Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Global Climate Change: Fishbowl Discussion :)

Bloggers,

You will be preparing for tomorrow's academic "Fishbowl" discussion by blogging!  Every student has been assigned a small team of 3-5 students and you will be asking and responding to student-generated questions to build knowledge around "Global Climate Change."

1.)  Please write your  3 questions on the blog thread of your team.
Example, If you are a member of Team #1, you will blog only on Team #1's blog thread!!!!

2.)  Respond to the question(s) presented using ACE responses and cite your source.
Example, Paragraph 16 or Paragraphy 21 or Page 77  or Page 84

3.)  Cite evidence: When you cite evidence, please mention the paragraph number or page number you cited from!!!!!
     * Article - "Climate Change Debate: Man vs. Nature"
     * Textbook - pages 74-77
     * Textbook - pages 83-86

4.)  Finish this statement on your team blog:  Tomorrow, I want to learn more about....

5.) Finish this statement on your team blog:  What do you think is the difference between dialogue and debate?!

6.) .)  Questions/Support:   See Ms. Donahue at conference table. 

7.)  Expectations: Be a reflective and thoughtful thinker and blogger about a global issue facing us in the 21st century.  You may only use thoughtful and kind words when responding to each other with no disrespectful words or responses to any member of your small team.  Remember, you are blogging to deepen your understanding of the global climate change discussion and to learn about different perspectives and positions to this complicated issue.


Good luck!!! Ms. Donahue :)

Friday, April 6, 2012

Create a National Weather Report!


Morey Junior Meteorologists,
Essential Question:  Why are climate and weather important for how we live in the 21st century?!

Your fist task today is to deepen your understanding of elements that influence weather & climate!

1.) You have the choice of programs to demonstrate your knowledge of elements of weather, please select one program to use to create weather report
  • Mircrosoft Word - Write a paragraph: 7-9 sentences
  • Mircrosoft PowerPoint - Show a sequence of 8-12 slides
  • Popplet - Create a mindmap/infograph that links ideas together: Infograph
  • Prezi - Create a mindmap/infograph that links ideas together:  Infograph
  • KidBlog - Any combination of the abo e

2.)  Open these two links to learn about the weather conditions of the US for 4/6/12.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/fronts/latest-fronts-systems.htm
http://www.weather.com/newscenter/nationalforecast/

3.)  Please create a national weather report for 4/6/12 using one of the above technology programs.  You must include at least 15/25 words in your report
  1. air temperature
  2. precipitation
  3. air mass
  4. high pressure air mass 
  5. low pressure air mass 
  6. humidity
  7. wind 
  8. sun
  9. cirrus
  10. cumulonimbus
  11. stratosphere
  12. troposphere
  13. weather
  14. climate
  15. meteorologists
  16. climatologists
  17. condensation
  18. water cycle
  19. radar
  20. satellite
  21. weather maps
  22. wind speed
  23. wind direction
  24. precipitation
  25. barometric pressure
Challenge Word:
*dew point
*hygrometer
*anemometer
*future weather forecast


CRITICAL THINKING
1.)   What is the difference between weather and climate?
2.)   How does average yearly temperatures vary with latitude?
3.)   What is the water cycle and describe each step
4.)   How are clouds formed?
5.)   How does temperature affect air pressure?
6.)   How do meteorologist make observations of the weather? (radar, satellites, radiosondes)
7.)   What advantages are there in looking at the world from space to observe weather?
8.)   What is an isotherm?
9.)   What is an isobar?
10.)Why does air pressure always decrease upwards in the atmosphere?
11.)What is the difference between a warm front and a cold front?
12.)Why is the weather in high-pressure areas usually fair?  Why is the weather in low-pressure areas usually cloudy and stormy?
13.) Why do you think weather reports vary over any given area?
14.)What is some of the information is detailed in weather report?
15.)Why does wind blow?
16.) How are clouds formed?
17.)What are three general classifications of clouds & where are they found in the atmosphere?
18.)What is a vertical cloud?

Weather Instruments:

WEATHER INSTRUMENTS
Weather Instrument

What Does It Measure?

Metric Unit of Measure

Customary Unit of Measure
thermometer

temperature

Degrees Celsius (C)

Degrees Fahrenheit (F)
hygrometer

humidity




wind vane

wind direction

north, south, east, west

north, south, east, west
anemometer

wind speed

kilometers per hour (kph)

miles per hour (mph)
rain gauge

precipitation

centimeters (cm)

inches (in.)
barometer

air pressure

pascal (Pa) or newton/m2

inches of mercury or in millibars (mb)

4.) Resources/Help/Support:
This is a chance for you to demonstrate your understanding of elements of climate and weather and use the vocabulary in a way.   If you are unsure of the meaning of any of the above words, please use the following resources: Science Journal and/or Textbook

Good luck!