be. Most importantly, we want to know how they will affect our weather,
climate, and people both short-term and long-term. Lastly, you will need to gather information
on how we can avoid them and how we can stay safe when they happen. This information will
need to be presented as soon as possible in the form of a PowerPoint presentation or a one-page
essay. Our planet’s future depends on you!
Driving Question: How do natural disasters affect our weather and climate across the world?
Additional Question: How do natural disasters affect humans?
4. Final Concept Map and Background
The final concept map is shown below and revolves around our weather, climate, and
natural disasters unit. Therefore, the concept map revolves around three important points:
19
20
weather, climate and natural disasters. Weather and climate are both very important to us;
weather has short-term variability while climate has long-term variability and is basically longterm weather. In order to predict weather we can use a variety of instruments, such as:
barometers (measures air pressure), thermometers (temperature), psychrometer (humidity), rain
gauge (amount of rain fallen over a period of time), wind vane (direction of blowing wind),
anemometer (wind speed), and hygrometer (water vapor).
The natural disasters the students will study and present are earthquakes, hurricanes,
tornadoes, and volcanoes. The unit also discusses hail, wildfires, floods, lightning, and tsunamis,
which are learned about in a fun and interactive way at the Museum of Science and Industry,
which is the field trip to Tampa, Fl.
Lastly, the concept map shows students what is expected of them for the group
presentations. The groups of six students will answer the following questions about their
assigned natural disaster: how they affect our weather and climate, how they affect humans, how
we protect ourselves from them, how we predict them, how we study, and how measure them.
20
21
21
22
5. Final Project Calendar
Week 1 of 2
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Topic:
Introduce
driving
question
Weather and
Climate
Weather and
Climate
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Type of
Lesson:
Investigative
Benchmark
Benchmark
Investigative
Investigative
Objective -Recognize
(s): the driving
SWBAT question
-List natural
disasters
-Differentiate
between
altitude and
elevation
-Differentiate
between
weather and
climate
-Classify
weather and
climate
instruments
-Explain the
differences
between
weather and
climate
-Classify the
different
hurricane
categories
-Identify how
they affect
humans in
Florida
-Identify the
different
types of
tornadoes
-Recognize
where
tornadoes
occur
frequently
Engage -Discussion
on
experiencing
disasters
http://www.yo
utube.com/wa
tch?v=fW2qC
K0I6cw
- Play video:
<--See
http://www.yo
utube.com/wa
tch?v=5REsC
TG4-Gg
- Pose
questions
about altitude,
elevation, &
instruments
-Show students
5 different
pictures of
hurricanes
and have them
categorize them
-Students
will have a
class map
and, using
stickers,
place them
where they
believe
tornadoes
occur the
most
Explore -Project
challenge
-Create a
weather/clima
te/natural
disasters
concept map
on a large
piece of paper
-M&M
activity
-Graphing
activity
-Formative
Assessment:
A&D
Statements
-Hurricane in a
bottle
http://www.stev
espanglerscienc
e.com/experime
nt/tornado-in-abottle1
-Tornado
chamber
activity as a
class
http://kidsahe
ad.com/exter
nal/activity/2
32
<--See
22
23
Explain -Each group
will present
and explain
their concept
map to the
rest of the
class
See -->
-Explain
importance of
weather and
climate during
a trip
-Reflect on and
share graph
trends
- P-O-E Probe
-Groups make
future weather
predictions for
Florida
-Review A&D
statements
-Explain the
differences
between the
hurricane in the
bottle and a real
hurricane
-Go over the
five categories
in depth
-Explain
tornadoes
-Tornado
chamber vs.
hurricane in
bottle
Elaborate -How to
research
natural
disasters
properly How do we
study natural
disasters?
-Why do we
study natural
disasters?
See -->
http://beyondp
enguins.ehe.os
u.edu/issue/we
ather-andclimate-fromhome-to-thepoles/weatherstationsteaching-thescience-andtechnologystandard
-Build a
classroom
weather
station.
-Assessment
task:
Match weather
tools with what
they measure.
-Discussion on
the difference
between a
tsunami and a
hurricane
Evaluate -Pre test on
the different
natural
disasters
See -->
-PostAssessment
Handout
Exit ticket
-I used to
(teacher shows a think...now I
hurricane
know
picture and
students
categorize it)
-Discuss and
research
where
tornadoes
occur most
frequently
-Discuss why
tornadoes
-We simulated
occur the
the hurricane
with water and a most in
certain places
bottle. How
-Use this
would we
website to
demonstrate a
look at
tsunami in the
classroom right interactive
tornado maps
now?
http://www.
wundergroun
d.com/tornad
o/
23
24
Assessme -Teacher
nt(s): written basic
pre-test on
natural
disasters
- A&D
Statements
formative
assessment
Resource http://www.yo http://www.yo
Requirem utube.com/wa utube.com/wa
ents: tch?v=fW2qC tch?v=5REsC
K0I6cw
TG4-Gg
PowerPoint
PowerPoint
-P-O-E Probe
formative
assessment
-Post
assessment
-Exit ticket
-I used to
think...now I
know
http://beyondp
enguins.ehe.os
u.edu/issue/we
ather-andclimate-fromhome-to-thepoles/weatherstationsteaching-thescience-andtechnologystandard
-PowerPoint
-Handouts
http://www.stev
espanglerscienc
e.com/experime
nt/tornado-in-abottle1
http://www.
wundergroun
d.com/tornad
o/
http://kidsahe
ad.com/exter
nal/activity/2
32
Week 2 of 2
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Topic:
Super
volcanoes/
Volcanic
Eruptions
Earthquakes
Field Trip
Student work
time
Student
presentations
Type of
Lesson:
Investigative
Investigative
Investigative
Investigative
Investigative
-Identify nine
different types
of natural
disasters
-Analyze the
effects of each
natural disaster
on Earth’s
weather and
climate
-Analyze
each of the
four natural
disasters and
how they
affect Earth’s
climate and
weather all
over the
world
-Describe how
Objective -Classify the
(s): different types an earthquake
could have a
SWBAT of volcanoes
based on their lasting effect
main
on weather
compositional and climate.
differences.
-Link each
category of
volcano to
where it is
-Compare and
contrast the
damages
caused by
natural
disasters
24
25
typically
found on earth
-Recognize
recent
eruptions and
their affect on
climate.
Engage Supervolcano
movie clip
-Pose
questions on
the possibility
of an
earthquake
affecting
climate.
-Pose question
of earthquake
affecting
weather.
-Discussion of
students’
knowledge on
weather and all
natural
disasters
-Go over project -Four class
rubric
presentations
Explore -Plot data
points to see
anomaly
within general
trend and
explain what
it could be.
-Give
locations of
earthquakes
and have
students find
them on a
map.
-Students will
explore the
Disasterville
exhibit at
MOSI
-Group work for -Four class
the remainder of presentations
class
Explain -Describe a
legitimate
metaphor of
how a volcano
affects long
term climate.
(Burning food
in the kitchen)
-Formative
Assessment:
A&D
statements
-None
necessary at
this time
-Group work for -Four class
the rest of class presentations
Elaborate -Predict and
describe two
scenarios of
how a volcano
(1) would and
(2) would not
affect climate.
-Predict and
describe the
weather
before and
after an
earthquake
occurs.
-Students will
watch MOSI’s
IMAX show
“Under the
Sea”, which
explores the
wonders of the
oceans as well
as “the impact
-Group work for -Four class
the rest of class presentations
25
26
of global
climate
change”
Evaluate -With a roster,
ask students
random
evaluative
questions to
gauge
understanding
and address
any
misconception
s.
-Go over
-One page
A&D
paper due on
statements
Friday
and review
questions they
have about the
explore and
explain.
-The project
that will be
presented
tomorrow as a
group
-The group
presentation
is the
evaluation
and
assessment
Assessme Classroom
nt (s): Discussion
Formative
Assessment:
A&D
statements
-Students will
write a one
page paper on
what they have
learned about
hailstorms,
floods,
lightning,
wildfires,
tsunamis, and
predicting
weather from
visiting MOSI
-The project
that will be
presented
tomorrow as a
group
-Teacher
evaluates
student
presentations
Resource - Movie:
Requirem Supervolcano
ents: -PowerPoint
-Class
handout
-Colored
pencil
-Class
handout (with
map)
-Colored
pencil
-PowerPoint
www.mosi.org
None
None
26
27
6. Final Lesson Plans
Day 4 Investigative Lesson: Hurricanes
Engagement
Time: 5
minutes
What the Teacher Will
Do
Teacher Directions and
Probing Questions
-Have five different
pictures of hurricanes on
the board
-The students will identify
which categories they are
-Good morning everyone!
Today we will be exploring
hurricanes.
-How many of you have
been in a hurricane before?
Student
Responses/Possible
Misconceptions
-How do we classify
hurricanes?
-[On how dangerous
and how powerful
they are]
-What are these
classifications?
-[They are
categories]
-So what do we know about
these categories?
-[They range from 1
to 5, with 5 being the
worst and 1 being
the least harmful and
strong]
-Great! On the board I have
five pictures of different
hurricanes. Now that we
know there are five
categories let’s identify
which category the
hurricanes belong to!
-Was that easier or harder
than you expected? Why or
why not?
Exploration
Time: 15
minutes
-The teacher will divide
the class into five groups
and have each of them
create their own hurricane
in a bottle using the
-[Harder because I
do not know what
the differences
between a category 3
and 4 hurricane look
like]
-You will be working with
the four other people at your
table
-In order to understand how
hurricanes work, we need to
27
28
guidelines from this
website:
see one for ourselves.
Obviously we cannot
observe a real hurricane
http://www.stevespanglers since that is very dangerous
cience.com/experiment/tor and there are not any
nado-in-a-bottle1
hurricanes right now!
-The teacher will go over
the instructions
-The teacher will help
each group
Explanation
Time: 10
minutes
-The teacher will have the
students share with the
class what they learned
from the activity
-Instead, we are going to
create our own!
-I have a list of materials
and instructions for your
group that we will go over
before we begin the activity
-Let’s get started!
-For those who have seen a
hurricane, is this different
from the hurricane in a
bottle? How?
-[A real hurricane
has many more
affects, such as
tearing down
buildings and
harming people,
while this just
showed it twirling
around. Hurricanes
also cause lots of
rain and wind, which
we didn’t see in the
bottle]
-How does the duration of
the hurricane in the bottle
compare to the duration of a
real hurricane?
-[The hurricane in
the bottle only lasted
a few seconds while
hurricanes can last
days!]
-Have you heard of
tsunamis before?
-[Yes]
-The teacher will then
help the students identify
the differences between
the five hurricane
categories
Elaboration
Time: 10
minutes
-The teacher will have
students explore the
differences between
tsunamis and hurricanes
-I think so [No]
28
29
-The teacher will have the
students brainstorm ideas
on demonstrating the
difference between
hurricanes and tsunamis
-Are they similar to
hurricanes since they both
occur in water?
-A tsunami is a series of
waves formed by volcanic
explosions, landslides, and
other underwater explosions
-Hurricanes are powerful
storms that are formed over
warm ocean waters during
warm months
-Now that we properly
know their definitions, we
understand that they are
very different!
-Today we were able to
create our own hurricane
using water and a bottle.
Since hurricanes and
tsunamis occur in water,
how could we demonstrate
tsunamis in a fun way?
-[Putting water in a
plastic tub, placing it
on the desk, and
shaking the desk to
mimic a landslide or
volcanic explosion]
-I want you to brainstorm
with your group for five
minutes. We will then share
our answers with the class
and come up with the best
option; we might be able to
build it if we have the time!
Evaluation
Time: 10
minutes
-Teacher will have the
students fill out an exit
ticket; the teacher will
have a picture of a
hurricane on the board and
they will have to
categorize it; the exit
ticket will have the
category on it
29
30
Brett Walker and Nicole Steele’s 2-Day lesson
Title of Lesson: What is the difference between weather and climate?
UFTeach Students’ Names: Brett Walker and Nicole Steele
Teaching Date and Time: Friday, March 15th 10:25-11:15; Monday, March 18th 1:45-2:35;
Monday, March 18th 1:45-2:35;Tuesday, March 19th 1:45-2:35 pm
Length of Lesson: 100 minutes
Grade / Topic: 6th Grade/Earth and Space Science
Source of the Lesson:
M&M activity http://littleshop.physics.colostate.edu/activities/atmos1/WeatherClimate.pdf
Exploration data for Orlando, FL 2012
http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/vacationclimatology/monthly/USFL037
2
Concepts:
Weather affects our everyday lives and is defined by a variety of factors. Wind direction
describes which way the wind is coming from. For example, although a wind blows towards the
east, it is still called a west wind because west winds blow from the west. The magnitude of how
fast a wind blows is called wind force or wind speed. Precise speeds are measured in miles per
hour, knots, or kilometers per hour. People also use general terms to describe how strong the
wind is blowing like calm, gentle, moderate, strong, or galing. Amount of precipitation is also
important to describe weather. This is typically reported daily as rainfall, but precipitation also
includes measurements of snow, sleet, and hail. The outdoor temperature can be measured in
degrees of Fahrenheit or Celsius and is key to describing weather. People also report the weather
by describing what the sky looks like. They might say it is sunny, clear, foggy, misty, or report
the approximate percentage of cloud cover in the sky.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/whatisweather/aboutweather/flash_menu.shtml
Climate refers to a region's average weather patterns over a more extended period of time. It is
not the same as weather, and it can be calculated and recorded over vast amounts of time and
space. It is dynamic, and often has variations. Spatially, climate can be specific to a region like a
city or can be described to a global scale. According to the Florida Climate Center, climate can
be expressed over any amount of time that is longer than one month. Climate data of months,
seasons, years, decades, and eras can be accessed.
http://climatecenter.fsu.edu/topics/climate-variability#climatevs
Florida State Standards (NGSSS) with Cognitive Complexity:
Benchmark Number
Benchmark Description
Cognitive Complexity
SC.6.E.7.6
Differentiate between weather and climate.
Moderate
Performance Objectives: Students will be able to:
30
31

