Additional Resources
Lesson Activities
Videos for the Classroom
Getting to Know Mount Washington
An overview of Mount Washington, activities on the mountain, the summit’s weather observers, the site's extreme weather, and conditions during the 2015 President’s Day Storm. In WeatherX Extreme Weather Unit Lesson 1 (Exploring Extreme Weather).
From Weather to Data
Brian Fitzgerald, Director of Science and Education at the Mount Washington Observatory, explains how weather data is collected at the summit of the mountain, who uses these data, and for what purposes. In WeatherX Local Unit Lesson 2 (Measuring Weather Components).
Becoming a Weather Scientist
Nicole Tallman, a weather observer and educator at the Mount Washington Observatory (MWO), describes her background, passions, career path, and role at the Mount Washington Observatory. In WeatherX Local Unit Lesson 5 (Patterns in Wind Speed Data).
Examining Temperature
This video discusses what temperature is, how it has been measured over time at Mount Washington, different types of instruments to measure temperature, and how cold it can get on the summit. In WeatherX Extreme Weather Unit Lesson 2 (Temperature).
Examining Wind
This video discusses what wind is, how it is measured on Mount Washington, why it gets so windy on the summit, types of wind instruments, and how summit observers record and report wind data. In WeatherX Extreme Weather Unit Lesson 4 (Wind).
Examining Air Pressure
This video discusses what air pressure is, how and why it is measured, differences in air pressure between the base and summit of Mount Washington, and types of weather associated with low and high pressure systems. In WeatherX Extreme Weather Unit Lesson 5 (Air Pressure and Wind).
Movement of Air Masses
WeatherX team member Professor Asli Sezen-Barrie, from the University of Maine-Orono, provides a demonstration of the movement of air masses using hot and cold water and food coloring. In WeatherX Extreme Weather Unit Lesson 3 (Air Masses and Temperature).
Related Curriculum Resources from Project Partners
Precipitating Change
This project, led by our partners at Concord Consortium, designed and tested instructional materials and technologies to promote middle school students’ ability to apply computational thinking practices and understandings in the context of weather and weather prediction.
MADE CLEAR
The MADE CLEAR project was a partnership of experts in climate science and education to support integration of climate change topics into science curricula in Maryland and Delaware. Led by the University of Maryland and the University of Delaware, the project developed three climate change-related activities: A Gassy World, Looking Backward, Looking Forward, and How Does Climate Change Affect Oyster Populations?
STEM Teaching Tools: Climate Learning Resources
Our partners at the University of Washington-Seattle have assembled a rich set of resources for teaching and learning about climate and environmental justice.
Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN)
CLEAN has reviewed and assembled an extensive array of free teaching resources about climate and energy. For example, their site provides links to a resource bank, teacher tools, and guidance in elementary teaching about climate and energy.