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Weather |  |
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Weather | |
Class Description:
After learning some of the historic changes in earth's climate, students will collect data on today's weather, then do demonstrations to understand cloud formation and low pressure systems. An outdoor game will explain the jet stream and its effect. Finally, students will use their new knowledge to create a forecast for the next day at Wolf Ridge.
Total time: 3 hours (1 1/2 hours outdoors)
Audience: 6-20 students, 4th grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 1/4 mile
Total uphill travel: none
Outcomes
Upon completion of the Weather Forecasting class students will be able to:
- Predict the chance of rain and the trend in temperature for the next 12 hours, using wind direction.
- Interpret the chance of storms in the next 24 hours based upon a surface weather map from a TV or newspaper.
- Evaluate a newspaper article on climate change.
- Recall that low pressure systems follow the jet stream and bring storms.
- Recall that winds, clouds, precipitation occur when warm and cold air collide with one another.
Minnesota Graduation Standards
The Weather Forecasting class will provide students with guided practice, in an authentic setting, to support the following Graduations Standards. We have chosen one to three “major focus” standards per grade level. Due to the holistic nature of environmental education, several other standards, not listed here, are addressed as well.
Task Management Skills: Teamwork, Resource Management.
• H.S. Sciences: Earth and Space Systems (B2)
• H.S. People and Cultures: Human Geography (b)• 6-8th Sciences: Earth Systems (1-3)
• 6-8th People and Cultures: Geography and Culture (1)
• 6-8th Inquiry: Direct Observation (1)• 4-5th Sciences: Living and Non-living Systems (A3-5, B2, B4)
• 4-5th Inquiry: Media, Observation and Investigation (A)
Wolf Ridge Curriculum Concepts
*requires Wolf Ridge password