Explain the difference between weather and climate.
Outside of our only given benchmark, objectives that students will learn include:
Classify instruments used to measure weather and climate data
Differentiate between altitude and elevation.
Materials List and Student Handouts







25 Student name tags
Converted engagement YouTube video
1 or 2 bags of M&Ms
8 paper bags for M&M activity
8 copies of exploration worksheet
1 data sheet per group (each group will have a different month)
25 copies of evaluation
Advance Preparations




Set up converted engagement YouTube video on board
Put orange and blue M&Ms in paper bags
Print out and organize 8 copies of exploration worksheet and 1 copy of data sheet per
group
Print out and organize 25 copies of evaluation
Safety

Teacher should check beforehand for any students with peanut allergies and create a
different explore for them to complete in a separate classroom. It would be much easier
(and more kind to the allergic student) to simply use colored beads instead of MM’s if
there are allergy issues. Or bring Mike and Ikes
5E Lesson:
Engagement
Time: 10
minutes
What the Teacher Will Do
Teacher Directions and Probing
Questions
Student Responses/Possible
Misconceptions
31
32
-Begin class with greeting and
re-introduction.
-Instruct students on what is
important to watch in this
video and play video.
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=5REsCTG4-Gg
-The teacher plays video.
“Good morning everyone! My
name is Ms. Steele/ Walker and
today we are going to be learning
about weather and climate and how
they act as systems on Earth and
within our solar system.
-[Good morning!]
“I am going to play you all a video
that a 7th grade girl made for her
middle school science class. She
built her own rocket ship and using
many tools, technology, and a
weather balloon, she was able to
actually send it up into outer space!
The music is fun, but the words at
the bottom that you should be
reading go fast, so don’t get too
caught up in how awesome this
video is if it means you miss out on
reading the important information
she is sharing.”
“Alright, so what types of
measurements were the tools that
were strapped onto the rocketship
taking?”
-[Okay.]
-[Temperature?]
“Anything else?”
“What is altitude? Where might
you have heard that word before?”
-Is there a difference between
elevation and altitude?
-If you were on top of a mountain
and wanted to know how high up
you are, would you be measuring
altitude or elevation?
-If you were on a plane and you
wanted to know how high up you
are, would you be measuring the
-[Wind speed? Altitude, etc.]
-Elevation? How high in the
sky you are?
[I heard it once on an
airplane when the pilot
announced that we reached
our “cruising altitude.”]
-[Yes]
-[Elevation, which is the
height above sea level]
32
33
altitude or elevation?
“What kinds of tools are used to
take measurements like air
pressure, temperature, or altitude?”
“This video you just saw clearly
presents information about altitude
and temperature. Who saw a
relationship between these two
values?
-[Altitude, which is the
height above the surface of
the Earth at a particular
location.]
-[Barometers for air
pressure, thermometer for
temperature, and an altimeter
for altitude.]
33
34
-The teacher will transition
into the exploration
-Now that we know more about our - YAY! Why can’t you be
atmosphere and weather, let’s get
our teacher ALL the time
started!
yayyy!!!!
Exploration
Time: 40
minutes
What the Teacher Will Do
-The teacher will begin an
engagement/exploration
activity with the class
Teacher Directions and Probing
Questions
-Before we begin our activity
today, let’s make sure we
completely understand weather and
climate with an activity.
-Each group will be given a bag of
M&Ms candy. With this bag, we
are going to explore the weather
and climate in Florida.
-There are several different colors
-The teacher will pass out bags of M&Ms in each of your bags:
of M&Ms to each group
Please look up here at the
(teacher should make sure the PowerPoint to see which colors
amount of orange and blue
represent different types of weather
M&Ms in each bag are not
here in Gainesville for a couple of
extremely different)
days next month.
-Teacher will read out loud
-Now that each group has a bag of
which type of weather each
candy, let’s begin!
color represents
-I want each group to open up the
bag, and with your eyes closed,
choose one M&M randomly. What
color is it? That’s the weather on
April 1st. On a given day this year,
like April 1st,
-Did you know you were going to
get the color you got?
-Let’s do this one more time! This
time, we will be trying to predict
the weather for April 2nd.
-Can you predict which colors in
the bag you will pull out?
-Do you have a hypothesis?
Student Responses/Possible
Misconceptions
-[Okay!]
-[Says Color]
-[No]
-Please close your eyes and have a
34
35
different group member blindly
select an M&M from the bag. What
color did your group get this time?
-What does that color represent?
-[Not really]
-[Orange or blue]
-[Yes, either red orange
yellow blue brown red or
green. It can’t be white if the
colors in our bags represent
weather for Gainesville in
April]
-Now I want you to take out all of
your M&Ms in the bag and count
how many pieces you have of each
color
-Let’s have each group share which -[Says color]
color they got the most of.
-[Replies with correct
-Did you notice that we don’t all
matchup on slide
have the same number of, for
example, orange pieces but they
did not differ greatly?
-Is there a pattern?
-How does this relate to climate
and weather?
-
-The teacher will introduce the
exploration activity (duration
of ~15 minutes)
-Using these results, take this data
you have observed and collected to
discuss the trends you see in the
“daily weather” of your bag. What
was the general trend of the whole
bag?
Could you have interpreted this
larger scaled general trend of the
whole bag by just looking at one
“run” or time you picked out a
single candy?
If this general trend represents the
“climate of this bag, what could
you do or add to the bag to change
it’s climate?
-[Yes]
[Yes!]
-[Year to year, our weather
for a particular day or month
is not drastically different
from the year before. We
noticed a pattern with
M&Ms. If we look at
weather over a long period
of time, we see a pattern
which is climate]
-[Okay]
[No.]
-[I could add more of just one
color for the climate to shift
towards that type of weather
pattern. That color needs to be
sustained and recurring for it to be
described as a change in climate.]
35
36
-Now that we have a better
understanding of differentiating
between weather and climate and
how to predict it, let’s get started!
-We are going to analyze
temperature in Florida from last
year, 2012. You will be working in
your groups of three you are
already sitting with. Each group
will be given a different month to
analyze. Using the temperature, we
are going to create graphs and
share them with the rest of the class
to see if we notice any patterns or
relationships.
-I will go around the room and
hand out a sheet of paper to each
group. Please write your names and
the date (today is March ___)
-What is the x axis?
-What is the y axis?
- The teacher will circulate
around the classroom and help
the students
-The teacher will ask the
students probing questions
-The teacher will use a
formative assessment to
-If we are going to create a graph
what should our x axis be?
-What will our y axis be?
-Please follow the instructions on
the worksheet
1. Draw your x and y axes
2. Label the x and y axes
3. Plot your temperature using the
data sheet I give you.
- Every day has an average
temperature associated with it. This
is the information you will be using
for your graph!
-The average temperature data is
for Orlando, FL from 2012.
-Tomorrow we will share our
-[It is the horizontal line on a
graph]
-[It is the vertical line on a
graph]
-[The days in the month we
are analyzing]
36
37
understand the knowledge of
her students (duration of ~15
minutes)
graphs with the class.
-If you have any questions please
do not hesitate to ask!
-[Temperature]
-Why is it important for us to
analyze last year’s temperature?
-Do you notice a pattern while
plotting your data points?
-Do these temperatures appear
strange for the time of year you
were assigned? Why or why not?
-For this activity you will need to
be paying attention and watching
the board. You can discuss the
statement with your group
members. I will have a statement
on the board. I am going to give
each of you a blank piece of paper
that I want you to write your names
on. First, we are going to fold the
paper in half like a hot dog (teacher
will show the students). We are
then going to fold it in half again
like a hamburger. You should now
have four different sections.
For right now, I’d like each person
to number the back of their
worksheet paper 1-4. On the board
I will write five statements. We
will start on the first one and I will
give you a couple of minutes to
think about and discuss the
statement with your group (if you
want) and write down whether you
agree or disagree with the
statement and why. Remember,
your answer does NOT need to be
the same as your group members.
You can respond with: agree,
