Details
| Type of Product: | SciGuide |
| Average Rating: | 
based on 9 reviews |
| Publication Date: | 12/13/2006 |
| Grade Level: | Middle School |
Description
SciGuides are a collection of thematically aligned lesson plans, simulations, and web-based resources for teachers to use with their students centered on standards-aligned science concepts.
What is weather? Is climate different from weather? It doesn’t matter where you live or where you travel, weather patterns influence your daily life. In this guide, students will engage in exploring and predicting the conditions in the atmosphere that are responsible for weather patterns and climatic conditions, and investigate how extreme weather impacts humans and the environment. While many of the keywords embedded into the “Living in the Weather” themes will be familiar, do your students really understand them?
This guide provides teacher-tested, reliable links that allow you and your students to “surf” the internet in a quest to better understand how atmospheric conditions directly relate to weather on Earth. Understanding weather and climate can be a great opportunity for you to engage students in topics and themes that connect Earth and space science, life science, and physical science in a real way.
The National Science Education Standards (NSES) focus on the study of weather and climate and their impact on human life. This guide uses the ongoing work and technology of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (known to the public simply as NOAA). NOAA scientists study our planet Earth in a global way. Working together with scientists worldwide, NOAA scientists study the diversity of living organisms (including humans) and their impact on our environment—not only in our country but in every country and continent around the world.
Ideas For Use
A Science Guide is a valuable classroom resource for science teachers interested in integrating the web into their teaching. Each guide consists of approximately 100 web-accessible resources (URLs) that have been aligned to the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and vetted across eight educational rubrics, such as Inquiry, Interactivity, Communication/ Collaboration, How Scientists Learn, etc. These URL resources have been assembled in a thematic drill-down structure with linked lesson plans, vignettes, samples of student work and MP3 files that demonstrate how the Guide’s URLs can be utilized in a classroom. Ultimately, a Science Guide is a resource that saves educators time by providing exemplary web resources that have been pre-evaluated and aligned to the National Science Education Standards.
Additional Info
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Science Discipline:
(mouse over for full classification)
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Water cycle
Sun
Air
Atmosphere
Crust
Freshwater
Oceans
Energy sources
Energy transfer
Precipitation
Pressure
Temperature
Wind
Climate
Humans and the environment
Science process skills
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| Intended User Role: | Elementary-Level Educator, Learner, New Teacher, Professional Development Provider, Teacher |
| Educational Issues: | Achievement, Assessment of students, Careers, Curriculum, Inquiry learning, Instructional materials, Integrating technology, Teacher content knowledge, Teacher preparation, Teaching strategies |
Technical
| Resource Format: | audio/mp3, text/html |
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National Standards Correlation
This resource has 14 correlations with the National Standards.
[HIDE CORRELATIONS]
- Earth Science
- Changes in earth and sky
- Weather can be described by measurable quantities, such as temperature, wind direction and speed, and precipitation.
- Structure of the earth system
- Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather. (5-8)
- Oceans have a major effect on climate, because water in the oceans holds a large amount of heat. (5-8)
- Energy in the earth system
- Heating of earth's surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents. (9-12)
- Global climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun at and near the earth's surface. (9-12)
- Science and Technology
- Understanding about science and technology
- Tools help scientists make better observations, measurements, and equipment for investigations. They help scientists see, measure, and do things that they could not otherwise see, measure, and do.
- Science and technology are reciprocal. (5-8)
- Science helps drive technology, as it addresses questions that demand more sophisticated instruments and provides principles for better instrumentation and technique. (5-8)
- Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
- Risks and benefits
- Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of people that might be exposed and the number likely to suffer consequences. (5-8)
- Students should understand the risks associated with natural hazards (fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions) (5-8)
- Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks. (5-8)
- Science and technology in society
- Students should appreciate what science and technology can reasonably contribute to society and what they cannot do. For example, new technologies often will decrease some risks and increase others.
- History and Nature of Science
- Science as a human endeavor
- Women and men of various social and ethnic backgrounds--and with diverse interests, talents, qualities, and motivations--engage in the activities of science, engineering, and related fields such as the health professions. (5-8)
- Teaching Standards
- Teachers provide students with the time, space, and resources needed to learn science.
