Curriculum
Local Unit
In this unit, students gain experience in collecting, organizing and analyzing weather data specific to their location. They use this data to create visual displays of data to examine patterns and change over time. They also create dot plots to determine average temperature and windspeed in their area during different seasons and in different weather conditions. This unit focuses on building understanding of the role of data in determining what is typical or extreme weather for a particular location. Students use 30-year climate data to evaluate weather data. They also gain understanding of their local weather and climate by comparing it to locations with different climates. Students also conduct a weather interview of a family or community member to learn more about their local weather history.
Unit question: What is considered typical for weather in our local area?
How do temperature and wind data help us learn more about patterns in our local weather?
Why is climate data important?
What conditions can arise when high or low temperatures combine with other factors?
These materials are licensed for your use under Creative Commons CC BY-SA.
Guide to Preparing to Teach WeatherX (Google Doc). This guide provides instructions to assemble weather data sets for your local area. Using the CODAP NOAA Weather Plugin, you can generate data sets for a weather station nearest your school, and use those data sets in the students' materials and slides for six of the twelve lessons.
Lesson 1: Getting to Know Our Local Weather
This opening lesson engages students in the topic of weather and their own local weather. Students learn how to describe the basic components of weather. They are also introduced to their community member interview assignment and practice conducting an interview in class with a classmate.
Lesson 2: Weather vs. Climate
Students explore how people observe and describe weather. They describe weather qualitatively through the observation of cloud cover, distinguishing this type of observation from quantitative measurement of temperature, wind speed, and precipitation. As a class, students collect data about the weather on a specific day, and they learn about precipitation. They watch a video that explains the difference between weather and climate.
Lesson 3: Measuring Weather Components
Students explore measurement tools and units of measurement for temperature and wind. They also investigate online resources for gathering data about the daily weather and they record weather data in their class weather journal. Students watch a video about how weather observers at Mount Washington Observatory collect data and they prepare for a “Chat with a Scientist” at the Mount Washington Observatory. Students learn how a cup anemometer measures wind speed. This lesson includes an option to build and use pinwheels to understand how wind speed is measured.
Lesson 4: Patterns and Trends in Temperature
Students use CODAP to create a data visualization of the hourly temperature in their local area over a 72-hour period. They identify features and patterns in the graph and explore factors that help to explain the variation in temperature. Students continue to assemble local weather data and begin to observe and record data in their personal weather journal. Through this investigation students build understanding of patterns and variability in temperature.
Lesson 5: Patterns in Wind Speed Data
Students build their skills in using CODAP to display data, this time creating a graph of wind speed over time. They look for patterns in the data and discuss the variability in the wind speed. Students also learn about the Beaufort Scale for estimating wind speed using visual cues. Finally, they learn about the job of Weather Observer on Mount Washington and prepare to gather their own weather data at home.
Lesson 6: Air Pressure and Wind
Students students explore the concepts of air pressure and learn about air pressure systems to answer the question: What causes wind? They watch videos and engage with a short reading to learn about air pressure and its relationship to wind. Students also examine isobars on a weather map and predict when high winds occurred. Students learn about measuring wind speed with instruments as well as with visual cues in the Beaufort Scale.