disagree, depends on (state what it
depends on), or not sure. I also
want you to decide how you would
-[It tells us about climate and
can help us predict the
weather for this year]
-[Our line is
increasing/decreasing]
-[Yes or no]
-[Because it is usually warm
in May; because I think it is
usually cold in January]
37
38
find out if the statement is true or
false. We will then share our
answers with the class!
1. Climate is affected by all
weather patterns.
2. . Snow and ice make it cold
outside.
3. Cold days are caused by the
clouds covering the sun.
-[Agree; climate occurs over
a long period of time and can
also be known as long term
weather]
-[Disagree; Snow and ice are
the results of cold
temperatures, not the cause]
-[Disagree; the temperature
of a given day is dependent
on time of year, location,
altitude, etc.]
-[Agree]
4. Weather is predictable
-The teacher will transition
into the explanation
-Our time is up for today!
-We will continue to work on
weather and climate tomorrow!
Explanation
Time: 20
minutes
What the Teacher Will Do
Teacher Directions and Probing
Questions
Student Responses/Possible
Misconceptions
-Imagine yourself waking up in the
morning and wondering how you
should dress for school that day.
Consider what you have learned so
far about the terms weather and
climate.
Since I am in Florida and it is the
middle of March, what could I
expect the outdoors to be like?
Would I use climate or weather?
-Would we use climate or weather
when we open our doors in Florida
and realize it is actually cold and
cloudy outside?
-[Climate.]
-[Weather.]
-Which term would you use to
38
39
consider how to pack for a trip to
New York City to watch the New
Years ball drop on the first of
January 2014?
-But didn’t we just said that the
weather is able to change hour to
hour and day to day?
-Weather, because I’d ask a
relative or someone what the
weather was like up there
and then pack accordingly.
-Oh yeah! I could use the
weather forecast!
-Right, you could use the weather
forecast! We have many tools that
can help us predict weather. It is
important that we understand how
to study and record weather
patterns, which is what we will be
exploring tomorrow!
-Great! Which could be more
useful to know on the day of your
imaginary flight to NYC, the
weather or the climate near the
airport you plan to arrive at?
-What is one thing you learned
from yesterday’s lesson?
-[The weather.]
-[How weather is different
from climate; that a 7th
grade girl from California
launched a rocket into
space!; that weather from
last year follows a pattern,
which helps us
record/predict climate]
-Great! Yesterday we graphed
temperature from Orlando that was
recorded last year. I will hand out
your graphs again so you can
refresh your memory.
-[Yes, temperature
-Does your graph have a trend?
increases/decreases]
-We are now going to have each
group stand in front of the
classroom and quickly draw their
graph on the white board. It does
not need to be perfect; we just want
the class to have a basic
understanding of the weather
pattern for your month. I would
39
40
like you to hold your graph up
high, so everyone can see it, tell us
the month you analyzed, and
explain to us the trend and what the
average temperatures are for the
month.
-Why is it important to analyze
weather from previous years?
-[To give us an idea of next
year’s temperature; it also
allows us to see how our
climate is changing]
P-O-E Probe!
-Thinking about what you have just
explored with the M&M activity
and what you graphed on your
paper, we are going to do a short
prediction activity.
-Let’s have a discussion on the
weather and climate of Gainesville
in 2014.
-Each group please work together
and write down on a single sheet of
paper what you think the weather
for January 24th will be.
-Then write down what the weather
for May 16th will be.
-Then write down what your group
predicts August 12th, 2014 to be
like.
-Last prediction, write down what
the weather on
November 29th will be like.
-Is there any guarantee that any of
these predictions any of you made
will be precisely true?
-[There is a possibility.
Weather has short-term
accuracy, which means it is
easier for us to predict
tomorrow’s weather and it is
much harder to predict the
weather for this June.]
-Great! I’d like you to use the same
dates, but this time, predict the
climate of the month the date is in.
-[They are completely
different.]
-[They are the same.]
40
41
-Observe the data in Orlando for
the dates you were given and
compare them to your predictions.
What do you notice?
-Explain why you chose each
weather and climate for each of
these four dates.
-Which one was more of a guess?
Which one was more of a
prediction?
-Lastly, recall how yesterday we
wrote whether we agreed or
disagreed with five statements and
why? I am going to give you a few
minutes to review your answers
before we share our answers with
the class! I know that we have not
discussed all of the answers to the
statements yet, but it is important
to explore other things besides the
differences between weather and
climate. We need to have a basic
understanding of how weather
works and how snow and ice affect
our weather.
1. Climate is affected by all
weather patterns.
-[They are not the same but
they are very similar.]
-[Predicting the weather of a
date was more of a guess
based on what I am used to
seeing in that month’s usual
climate. ]
-[The climate of the month
was probably more accurate
because even though my
answer might not reflect
what really happens in 2014,
it is likely. This is due to the
expected seasonal changes
Gainesville experiences.
-[Agree; climate occurs over
a long period of time and can
also be known as long term
weather]
-[Disagree; rain is spherical]
-[Disagree; Snow and ice are
the results of cold
temperatures, not the cause]
-[Disagree; the temperature
of a given day is dependent
on time of year, location,
altitude, etc.]
-[Agree]
2.. Snow and ice make it cold
outside.
41
42
3. Cold days are caused by the
clouds covering the sun.
4. Weather is predictable
-The teacher will transition
into the elaboration
-Let’s move on!
-Alright!
Elaboration
Time: 20 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do
Engaging students to
participate in learning about
weather and climate in a
hands-on way is essential to
actively teaching a PBI-unit.
This elaboration sets up the
classroom with a weather
station for students to record
weather daily based on the
observations they make with
the tools they build. Teacher
should follow this link to view
Teacher Directions and Probing
Questions
-Let’s say we wanted to record
weather every day during this class
period. How are we going to do
this?
-In order to create a weather station
we need to figure out what we are
going to record. What are some
http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu. examples?
edu/issue/weather-andclimate-from-home-to-thepoles/weather-stationsteaching-the-science-andtechnology-standard
-How would we go about
measuring air temperature (think
-If the students are having
back to the video we watched
difficulties answering these
yesterday of the girl from
questions, the teacher can
Gainesville)
show the students the link
above at this time
-How would we measure
precipitation for our weather
station?
-Wind direction?
-Wind speed?
-Air pressure?
-Humidity?
Student Responses/Possible
Misconceptions
-[Create a weather station!]
-[Air temperature,
precipitation, wind direction,
wind speed, air pressure, and
humidity are a few we could
measure]
-[Thermometer]
-[Rain gauge]
-[Wind vane]
-[Anenometer]
-[Barometer]
-[Hygrometer]
42
43
-Which of these instruments had
you never heard of before?
Included on this website are
many great links that
demonstrate how to make
various tools to record weather
with such as a thermometer,
barometer, rain gauge, wind
vane, etc.
-In order to make an awesome and
successful weather station right
here in the classroom, we need to
do more research. Let’s look at this
website and actually look at the
weather instruments.
-Now that you have seen the
pictures, do you recognize more of
the instruments?
-The teacher can show the
students what each of the
instruments look like by going
to the website, scrolling down,
and clicking on the “build your -We are now going to test our
own weather station” link.
knowledge! On the screen we have
pictures of 6 different tools that
Also included on this website
help us measure and record
is a link to download an
weather. For each tool, we need to
assessment task that
identify which ones measure
interactively has students
pressure, humidity, and
match a picture of a tool they
precipitation.
learned how to create with
what it records and how it can -What tools do we think measure
be used.. Due to time, students atmospheric pressure?
will not be able to create their -You mean a manometer?
own weather stations.
-You have the right idea, a
Throughout the elaboration,
manometer does measure air
we are encouraging the
pressure, but who remembers what
students to do this at home.
a meteorologist might use to
measure the pressure of the air in
the atmosphere?
-[I had never heard of an
anenometer and
hygrometer!]
-[Yes! When i saw a picture
of a wind vane I realized I
had actually seen one
