Lesson 6 - Understanding Air Movement- Teacher's Guide

Targeted Instructional Objective: Applying scientific strategies to gain further understanding of the natural world

Content Focus: Evaluating the relationships between geography and climate

Wind is caused by the interaction of cold and warm air. As geographical components influence the temperature of air, a wind's origin and speed are critical pieces of information when evaluating the potential impact of air movement on climate.

General Instructional Goal:

Students recognize the cycles of warm and cool air which create air movement in order to identify wind patterns and their effect on weather conditions.

Specific Outcomes:

Upon completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

1) Explain how warm and cold temperatures effect air movement

2) Identify patterns in radical winds that cause cyclonic storms

3) Write and translate vector notations describing winds

 

Lesson Content

Instructional Processes
  • Set
 Topic Introduction: (Teacher defined)

Suggested preview approaches:

1) Discussion of gusty (but mild) weather: bad hair day, dust in contacts, pollen blowing, etc. Is a windy day worse when it's cold or when it's hot? What difference could temperature have on wind?

2) Teacher may wish to show weather clips of tornadoes and hurricanes, asking students to note the locations of these storms.
  • Purpose
 Identifying the connection between temperature and wind

Comparing hurricane and tornado patterns

Labeling wind direction
  • Guided Practice
 Teacher may wish to read along with the students, pausing for questions.
  • Practice/Application
 Individual or small groups will access the internet address given to complete the worksheet. The teacher may wish to demonstrate the first answer.
  • Summary
 Synopsis of material covered

Optional Strategies:

1) Whole group spot check of data answers

  • Evaluation
 Recommended score of at least 85% on worksheet to ensure student readiness for subsequent lessons

Necessary Materials:

  • Internet access to Idaho Environmental Monitoring webpage
  • Student worksheet

Supplemental/Cross Curricular Activities and Ideas

Old Fashioned Weathervanes: Simple technology at work

Small Group Activity focuses students on data collection after they design and build their own weathervanes. After taking wind measurements for a week, student "data sets" can be compared for accuracy.

Storm Chasers: Analyzing the destructive impacts of hurricanes and tornadoes

Individual or Small Group research project illustrates the damage a little hot air can do! At the teacher's discretion, students can hunt down strange stories about cyclones, track the course of storms on a map, or even manufacture a "cyclone" in the classroom.

Big Birds in Flight: Applying the science of wind to the science of aviation

Individual, small group, or whole class investigation shows students how the analysis of air movement has contributed to the field of aviation. At the teacher's discretion, students could study the flight of birds and how birds use wind currents; trace the history of the earliest planes, noting how pilots and plane designers struggled to overcome the natural forces of wind; or even build their own gliders and "take off" on a windy day.

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