Science
Unit 1: Weather and Climate
Essential Questions:
Are climate and weather the same thing?
Can we predict a place's climate at certain times of the year?
Can people predict and prepare for natural hazards where they live?
Student Will Learn the Following in This Unit:
Scientists record weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next (i.e., northeastern winters typically include snow, therefore scientists can predict that there will be snow during the winter months) . (3-ESS2-1)
2. Climate describes a range of an area's typical weather conditions and the extent to which those conditions vary over years. For example, the climate of the Southwest can be described as warm and dry based on patterns in the weather over the past several years. (3-ESS2-2)
3. A variety of natural hazards result from natural processes (i.e., hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, tsunamis, etc.). (3-ESS3-1)
4. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts. For example, humans can build dams, flood walls, or homes on stilts to lessen the damages caused by flooding. Similarly, engineers design building to withstand earthquakes or high winds caused by other natural hazards. (3-ESS3-1)