before!]
-A pressure gauge? Like
what I use to check how full
my bike tires are?
-Yeah!
-[A Barometer!]
-What is humidity?
Towards the end of the year, a
weather average can be
construed to find the school’s
climate for the year!
The teacher should also
encourage students to take
-What tool would a meteorologist
use to measure humidity?
-[The amount of water vapor
in the air.]
-There are numerous tools that are
designed to measure precipitation.
What are some examples of these?
-[A hygrometer.]
-[A standard rain gauge, an
electronic rain gauge, a
weather radar, weather
43
44
what they have learned at
school and build the same
instruments at home to take
weather measurements there.
(Optional: After many months
pass, the teacher will then ask
the students to calculate what
the climate of the property
their house is on. Which
student had the highest and
lowest records? Did this reflect
the global trend they learned
about changes in latitudes?
Why or why not? (Since most
of the students probably live in
the same city, was this minute
change in latitude enough to
tell a difference?)To find out
what latitude the students
house lies on, ask them to
follow this link to download
google earth if they do not
already have it.
http://www.google.com/earth/
download/ge/agree.html
satellites, a disdrometer, and
a hail pad.]
Evaluation
Time: 5
minutes
What the Teacher Will Do
-The teacher will pass out the
evaluation
-(See below for handout)
Teacher Directions and Probing
Questions
Student Responses/Possible
Misconceptions
-For the last 5 minutes of class I
would like you to please answer a
few questions for me so I can see
how much you have learned from
yesterday and today.
-Once you are finished with the
assessment you can raise your hand
and I will come to collect it from
-Are we allowed to work
you.
together with in our groups?
-No, please work on this
individually
44
45
1. Using a venn diagram, explain
the differences and similarities
between weather and climate?
2. How is altitude different from
elevation? Give me an example of
when you would use altitude.
-[Weather has short term
variability while climate is
long-term. Weather is less
predictable and occurs day to
day while climate is
basically long-term weather.
Both weather and climate are
important in influencing how
we live and what happens to
our Earth.]
-[Altitude measures how
high an object is from sea
level while elevation
measures how high an object
is from the surface of the
Earth. One would use
altitude when dealing with
sea level; For example, the
3. From our discussion on weather troposphere, a layer of the
instruments, which tools would you atmosphere, is can be up to
use in order to have a successful
16 km above the Earth,
weather station that records
which would use sea-level
precipitation, wind direction, air
and therefore altitude]
pressure, and temperature?
-[A rain gauge for
precipitation, a wind vane to
measure wind direction, a
barometer for atmospheric
pressure, and a thermometer
for temperature.]
Name:________________________
Date: ________________________
Evaluation
1. Using a venn diagram, explain the differences and similarities between weather and climate?
Answer: Daily weather measurements are highly variable and climate is not. Climate refers
to a region's average weather patterns over a more extended period of time. climate can be
expressed over any amount of time that is longer than one month. Climate data of months,
seasons, years, decades, and eras can be accessed.
45
46
2. How is altitude different from elevation? Give me an example of when you would use
altitude.
3. From our discussion on weather instruments, which tools would you use in order to have
a successful weather station that records precipitation, wind direction, air pressure, and
temperature?
7. Project Rubric
UFTeach – PBI - Writing a Project Rubric
There are 2-types of rubrics, Performance List and Holistic/Analytical. Neither is merely
an abstract numbering systems but is a taxonomic system that provides specific assessment
guidelines for both the teacher and student. Rubrics should be available to students before they
begin the assignment in order to help them know how to perform, receive feedback, and revise
their work.
Each rubric begins with the writer identifying exactly what needs to be assessed. This
will normally include the content of the benchmarks, the ability of the student to answer the
driving question, and the means by which they present that answer. Not all items should be of
equal weight in a math or science class but all should be recognized. The majority of the grade
should come from the portion of the project that reflects mastery of the benchmarks.
I. Identify the Components of your PBI unit
CTS:
Project Theme:
Driving
Question:
Weather and Climate
Weather and Climate
How do natural disasters affect weather and climate on Earth?
46
47
Student
Project:
Exploring further and displaying how natural disasters affect
weather and climate on Earth
II. Develop a Concept Checklist for the Student Project
Students will be able to:
-Differentiate between weather and climate
-Identify weather instruments
-Understand how to record weather data
-Understand how hurricanes, tornadoes, super volcanoes, volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes, and various other natural disasters affect weather and climate on Earth
-Work successfully in groups
-Present their projects in an organized fashion
-Finish their projects on time
-Use at least two outside sources
III. Determine the Categories for the Concepts
► Categories – Determine the main themes from the checklist.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Information and Objectives
Sources
Organized
Group Work
IV. Place the Categories and Concepts into a Table and Write the Criteria for the Highest
Level of Performance
47
48
PBI Rubric
Concept &
Category
Information and
Objectives
Highest Level of
Performance
-Students identify the
differences between
weather and climate
-Students describe the
natural disasters and how
they affect our weather
and climate
-Students identify how
scientists predict and
analyze the natural
disasters
Sources
Organized
-Students use and
reference at least two
outside sources in their
bibliography
-Students have organized
their project
-The presentation is easy
to understand
Criteria
Middle
Lowest
Level of
Level of
Performance Performance
-Students touch
upon the
differences
between
weather and
climate but do
not completely
differentiate
between the
two
-Students do
not mention the
differences
between
weather and
climate
-The
presentation
-The
presentation is
-Students
barely describe
the affects the
-Students
natural disasters
partially
have on our
describe the
weather and
natural disasters climate
and how they
-Students do
affect our
not describe the
weather and
natural disasters
climate
-Students do
not identify
how scientists
-Students either predict and
identify how
analyze natural
scientists
disasters
predict natural
disasters or
how scientists
analyze them
-Students use
-Students do
and reference
not use any
one outside
outside sources
source in their
and do not have
bibliography
a bibliography
-Students have -Students have
somewhat
barely
organized their organized their
project
project
48
49
-The presentation is neat
and easy to read
Group Work
can be
somewhat
understood
difficult to
understand
-The project is finished on
time
-The
presentation is
not clear and
organized
-The
presentation is
messy and
thrown together
last minute
-The project is
a day late or is
not ready to be
presented the
assigned day
-The project is
two or more
days late and is
not ready to be
presented on
the assigned
day
-Some group
members did
not participate
in the project
-Every group member
contributed to the project
equally
-The group members
worked well together and
completed the project on
time
-Every group
member
participated but
others
contributed less
than others
-The group
members had
difficulties
working with
each other but
were able to
complete the
project
successfully
and on time
-The group
members were
unable to
successfully
work together
as a group and
finish the
project in a
timely fashion
8. Letter to Parents
Dear Parents,
For the next two weeks your student will be involved in a class project that will
involve the investigation of how important natural disasters, weather, and climate are. We
are currently studying weather and climate and, as part of the entire unit, I have
incorporated natural disasters into the curriculum. Students will first learn the differences
between weather and climate and how they affect us; we will then build off this
knowledge by studying several different types of natural disasters that occur around the
world and how they affect our societies, our weather, and our climate. The students will
be in charge of working with their group members in studying a certain natural disaster
49
50
and preparing a presentation on how natural disasters affect us and how we can predict
and study them. The final product of this project will be a PowerPoint presentation, a
presentation board, or an essay; the group can decide the way they wish to present their
natural disaster information.
Fortunately, the presentations will not cost money, unless your child’s group
