Unit+A-1

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7th Grade Unit on Weather
Stage 1 – Desired Results

**Science Content Standard(s) Addressed:**
S7.ESS.3 //The learner will be able to describe how the global patterns of atmospheric movement influence catastrophic events such as hurricanes/cyclones and tornadoes.//

**Other Content Area Standards Addressed:**
//The learner will be able to research a topic with interviews, print media, and electronic media.// //The learner will be able to organize information in a coherent, logical manner.// //The learner will be able to use graphical information which enhances text and communicates the data to others.// //The learner will be able to apply knowledge of a variety of strategies to format his/her writing, including electronic technology.// //The learner will be able to use technological tools, including the Internet, databases, and software to create, verify, revise and retrieve written work.// //The learner will be able to collect, organize and describe data.// //The learner will be able to analyze and interpret graphical displays, including those with statistical information.//
 * L7.SRS.2: Research Skills: Comprehension**
 * L7.SRS.6: Organizing Information: Clear/**
 * L7.SRS.8: Graphical Format: Information/**
 * L7.WRI.13: Organization: Writing/Format**
 * L7.WRI.14: Technological Tools: Apply/Create**
 * M7.DPS.1**
 * M7.DPS.6**

**NETS-S Standards Addressed:**
[|ISTE NETS-S Standards Document]

(embedded and noted in plan activities, below)


 * Enduring Understanding/Goal**


 * Students will understand that atmospheric conditions impact the weather.


 * Essential Question(s)**


 * What are the elements of weather ?
 * How do global patterns affect local patterns?
 * How do storms evolve?


 * Student objectives (Learning Outcomes)**

Students will be able to:


 * Observe, record, and analyze weather data.
 * Compare and contrast local and global weather conditions and patterns
 * Analyze and interpret satellite images and Doppler radar to real-time ground observations
 * Make weather predictions based on data collection
 * Identify layers of the atmosphere
 * Identify aspects of the water cycle, demonstrate understanding of global winds and the Coriolis effect
 * Understand the concepts and terms of barometric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, rain gauges, anemometer, convection currents, radiation, clouds and cloud cover

= Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence =


 * Performance Task(s)**

Students will:
 * Read and record weather using scientific instruments
 * Label diagram of the layers of the atmosphere (pre-assessment)
 * Compare the data from school’s weather station and nearby airport
 * Create a multimedia presentation demonstrating an understanding of weather patterns
 * Create a spreadsheet to collect and graph data to compare and contrast weather patterns
 * Use/Create Google Earth overlays to demonstrate the understanding of weather phenomena


 * Other Evidence of Student Understanding**


 * Select appropriate technology tools that can be used to demonstrate and analyze patterns of weather and climate that meet the enduring understanding. This area may also include (as culminating activity) the creation of Google Earth overlays to demonstrate storm evolution.
 * Students can articulate appropriate interview questions when working with experts in the field of weather reporting.
 * Students can demonstrate in a variety of means, both with technology tools and with written text, their understanding of weather analysis.

= Stage 3 – Learning Plan =

**Implementation considerations:** Teachers will need to consider the ways in which the learning activities can be implemented within their classrooms: Some options in the approach are:
 * Cooperative groups, having each group tackle a particular aspect of the Unit overall
 * Individual activities that are shared at some point within a larger group
 * A combination of the two aforementioned formats, where students move back and forth between individual activities and teams

//The teacher will:// = =
 * Consider and select appropriate technology tools for student demonstration of understanding
 * Communication/collaboration tools
 * Presentation tools


 * Unit Overview**

This is a 2 lesson unit on global weather patterns and the evolution of storms. Students collect and utilize a variety of online and develop an understanding of how patterms impact local conditions. Utilizing a variety of online and local resources, students analyze and report in multiple ways their understanding of weather. Students present their research findings and data via journal writing and the creation of a variety of presentations (including student-made videos).

Lesson 1 establishes student understanding of the basic principles of weather and weather data (how to collect it and interpret it).

Lesson 2 asks students to apply their understanding of weather data to develop an understanding of how local weather is impacted by global patterns and how storms are formed.

Lesson Plans
** Lesson 1 ** ** (3 days of classroom instruction, plus additional days of data collection) **

** Essential Question: **
 * What are the elements of weather?

** Lesson Plan/Activities **
 * Label K-W-L chart on background knowledge of weather
 * Introduce key terms and vocabulary (layers of the atmosphere, the water cycle, global winds, coriolis effect, barometric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, rain gauges, anemometer, convection currents, radiation, clouds and cloud cover)
 * Use the Promethean Board to introduce real-time data and satellite images on weather by accessing []
 * Using a spreadsheet application and Promethean Board the teacher will model how to chart and graph collected weather data. Expectation is that data will be collected over the following 9 days.
 * Students select locations from across the US and locate weather reports (i.e. online newspaper, internet source) and create a sample weather log (i.e. blog, wiki, word processor, spreadsheet) to summarize their findings. [NETS 3a,b,c,d / 6a,b].
 * Using weather recording tools (some at each school) compare reported weather reports with actual collected data. [NETS 3a,b,c,d / 4b,c / 5b / 6a,b,c,d]
 * Homework: Locate local weather reports (i.e. newspaper, television, internet source) for 10 days and construct a weather log (i.e. blog, wiki, word processor, spreadsheet) to summarize their findings [NETS 1a,b,d, / 3a,b,c,d / 5b,c / 6a,b]

