Climate Studies in WV

1. By: Summer Henson Climate Studies in WV

2. Essential Question What cause the climate in West Virginia to change so often?

3. Day 1 – Make a Weather Station Day 2 - Using the Internet to Observe Weather Day 3 – Track Weather Like a Meteorologist Day 4 – How does the weather change? Day 5 – Are Weather Forecasts Always Right?

4. CSOs SC.O.4.1.01 - explain how new discoveries lead to changes in scientific knowledge. SC.O.4.1.03 - explore science careers in West Virginia. SC.O.4.1.04 - demonstrate curiosity, initiative and creativity by developing questions that lead to investigations; designing simple experiments; and trusting observations of discoveries when trying new tasks and skills. SC.O.4.1.06 - support statements with facts found through research from various sources, including technology. SC.O.4.1.07 - use scientific instruments, technology and everyday materials to investigate the natural world.

5. CSOs cont’d SC.O.4.1.09 - construct a hypothesis when provided a problem. SC.O.4.1.11 - interpret data presented in a table, graph, or diagram and use it to answer questions and make decisions. SC.O.4.1.12 - draw and support conclusions, make predictions and inferences based on patterns of evidence (e.g., weather maps, variation of plants, or frequency and pitch of sound).

6. DAY 1 - Make a Weather Station • In this lesson, students will learn how to make some of the instruments used by meteorologists. • They will also keep a log to track their findings with their group’s instrument.

7. What Instruments the Students Will Make • Thermometer – measure temperature • Wind vane – knowing the direction of the wind • Anemometer – wind speed • Rain gauge – measure rain fall • Barometer – measure air pressure • Students will use these instruments to take information from a typical West Virginia fall week. They will take down their observations in their weather logs.

8. Students Will Be Able To.. • describe weather and relate how weather affects their daily lives • observe and record weather-related data • construct instruments for measuring weather • explain and demonstrate how each instrument is used to measure weather. Back

9. DAY 2 – Make A Class Weather Station • Place all the instruments aside and each day, designate a student to go out and take the information for each instrument. • When the students come back in, have them write their recordings on a large organizer so that all students can see them. • This way the classroom becomes a weather station with all the information for that day listed beside the instrument. • We will then use the internet to research the weather on that day a year ago. • The class will then compare the results and record what they found by creating a bar graph. • We will repeat this every day.

10. Students Will Be Able To • collect data about weather using the Internet; • compare weather data with student-built tools to data from the Internet; • interpret information on a chart; • understand that weather varies with location; & • compare and contrast weather in their location with the weather in another location.

11. DAY 3 – Track Weather Like a Meteorologist • The students will first learn latitude and longitude. • We will create a wall chart so that all results can be seen. • We will practice taking the readings at the same time each day, just like a meteorologist would do. • We will use the instruments in the shade as well as in the sunlight to show variations in data. • EXTRA: print off a map of WV and the surrounding states. Every day, show the pressure systems that cause the weather to change.

12. Students Will Be Able To • keep a weather record • access real-time weather measurements from the Internet • collect data about weather over an extended period of time. Back

13. DAY 4 – How Does the Weather Change? • First the students will learn what weather variables there are. (Temperature, wind direction, sky conditions, precipitation, air pressure.) • Then they will analyze and average the data received throughout the week for all 5 of those components. • The graph those results.

14. They will then compare the graphs from the beginning to the graphs now. • They will compare this data to the data from another city and that will help them learn why the weather changes .

15. Students will be able to • interpret information on a chart or table • draw conclusions and identify a trend from collected data • summarize results. Back

16. DAY 5 – Are The Weather Forecasts Always Right? • After completing the week’s worth of data collecting, the students will then get in groups and try to forecast what the next week is going to be like. • They will then compare the data from the week before which they made their new forecasts from. • We will watch and read about the forecast for that week and compare that as well.

17. Students Will Be Able To • Use information from radar and satellite images to make weather predictions for their area; • Check the accuracy of internet weather predictions; • Summarize important information and use written communication skills to inform and report; • use technological skills to share information with others. Back

18. After The Lesson Is Over • The students, in their groups, will write a few paragraphs about what they learned. • The will turn in every graph and note they have taken throughout the whole project.

19. THANK YOU! THE END!