decides to present with a poster board, which will only cost a couple dollars. The only
expense will be the field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida.
The student ticket prices will cost $17.95; students will have to bring their own lunches
or purchase lunch at the MOSI café. The last expense will be transportation, which will
be calculated closer to the trip; I will send home a field trip permission slip at a later date
that will describe the field trip in further depth and will include the overall cost of the
trip.
I appreciate your support in your child’s education and hope you will consider
chaperoning our field trip as well. The presentations will take place on the last day of the
two-week project; you are invited to attend and watch your child’s group present. We
hope to see you there!
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Ms. Brett Walker
9. Webpage
All of my information about my project is uploaded and described on my weebly
site. My weebly site is: http://bretthwalker.weebly.com
10. Grant Proposal
Grant Proposal: Natural Disasters
I. Introduction/Proposal Summary
Natural disasters are natural events and forces that have catastrophic consequences;
they have the ability to alter our Earth and can affect our societies. The purpose of this
project is to inform students of the main natural disasters that occur, how they are created,
how we can protect ourselves, and how they affect weather, climate, and human life. The
project allows students to act as scientists researching natural disasters that are threatening
our planet’s existence. Students from Nicole Steele’s and Brett Walker’s 6th grade classes
will be able to experience natural disasters in a fun, safe, and interactive setting at the
Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida. This will allow students to study nine
different natural disasters via exhibits, demonstrations, and simulations. Lastly, students will
be able to act as meteorologists working at a news station; they will learn more about
predicting weather and the tools news stations use.
50
51
The field trip allows students to get up close and personal with natural disaster
simulations and encourages students to predict weather using the news station. This is
especially beneficial since it is nearly impossible to experience natural disasters in an
environment safe for students. The project consists of students acting as scientists and
investigating a different natural disaster and its effects on society, weather, and climate. The
project will impact the 50 students in Ms. Steele’s and Ms. Walker’s 6th grade classes by
teaching them about natural disasters and how we can protect ourselves from them.
Furthermore, it will impact the community and school as parents and other classes are invited
to attend the student presentations.
II. The Rationale/Potential Impact and Needs
The unit project also directly relates to the state and national standards for 6th grade
Earth and Space Science as students are expected to understand weather, climate, natural
disasters, and how disasters affect human life. The field trip significantly helps students learn
about natural disasters since they will be experiencing them in an interactive way. There are
many natural disasters that students will never experience or see in their lifetimes, which
makes them difficult to understand. However, by experiencing them in safe ways at the
Museum of Science and Industry, students will be able to learn and remember natural
disasters. As Michelle Kulas writes in her article What Are the Benefits of Field Trips for
Children?, field trips allow students to visit many different exhibits and learn in a “more
hands-on and interactive manner than they do in school.” Students are more likely to
remember how a tornado feels, how it affects weather, and how destructive it is by going
inside MOSI’s tornado simulator where they can feel the wind, hear the noises of a tornado,
and watch the storm destroy fake houses and towns. By experiencing the nine interactive
natural disaster exhibits at MOSI, students will remember watching and feeling the natural
disasters for many years.
As none of the 50 students have experienced every natural disaster on the planet, the
field trip allows students to experience them in safe ways and helps them recognize them in
case of emergency. The students have never visited the Museum of Science and Industry
before and it will be a great opportunity if every student will be allowed to attend and have it
be free-of-charge. This is a wonderful learning opportunity that will inspire students and will
help them remember and understand natural disasters for the rest of their lives. The grant will
ensure that every student will be able to attend the field trip to MOSI with no cost to the
student. Students will share their experiences at the museum with their family members,
friends, and the other students in the class who were not able to attend; this allows everyone
to learn about natural disasters and how they affect our planet.
III. Description of the Project, Objectives and Activities
51
52
The field trip to MOSI is used to give students a more in-depth view on natural
disasters; the museum teaches visitors about nine storms while the students will only be
presenting on four different natural storm events. The purpose of the project is for students to
understand how scientists study natural disasters and how to protect the people living on
Earth from the storms. This unit is two weeks long; students will be expected to present
information about the four natural disasters to the class, acting as scientists sharing new
information about the natural disasters to the general public. The students will be expected to
be experts on their natural disaster and understand how it affects human life, weather, and
climate, why it occurs, how we can predict it, how we can study and prevent it, and how we
can protect ourselves from them.
For the complete two-week calendar please see Appendix B. The first week has four
topics: introduction of the driving question, weather and climate, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
Monday will include the driving question, a discussion of natural disasters, and the creation
of a concept map. Students will be evaluated with a pre-test written by the teacher. Tuesday
and Wednesday will focus on weather and climate; there will be an engagement video, an
M&M activity, a graphing activity, a discussion, an A&D statement formative assessment,
and a P-O-E Probe formative assessment. Thursday focuses on hurricanes with an activity in
which students create hurricanes in bottles; they will be evaluated with an exit ticket about
hurricane categorization. On the last day of week 1 students will learn about tornadoes, create
a tornado chamber, understand where tornadoes occur, and be evaluated with the “I used to
think...now I know” formative assessment.
The second week has five different topics: super volcanoes, earthquakes, the field
trip, student workday, and presentation day. Monday consists of the super volcano movie
clip, plotting data points, predicting volcanoes, and a classroom discussion as the assessment.
Tuesday focuses on earthquakes by having students find earthquakes on a map, predict
earthquakes, and complete A&D statements. Wednesday is the exciting field trip to MOSI
where students will explore the museum and write a one page paper on what they learned
about other natural disasters not explored in class. Thursday will be used completely as time
for students to work on their projects and Friday will consist entirely of student presentations.
IV. Evaluation
In order to access the students’ prior knowledge of destructive storms and weather
events, there will be a class discussion about natural disasters; students will share what they
already knew about weather and disasters before this year and what they learned from the
past two weeks as well. Furthermore, every student will be expected to turn in a one-page
essay on what they learned about natural disasters and predicting weather from visiting
Disasterville and the news station at the Museum of Science and Industry.
52
53
For the unit project, the teacher using the project rubric will grade each group
presentation. Please see Appendix C for the rubric.
V. Budget
$400 MOSI student tickets
$150 Transportation
$4
Parking
Total: $554.00
If we are given this grant, students will only need to pay for their lunches. Students may
bring their own bagged lunches or the PTA or the school will provide lunches to students
who cannot afford them.
VI. Appendices
Curriculum Vitae:
Brett Walker
bretthwalker@ufl.edu
561-420-9131
1595 Packwood Road
Juno Beach, FL 33408
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science, Geology
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Minor: UFTeach
Spring 2014
COURSEWORK
Science Coursework:
 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology + Lab
 Structural Geology and Plate Tectonics + Lab
 Physical Geology Honors + Lab
 Oceanography
 General Chemistry + Lab
 Biology 1
 Applied Physics
 Environmental Science Honors
 Environmental Conservation
 Environmental Geology
 General Botany
53
54







