What Causes Wind?

Questions to Ponder

• What causes the wind to blow?

• What do you think high pressure and low pressure have to do with wind?

• Are there any other factors that may be related to wind?

Procedures

1. Place a 1 or 2 liter bottle on its side at the edge of a table with the open end facing toward you.

2. Place a small ball of crumpled paper in the neck of the bottle.  The paper should be large enough to take up most of the space but small enough to be able to move freely.

3. Make a prediction.  What do you think will happen when you blow on the paper ball?  Explain your prediction.  Use a diagram (labeled prediction) to show what you think will happen.

4. Try it!  Blow on the paper ball and observe what happens.  Try it several times.

5. What happened?  Draw a new diagram (labeled results) to show what happened.  Explain your results.

Global Winds

In the next activity you will learn about the ways wind moves to create global patterns.

Learning Target

• Describe patterns in weather conditions in a specific area (e.g. temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed) over time.

Success Criteria

• I can observe winds at different altitudes.

• I can describe the difference between surface and high-altitude winds.

• Wonderopolis Article about the Jet Stream

Wind and the Earth's Rotation

Demonstrate Your Understanding

Imagine you live on the West coast of the United States and would like to visit the East Coast for a week and then return. You plan on flying both ways. Describe how the Jet Stream might affect your travel.

Demonstrate your understanding of the complications involved in your cross-country flight in a creative way:

• You may create a...

  • diagram

  • skit

  • slide show

Learning Targets

• Describe patterns in weather conditions in a specific area (e.g. temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed) over time.

Success Criteria

• I can describe how the Jet Stream might affect air travel.

• I can demonstrate what I have learned about how wind is created

• I can describe how global winds create wind patterns

• I can state a Claim, and support it with Evidence and Reasoning