- Make the available science tools, materials, media, and technological resources accessible to students.
Customer Reviews
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Weather |
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Reviewed by: DonnaLynn Samuelu on November 30, 2012 |
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This Sciguide was intended for upper elementary but I found many ideas and activities that were easily adaptable to lower elementary. For example, the whole guide has 3 themes: predicting weather, weather and climate basics and weather, climate and humans. Instead of using all the content from each, it was very easy to use the basic concepts from one theme and integrate them into a lesson for lower elementary. This was a very organized and complete way to introduce a topic to my students. I feel that it gave me a way to ensure that I am not perpetuating any misconceptions and/or misunderstandings.
This guide has a surprisingly wide variety of resources. I thought it would only include website that show current weather or data collected by bouys or being tracked, but the websites also include worksheets, assessments and information about a career in weather-reporting or predicting.
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Review on Living in the Weather |
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Reviewed by: Erica on November 6, 2012 |
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This SciGuide covers 3 different themes. 1) Predicting the Weather 2) Weather and Climate Basics 3) Weather, Climate, and Humans. Even though this is a SciGuide for middle school aged students, I find that there are some activities that elementary students would be able to participate in too. I like that one of the lessons had the students keep a log of the weather in their neighborhood. The students used vocabulary that they learned in class in their observation logs. In my elementary classroom I would have the students record their data in school and encourage discussion amongst their peers. One of the extension activities in the lesson plan for Predicting the Weather teaches us how to create a little cloud in a 2 liter plastic bottle. I think that all students of all ages will enjoy that experiment! Another lesson that I enjoyed was having the students record data of climate in a few states. The students used the data they gathered to rank the states in order according to which state they would like to live in. I am looking for more ways to incorporate hands-on activities in my classroom and found that there were too many worksheets in this SciGuide. It would be great to read about different experiments or labs that the students could participate in and have them keep logs to record any data or observations and make conclusions by using their data. |
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Living in the Weather SciGuide Review |
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Reviewed by: Tomonori Hayamichi on April 24, 2012 |
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All the selected themes are very impressive to me as the points of those focus on how we can get benefited from learning weather and climate. The lessons provided in this SciGuide emphasize on practical knowledge and uses of weather prediction and protection from sever weather, choosing the optimal lifestyle adopting to the specific climatic environment.
I have implemented two lessons for the weather and climate chapter in earth science class. The lesson “Which Location Is Best for Me” have the students explore various types of climates and associated environmental condition and make them aware of various lifestyles corresponding to various climatic conditions. This is particularly beneficial for those have lived in only one climate region and not experienced any other lifestyles from the climates. It is a good lesson plan for the students living in Hawaii as many of them have few experiences of various climate changes in the year.
I would like to make one suggestion to this lesson plan that it does not include all fifty states information and data, excluding Hawaii. I needed to modify the lesson as to include Hawaii’s climate information to compare any other climate regions. It was very practical lesson plan overall for the students in Hawaii to explore the various climates.
This SciGuide emphasizes the importance of study of weather and climate as they impact on human daily life and environment. It covers three major themes of learning weather and climate: predicting the weather, interrelation of weather and climate, and influence of weather and climate.
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Math and Research Integration |
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Reviewed by: Loren Nomura on February 12, 2012 |
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I really liked how the SciGuide had a lesson plan that forces students to practice their research skills (identifying credible sources) and math at the same time to learn about predicting cloud cover and Earth satellites. It also had basic language art terminology to review that is specific to science, such as orbit, radiometer, and polar satellite. It also had students download cloud identification charts to help visual learners match cloud patterns in the sky to their charts. It was an easy lesson for me to follow, although I think some of my students would really struggle with it - but they could get a lot out of it. Would recommend this SciGuide to others if they're also looking to try new ideas and increase student engagement in lessons. |
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My Review of Living in the Weather |
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Reviewed by: Ronaldo Relador (Bowie, MD) on January 17, 2012 |
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A global perspective on environmental research, this collection of resources endeavors to assess the impact of all living organisms, including humans, to the changes in the climactic condition of the earth, and in turn make extensive study too of the effects of these changes back to the inhabitats of the earth. |
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Living in the Weather SciGuide Review |
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Reviewed by: Nichole M on October 31, 2011 |
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The "Living in the Weather" SciGuide is divided into three main sections: Predicting Weather, Weather and Climate Basics, and Weather, Climate and Humans. There are resources to help students learn about different weather satelites, different cloud patterns, and gathering data to forecast weather. There are also links to information about careers in weather. Teachers can also find sites that familiarize students with the difference between weather and climate and sites that show how weather systems form. Finally there is a section that deals with severe weather events, how to stay safe and what damage they can cause. This section familiarizes students with the types of risks and how to manage risks from severe storms.