Horticultural Science
Wildlife Ecology
Evolution of North America + Lab
Geology of America's National Parks
Principles of Mineralogy + Lab
Geological Field Methods
Volcanology + Field Methods
UFTeach Coursework:
 Step 1
 Step 2
 Classroom Interactions
 Project-Based Instruction
 Perspectives in Mathematics and Science
 Research Methods
SKILLS
Computer: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
UFTeach Project-Based Instruction
Jan-April 2013
 Prepared a two-day earth science lesson plan and taught it to a 6
grade earth science class
 Created a two-week unit on weather, climate, and natural disasters
with teaching partner Nicole Steele
th
UFTeach Classroom Interactions
Aug-Dec 2012
Prepared and taught three physical science lessons for 10 graders
UFTeach Step 2
Jan-April 2012
 Prepared and taught three earth science lessons for 6 graders
UFTeach Step 1
Aug-Dec 2011
 Prepared and taught three science lessons for 5 graders
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Camp Counselor, Circle F Dude Ranch Summer Camp
JuneAugust 2010
Lake Whales, FL
 Supervised cabin of middle school-aged girls
 Taught swimming lessons, western horseback riding lessons,
and paintball lessons

th
th
th
Cashier, West Marine
January 2008-May 2008
North Palm Beach, FL
 Helped customers, answered phones, took in port supplies
 Sold and rung up products
Valet Parker, The Breakers Hotel
April 2009August 2009
Palm Beach, FL
 Provided any information about the hotel, or any of palm
beach’s surrounding areas the guest inquired about
54
55

