Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate

I Rationale:

Many of the delays and scrubs of Space Shuttle launches have been due to weather related issues. The Shuttle Test Director (featured engineer #1) would play a role in determining if weather constraints will affect a launch. This lesson sequence provides possible ways of using the extensive NASA data base to introduce, review, or enhance topics dealing with atmosphere, weather, and climate.

II Procedures:

1. Access the following link: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
2. Click on Features
3. Click on Atmosphere
4. Read articles – “Measuring Ozone from SS Columbia”, “A Delicate Balance: Signs of Change in the Tropics”, “Volcanoes and Climate Change”, Changing our Weather One Smokestack at a Time”
5. Click on Home
6. Click on Current Stories – Joanne Simpson – 1st female meteorologist with a PhD, developed the 1st cloud model, described what makes hurricanes run, discovered what drives atmospheric currents in the tropics
7. Click on Home
8. Click on Data and Images
9. Click on atmosphere: “Precipitation” – allows students to create animation of precipitation over time; “Ozone” – allows students to create animation of ozone levels over time
10. Access the following link: http://spacelink.nasa.gov/
11. Click on Instructional Materials
12. Click on NASA Educational Products
13. Scroll down to “How High is it?” – contains variety of activities that allow students to gain an understanding of scale and long measurements of distance
14. Access the following link: http://www.nasa.gov/
15. Click on “Go to main NASA site”
16. Click on For Educators
17. Click on Grades 5 - 8
18. Click on Multimedia Resources
19. Click on Atmospheric Trivia Game - this is a fun way for students to review concepts about the atmosphere

III Content Standards Addressed:

National Science Education Standards:

• Unifying Concepts – Evidence, models, and explanation; Constancy, change, and measurement
• Content Standards
• D.1.8 – The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases that include water vapor. The atmosphere has different properties at different elevations
• E.2.3 – Science and technology are reciprocal

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics:

• A.1.3 – Develop meaning for percents greater than 100 and less than 1
• A.1.4 – Understand and use ratios and proportions to represent quantitative relationships
• D.2.5 – Solve problems using scale factors, using ratio and proportion

National Education Technology Standards:

• A.6.1 – Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions
• A.6.2 – Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world