Lesson+5

Grade Level:  9

Unit:  Earth Science

Lesson Objectives (include 4 or 5):  Student will understand  Student will be able to  Time Required to complete this lesson:  Approximately 1 week
 * How various instruments and technology are used to predict and evaluate the weather.
 * Access weather station data online.
 * Interpret weather maps and weather radar.
 * Test the accuracy of professional weather reports.

Title of lesson:  Weather diaries Description of lesson (if you were to describe to a parent what was happening in the classroom for this lesson, what would you say in 3-5 sentences).  I will begin this lesson by demonstrating various, simple weather instruments in class. Thermometers, rain gauges, and wind vanes should be familiar to the students, but barometers and anemometers may be new concepts to them. It may be within the school budget to distribute thermometers, wind vanes, and rain gauges to students so they can create a local weather diary at home. I would also access the Internet in class to access weather station data or a weather radar link. I may assign each student a different U.S. city to track the weather conditions over one week, using the same online weather data I accessed in class. For both local and nationwide weather, I would ask the students how well the weather predictions for a given day agreed with the actual weather conditions of that day and place. Ideally, I would like students to test the accuracy of the local weather report by using the simple weather instruments that I gave them in class. Also ideally, I would like students to check weather conditions three times a day (morning, afternoon, and night).

Assignment (homework or in-class: this is how the learner will practice the learning that has just occurred):  Create a weather diary over one week for both local weather and the weather of another U.S. city. Make use of simple weather instruments to measure weather data or access weather station data online. The weather diary should be word processed.

Resources/materials needed:  Access to online weather station data, weather reports in newpapers or on TV, word processing software. Thermometers, wind vanes, and rain gauges if I can get them.

Technology used:  The World Wide Web. I have now created a Weather Station page on this site which students can refer to in creating their weather diaries. This page has access to weather forecast data from throughout the United States as well as an interactive Doppler weather radar for the entire country.

The technology used in this lesson changes the teaching / learning in this way: Online weather reports are continually ongoing, always accessible, and are likely to be far more accurate than newspaper or TV weather reports.