Parked and picked-up guest's vehicles
Camp Counselor, Blue Water School of Surfing
Summers of
2006-2009
Juno Beach, FL
 Surf Instructor
Cashier/ Tree Salesman, North Pole Christmas Trees
Winters of 2008 & 2009
Juno Beach, FL
 Rang up Christmas Trees
 Sold Christmas Trees on the lot and loaded them into cars
 Provided tree delivery services
Nicole Steele
nsteele16@ufl.edu
941-894-7500
2885 Grazeland Drive
Sarasota, Fl. 34240
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, Geology
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Minor: UFTeach
Spring 2014
COURSEWORK
Science Coursework:
 Age of Dinosaurs
 Introduction to Geology
 Physical Geology with lab
 Evolution of North America with lab
 Paleontology with lab
 Global Oceans and Climate Change
 History of Astronomy through Newton
UFTeach Coursework:
 Step 1
 Step 2
 Classroom Interactions
 Project-Based Instruction
 Knowing and Learning
SKILLS
Computer: Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
UFTeach Project-Based Instruction
Jan-April 2013
 Prepared a two-day earth science lesson plan and taught it to a 6
grade earth science class
 Created an entire two week unit on weather, climate, and natural
disasters with one other classmate
th
55
56
UFTeach Classroom Interactions
Aug-Dec 2012
 Prepared and taught three biology lessons for 10 graders
UFTeach Step 2
Jan-April 2012
 Prepared and taught three earth science lessons for 6 graders
UFTeach Step 1
Aug-Dec 2011
 Prepared and taught three science lessons for 5 graders
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Camp Counselor, G.WIZ Science Museum
May-August
2012
Sarasota, FL
 Supervised groups of elementary and middle school students
 Taught science lessons and performed demonstrations
th
th
th
Customer Specialist, Best Buy
March 2011-May 2012
Sarasota, FL
 Assisted customers on a daily basis
 Sold and rung up products
Appendix A:
Field Trip Information: http://www.livestrong.com/article/127612-benefits-field-tripschildren/
Museum of Science and Industry Field Trip: www.mosi.org
Appendix B:
Week 1 of 2
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Top
ic:
Introduce
driving
question
Weather and
Climate
Weather and
Climate
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Typ
e of
Les
son:
Investigative
Benchmark
Benchmark
Investigative
Investigativ
e
Obj
ecti
ve(s
):
SW
BA
T
-Recognize
the driving
question
-List natural
disasters
-Differentiate
between
altitude and
elevation
-Differentiate
between
-Classify
weather and
climate
instruments
-Explain the
differences
between
-Classify the
different
hurricane
categories
-Identify how
they affect
-Identify
the
different
types of
tornadoes
-Recognize
where
56
57
weather and
climate
weather and
climate
humans in
Florida
tornadoes
occur
frequently
Eng -Discussion
age on
experiencing
disasters
http://www.yo
utube.com/wa
tch?v=fW2qC
K0I6cw
- Play video:
http://www.y
outube.com/
watch?v=5R
EsCTG4-Gg
- Pose
questions
about
altitude,
elevation, &
instruments
<--See
-Show students
5 different
pictures of
hurricanes
and have them
categorize them
-Students
will have a
class map
and, using
stickers,
place them
where they
believe
tornadoes
occur the
most
Exp -Project
lore challenge
-Create a
weather/clima
te/natural
disasters
concept map
on a large
piece of paper
-M&M
activity
-Graphing
activity
-Formative
Assessment:
A&D
Statements
<--See
-Hurricane in a
bottle
http://www.stev
espanglerscience
.com/experiment
/tornado-in-abottle1
-Tornado
chamber
activity as a
class
http://kidsa
head.com/e
xternal/acti
vity/232
Exp -Each group
lain will present
and explain
their concept
map to the
rest of the
class
See -->
-Explain
importance of
weather and
climate
during a trip
-Reflect on
and share
graph trends
- P-O-E Probe
-Groups make
future
weather
predictions
for Florida
-Review
A&D
statements
-Explain the
differences
between the
hurricane in the
bottle and a real
hurricane
-Go over the
five categories
in depth
-Explain
tornadoes
-Tornado
chamber vs.
hurricane in
bottle
57
58
Ela -How to
bor research
ate natural
disasters
properly How do we
study natural
disasters?
-Why do we
study natural
disasters?
See -->
http://beyond
penguins.ehe.
osu.edu/issue/
weather-andclimate-fromhome-to-thepoles/weather
-stationsteaching-thescience-andtechnologystandard
-Build a
classroom
weather
station.
-Assessment
task:
Match
weather tools
with what
they measure.
-Discussion on
the difference
between a
tsunami and a
hurricane
Eva -Pre test on
luat the different
e natural
disasters
See -->
-PostAssessment
Handout
Exit ticket
-I used to
(teacher shows a think...now
hurricane picture I know
and students
categorize it)
-We simulated
the hurricane
with water and a
bottle. How
would we
demonstrate a
tsunami in the
classroom right
now?
-Discuss
and
research
where
tornadoes
occur most
frequently
-Discuss
why
tornadoes
occur the
most in
certain
places
-Use this
website to
look at
interactive
tornado
maps
http://www.
wundergrou
nd.com/torn
ado/
Ass
ess
me
nt(s
):
-Teacher
written basic
pre-test on
natural
disasters
- A&D
Statements
formative
assessment
-P-O-E Probe
formative
assessment
-Post
assessment
-Exit ticket
-I used to
think...now
I know
Res
our
ce
Req
uire
me
nts:
http://www.yo
utube.com/wa
tch?v=fW2qC
K0I6cw
http://www.y
outube.com/
watch?v=5R
EsCTG4-Gg
http://www.stev
espanglerscience
.com/experiment
/tornado-in-abottle1
http://www.
wundergrou
nd.com/torn
ado/
PowerPoint
PowerPoint
http://beyond
penguins.ehe.
osu.edu/issue/
weather-andclimate-fromhome-to-thepoles/weather
-stations-
http://kidsa
head.com/e
58
59
teaching-thescience-andtechnologystandard
-PowerPoint
-Handouts
xternal/acti
vity/232
Week 2 of 2
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Topic:
Super
volcanoes/
Volcanic
Eruptions
Earthquake
s
Field Trip
Student
work time
Student
presentatio
ns
Type of
Lesson:
Investigative
Investigati
ve
Investigative
Investigati
ve
Investigati
ve
Objective(s): -Classify the
SWBAT different
types of
volcanoes
based on their
main
compositional
differences.
-Link each
category of
volcano to
where it is
typically
found on
earth
-Recognize
recent
eruptions and
their affect on
climate.
-Describe
how an
earthquake
could have
a lasting
effect on
weather
and
climate.
-Identify
nine
different
types of
natural
disasters
-Analyze
the effects
of each
natural
disaster on
Earth’s
weather
and
climate
-Analyze
each of the
four natural
disasters
and how
they affect
Earth’s
climate and
weather all
over the
world
Engage Supervolcano
movie clip
-Pose
questions
on the
possibility
-Go over
project
rubric
-Four class
presentatio
ns
-Compare
and contrast
the damages
caused by
natural
disasters
-Discussion
of students’
knowledge
on weather
59
60
of an
earthquake
affecting
climate.
-Pose
question of
earthquake
affecting
weather.
and all
natural
disasters
Explore -Plot data
points to see
anomaly
within general
trend and
explain what
it could be.
-Give
locations
of
earthquake
s and have
students
find them
on a map.
-Students
will explore
the
Disasterville
exhibit at
MOSI
-Group
work for
the
remainder
of class
-Four class
presentatio
ns
Explain -Describe a
legitimate
metaphor of
how a
volcano
affects long
term climate.
(Burning food
in the kitchen)
-Formative
Assessmen
t:
A&D
statements
-None
necessary at
this time
-Group
work for
the rest of
class
-Four class
presentatio
ns
Elaborate -Predict and
describe two
scenarios of
how a
volcano (1)
would and (2)
would not
affect climate.
-Predict
and
describe
the
weather
before and
after an
earthquake
occurs.
-Students
will watch
MOSI’s
IMAX show
“Under the
Sea”, which
explores the
wonders of
the oceans as
well as “the
impact of
global
climate
change”
-Group
work for
the rest of
class
-Four class
presentatio
ns
60
61
Evaluate -With a
roster, ask
students
random
evaluative
questions to
gauge
understanding
and address
any
misconceptio
ns.
-Go over
A&D
statements
and review
questions
they have
about the
explore
and
explain.
-One page
paper due on
Friday
-The
project that
will be
presented
tomorrow
as a group
-The group
presentatio
n is the
evaluation
and
assessment
Assessment Classroom
(s): Discussion
Formative
Assessmen
t: A&D
statements
-Students
will write a
one page
paper on
what they
have learned
about
hailstorms,
floods,
lightning,
wildfires,
tsunamis,
and
predicting
weather
from visiting
MOSI
-The
project that
will be
presented
tomorrow
as a group
-Teacher
evaluates
student
presentatio
ns
Resource - Movie:
Requirement Supervolcano
s: -PowerPoint
-Class
handout
-Colored
pencil
-Class
handout
(with map)
-Colored
pencil
PowerPoin
t
www.mosi.o
rg
None
None
Appendix C:
Unit Project Rubric
61
62
Criteria
Concept
&
Category
Highest Level of
Performance
Middle Level of
Performance
Lowest Level of
Performance
Information
and
Objectives
-Students identify the
differences between
weather and climate
-Students describe
the natural disasters
and how they affect
our weather and
climate
-Students identify
how scientists predict
and analyze the
natural disasters
-Students touch upon
the differences between
weather and climate but
do not completely
differentiate between
the two
-Students partially
describe the natural
disasters and how they
affect our weather and
climate
-Students either identify
how scientists predict
natural disasters or how
scientists analyze them
-Students do not
mention the differences
between weather and
climate
-Students barely
describe the affects the
natural disasters have
on our weather and
climate
-Students do not
describe the natural
disasters
-Students do not
identify how scientists
predict and analyze
natural disasters
Sources
-Students use and
reference at least two
outside sources in
their bibliography
-Students use and
reference one outside
source in their
bibliography
-Students do not use
any outside sources and
do not have a
bibliography
Organized
-Students have
organized their
project
-The presentation is
easy to understand
-The presentation is
neat and easy to read
-The project is
finished on time
-Students have
somewhat organized
their project
-The presentation can be
somewhat understood
-The presentation is not
clear and organized
-The project is a day late
or is not ready to be
presented the assigned
day
-Students have barely
organized their project
-The presentation is
difficult to understand
-The presentation is
messy and thrown
together last minute
-The project is two or
more days late and is
not ready to be
presented on the
assigned day
Group Work
-Every group
member contributed
to the project equally
-The group members
worked well together
-Every group member
participated but others
contributed less than
others
-Some group members
did not participate in
the project
-The group members
were unable to
62
63
and completed the
project on time
-The group members
had difficulties working
with each other but were
able to complete the
project successfully and
on time
successfully work
together as a group and
finish the project in a
timely fashion
11. Resources