** Resources **
 * School weather station kits (contents vary by school)
 * Prentice Hall Textbook //Weather and Climate//
 * Weather Underground, an Internet weather resource created for K-12 education
 * National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
 * V.I. Alert a local Virgin Islands resource for weather advisories
 * Local newspaper
 * Local and international news
 * [|Intellicast.com] a surface weather analysis tool
 * Google Earth Overlay: [|Weather Forecast worldwide], [|Severe weather in the US]
 * A tutorial on [|creating Google Earth Overlays]
 * National Hurricane Center
 * www.discoveryeducation.com
 * The [|Weatherathome]experiment, a climate model experiment that seeks input from desktop weather watchers.
 * Information on the function of weather instruments and devising weather instruments from scratch: [|Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE)] and in particular,  [|www.ciese.org/curriculum/weatherproj2/en/activity1.shtml]

//Tools for presenting information to others://
 * [|Voicethread], a multimedia tool for creating short instructive videos
 * [|Jing]: a tool that could be used to describe student understanding of online weather videos
 * Both of these tools could be used to download/create/manipulate files and then demonstrate or narrate over the imagery.
 * [|www.wikispaces.com] - one of many places to host student and/or teacher-created wikis.

** Lesson 2 ** ** (8 days of classroom instruction and activites, should be done //after// data is collected in Lesson 1) ** ** Essential Question: **
 * How do global patterns affect local patterns?
 * How do storms evolve?

** Lesson Plan/Activities **
 * Continue recording with observations and tools the local weather patterns. This activity (highlighted in Lesson 1) should continue throughout the Unit.
 * View Hurricane tracking map from National Hurricane Center @ NOAA to compare and contrast global and local patterns
 * Using the Promethean Board, the teacher accesses online resources and discusses global patterns of weather cycles as related to storm formation. (i.e. Africa to Caribbean)
 * TEAM ACTIVITY: (Form 6 teams, one for each of the 6 factors that influence the formation of hurricanes) Using online sources research the six factors of hurricane (or typhoon) formation and apply them to selected locations around the world to determine storm formation.
 * Whole Class Activity Discussion: Using information on the 6 factors of hurricane formation locate storm formation on a world map. Compare and contrast storm formation factors for the Virgin Islands versus other global locales. [NETS 1a,d / 2d / 3d / 4c / 5b / 6a,b]
 * Using the data collected by each of the "6 factors" groups (e.g., Ocean Currents, Winds, etc.) and the 10 days of local data, create Keyhole Markup Language (KML) overlays for Google Earth to identify trends and forecast weather patterns.
 * TEAM ACTIVITY Break into teams to create forecasts by teams based on represented data. Discuss, compare, and contrast team results. [NETS 1a,c,d / 2a,d / 3a,b,c,d / 4b, c / 5a, b / 6a,b,d]
 * Field Trip to visit Hurricane Hunters plane, VITEMA, and/or interview a Meteorologist or local weather expert and create a multimedia log (i.e. digital photo album, movie maker, Web 2.0 Tools, etc.) of the experience [NETS 1b, 6a,b] For example, see: [] which provides a video overview and tour of one of the planes. Student videos might include interview with pilot, including some observations pilots have had with regards tracking storms. Discuss work of creating forecasts (from activity, above) with experts such as Hurricane Hunter plane staff, VITEMA, or meteorologist.
 * TEAM ACTIVITY: Utilizing historic weather data (e.g., NOAA data on Hurricane Marilyn), students film and dramatize a meteorologist weather report of a historic storm. Shown to other classes or shared with other classrooms globally, this should lead a discussion on how weather reporting in present day may have produced different results about the impact of the storm. Report will demonstrate how weather data results in weather patterns.
 * Culminating Activity - compare team-created forecasts (from above) with actual weather at end of unit.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY - Communicate with students from other parts of the world about their local weather (i.e. video conference, blog, wikis, Skype, email, ePals, etc.) in order to compare barometric pressure, relative humidity, and other more in-depth analytical observations of local weather patterns. To report out, students might use a word processing application, or presentation tool to report on the experience [NETS 2a,b,c / 3d / 5a,b,c,d / 6a,b]

** Resources **
 * Prentice Hall Textbook //Weather and Climate//
 * // [|www.noaa.gov] //
 * // Virgin Islands Territory Emergency Management Agency //
 * //Google Earth Overlays, specifically: [|Global Cloud Map]//
 * //Digital movie camera//
 * //Movie software (movie maker, etc.)//