This unit uses four lesson sets anchored in real-world phenomena to explore weather, climate, and water cycling. The first half focuses on small-scale storms, beginning with hail in above-freezing temperatures. Students analyze data on heat transfer, phase changes, and air movement to explain clouds and storms. 

The second half shifts to large-scale systems, starting with a winter storm forecast and expanding to national patterns, storm tracking, and the roles of air masses, winds, oceans, and topography. Students then apply their learning to explain global precipitation patterns, such as rainforests existing beside some of Earth’s driest regions.