This SciGuide is full of excellent resources for Earth Science teachers who teach about weather and climate. |
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Applications for Lower Elementary |
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Reviewed by: Jennine Tambio on October 1, 2011 |
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The “Living in the Weather” SciGuide is geared toward teachers and students in middle school—grades 5 -8, but in browsing the resources, I found many lower elementary level applications for this SciGuide as well. Since much of the content was at a higher academic level, I found myself focusing primarily on the links provided in the lesson plans of each subheading.
Under the Theme, “Predicting the Weather, in “The Eye in the Sky” lesson plan, I found a great link to a PowerPoint presentation called, “Droplets,” sponsored by the Kiwi Kids Cloud Observation Guide. The PowerPoint teaches students about the different types of clouds that can be seen in the sky. In Kindergarten, we spend time making observations of the day and night skies as part of our Science Curriculum, so I thought this cloud study would be a great extension of those observations. I could even add a daily cloud observation to my Daily Weather Routine..
I also like the link to EPA’s website, “A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change,” which I found under the Theme, “Weather and Climate Basics,” and in the lesson plan titled, “Climate Systems: Which Location is Best for Me.” This website provided many helpful tools to teach the various aspects of Global Climate Change and encourages students to “Think Like a Scientist.” Again in Kindergarten, our Social Studies and Science benchmarks focus less on the high-level content involved in Global Climate Change, and more on the ways that the students should show respect and citizenship. Therefore, I thought I could use the “Be Part of the Solution,” section of the website to devise a class plan for how students can make small changes that will have a positive impact on the global environment.
My only suggestions for improving this SciGuide would be to (1) update the links because I often clicked on a resource, but the link was not active any longer; and (2) offer more SciGuides that are directed toward K-4 learners. I had initially thought that a SciGuide titled, “Living in the Weather,” would be geared toward lower elementary, and was surprised to see that it was more for middle school students.
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Hurricane Unit |
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Reviewed by: Dawn (, HI) on September 9, 2011 |
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Living in the Weather SciGuide has three major themes: predicting weather, weather and climate basics, and weather, climate, and humans. Each theme has lesson ideas and links that earth science teachers can use to teach a variety of topics involving weather and climate. Students will understand that weather and climate influence our environment, and that the environment impacts all living things. Living and teaching in Hawaii, this is an especially relevant topic with hurricane season running from May to November in the Pacific. This SciGuide provides online resources that link students to different sites, like Horrific Hurricanes, where students can take a firsthand look at the destruction caused by these natural disasters. Other links will teach students about hurricane preparedness, tools for tracking hurricanes, and impact of storm surges. This SciGuide includes the lesson Storm Watch: Knowing What to Do, which integrates web-based resources in to classroom curriculum. Some of the big ideas from this lesson include: severe weather is weather that can cause property damage and even deaths, flooding is a natural stage in the development of a stream and will continue to occur as the river system matures, a tornado is a violent, whirling column of air that is in contact with the ground which can result in extensive damage. Overall I found this SciGuide very useful when planning a unit on hurricanes. You will find helpful information for you and your students on extreme weather and how it impacts humans and the environment. |
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Try weather in the summer classroom |
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Reviewed by: Jennifer Rahn (Delafield, WI) on May 18, 2011 |
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Used as an adjunct to a hands-on unit on weather, this SciGuide provides background in weather and climate, prediction, and human impact. I liked the links to online data that allows students to interpret data as well as create their own. Weather always fascinates this age group, and the activities included will expand their perspectives on weather, climate, and the personal and global implications. |
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