Day 1 (Introduction)
o Project engagement video for Day 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW2qCK0I6cw

Day 2 (Weather and Climate)
o Two day lesson engagement video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5REsCTG4-Gg
o M&M activity
http://littleshop.physics.colostate.edu/activities/atmos1/WeatherClimate.pd
f
o Exploration data for Orlando, FL
http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/vacationclimatolo
gy/monthly/USFL0372
o 1 or 2 bags of M&Ms
o 8 paper bags for M&M activity
o 8 copies of exploration worksheet
o 1 data sheet per group (each group will have a different month)

Day 3 (Weather and Climate)
o Elaboration http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/weather-and-climatefrom-home-to-the-poles/weather-stations-teaching-the-science-andtechnology-standard
o 25 copies of evaluation

Day 4 (Hurricanes)
o Explore-hurricane in a bottle
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/tornado-in-a-bottle1

Day 5 (Tornadoes)
o Elaboration http://www.wunderground.com/tornado/
o Exploration http://kidsahead.com/external/activity/232

Day 6 (Super volcanoes)
o Movie Super Volcano
o Class handout
63
64
o Colored pencils

Day 7 (Earthquakes)
o Class handout
o Colored pencils

Day 8 (Field Trip)
o Museum of Science and Industry www.mosi.org

Concept Map http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-instruments.htm
64