Atmosphere

Elementary Level

Am I Hot or Am I Cold? - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  • Tell how the air around the earth gets heated and cooled by the sun. practice using a thermometer to keep track of the daily temperature for 2 weeks.

Blowin' In The Wind - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  • Tell how wind is created on earth: changes in temperatures and air pressure. List good and bad effects of the wind. Make a weather vane and practice using it for 2 weeks. Tell what a wind gauge/anemometer does and practice using it for 2 weeks.

Drip…Drop…Raindrops - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  • Demonstrate the steps of evaporation, cloud formation, and precipitation within the water cycle. make and demonstrate how to use a hygrometer to record daily humidity. describe how rain, snow, and sleet form. show how to use a rain gauge to record daily precipitation.

Living in the Greenhouse - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  1. Tell why the earth is like a greenhouse.
  2. Define climate.
  3. Describe the factors that make climates different from each other.
  4. Tell why certain plants and animals can only live in specific climates.
  5. Match people's activities to a favorable climate.
  6. Explain how man's activities can change the environment and the climate.

Too Heavy For Me - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  1. Describe the different arrangement of air molecules in high and low air pressure masses.
  2. Compare the temperature of high and low pressure masses.
  3. Tell how a barometer works.
  4. Practice using a barometer for 2 weeks.

Where Is That Place? - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  1. Explain the difference between a country, state, and city.
  2. Record the weather conditions for their school and 1 other Nebraska school.
  3. Compare and contrast the many features of their school with 1 other Nebraska school.
  4. Learn to prepare a weather report from the information gathered from the weather equipment.

Middle School Level

(The) Big Crush - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  1. Define air pressure.
  2. Explain how air pressure is related to the density of air.
  3. Describe the factors that affect air pressure.
  4. Practice using a baromete.
  5. Describe the formation of cyclones and anticyclones.

Evidence for Trends in Climate Change - Provided by Danelle Schuh-Philippe and Suse Riddle

  • The purpose of this unit is to allow 8th grade Earth Science students to experience processes by which evidence is gathered about climate change over time. The students will be supported in their science research and data collection by activities in their math class. With information gathered, students will then uses various techniques to assess trends in climate change.

Heating the Atmosphere - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  1. Demonstrate how a thermometer works.
  2. Practice using a max/min thermometer.
  3. Construct a thermograph for maximum and minimum temperatures for the 2-week FMP.
  4. Illustrate how the earth's atmosphere is heated by convection and conduction currents and evaporation of water.

How Do Weather Conditions and Lunar Cycles Affect Fishing Success? - Provided by Mark Skiles

  • Participating students will learn how to use weather measuring devices to record and study weather conditions at different locations, during different times. After much data collection, participating students will attempt to draw conclusions about the relationship between weather conditions, lunar cycle and fishing success.

Hurricanes- Provided by Kimberley Flessner

  • Students will research, record, track, and graph information about some of the current hurricanes.

It is So Sticky That... - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  1. Describe the movement of water through the water cycle.
  2. Describe how clouds form.
  3. Explain relative humidity and demonstrate how to measure it.
  4. Compare conditions that allow different forms of precipitation to form.
  5. Practice measuring precipitation.

Micro? Local? Macro? - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  1. Define climate and climatology.
  2. Identify factors thatch affect climate.
  3. Differentiate between: microclimate, local climate, and macroclimate.
  4. Interpret a climate graph.
  5. Outline Nebraska’s climate for the last 12,000 years.
  6. Discuss how climate can change humans activities.
  7. Identify human activities that can change the climate.
  8. Identify local and national strategies for dealing with potential climatic changes.

Relative Humidity of Your School - Provided by Betty Watt

  • In this activity the students will predict the location where the relative humidity will the highest and lowest in and around their school. The students will then use a sling psychrometer to measure the relative humidity of the various locations. The students will need to be able to read a thermometer accurately and they will be required to read a relative humidity conversion table. Each student will have a psychrometer to use. Each lab group will be assigned a different location to determine the relative humidity. The individual results will be averaged and reported to the other lab groups. A graph will be constructed of the results. Class discussion will focus on the reasoning behind the predictions and conclusions drawn from the results.

High School Level

Activities to Enhance STEDII Data - Provided by Derek Geise

  • Develop an understanding of related weather processes such as wind, cloud cover, and temperature using STEDII data and instrumentation as well as on-line weather maps and satellite images. In addition, students will be able to recognize appropriate scales and units, analyze data, and integrate mathematical calculations to produce a forecast map.

(The) Air Up There? - Provided by Bob Feurer

(The) Clouds Tell All - Provided by Derek Geise

  • This activity will be used to allow students to observe clouds and the resulting weather they bring. The students will classify cloud types and use these classifications to forecast weather conditions. Students will be able to use investigations to enhance and integrate terms given to the various cloud types.

Crazy Climates - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Bridget Littrell

  • This unit will help students investigate climate changes; past, present and future. It will help them understand what factors influence climate and predict what could happen in the future.

(The) Earth's Atmosphere and Temperature - Provided by Arnie Cerny

  1. Students will describe and compare the layers of the atmosphere.
  2. Students will explain how to measure the temperature of the atmosphere.
  3. Students will explain what causes the atmosphere to heat up in some places more than in others.

Flood Cycles 30/100 or Somewhere In-between - Provided by Gregory Paul Pavlik

  • Goal: To research flood history on a Nebraska river and to see if past precipitation records could be used for future predictions. Objective: Use current on-line references and Climprob to research a Nebraska river's flood history.

Hot, Hotter, Hottest - Provided by Susan M. Frack and Scott Prickett

  1. Compare heat and temperature.
  2. Name and describe 3 methods of heat transfer; conduction, convection, evaporation-condensation.
  3. Explain what happens to solar energy after it travels through the atmosphere and reaches the earth.
  4. Demonstrate use of max/min thermometers and use it to keep record of local temps for 2 weeks.

Industrial Revolution and Climate Change - Provided by Cindy Karel and Christine Pritchard-Laska

  • Investigating Climate Change from the view of the Industrial Revolution in Earth Science, English and Social Studies Disciplines.

Using a Sling Psychrometer to Determine Relative Humidity - Provided by Mary Jane Bell

  • The students will construct and use a sling psychrometer to determine relative humidity. Safety goggles are required for this activity in my classroom while the psychrometers are being constructed and used. Students will take measurements of the temperature on each of the two thermometers, determine the difference between the two readings, and use a table to determine relative humidity.

Weather Forecasting - Provided by Sharill Prey-Luedtke

  • This activity will have students utilize their knowledge of air masses, fronts(cold, warm, stationary), high pressure, low pressure, clouds, relative humidity and the way air masses move across the U.S. They will also refamiliarize themselves with the names and locations of all states.

Wind Power - Provided by Sharill Prey-Luedtke

  • This activity will introduce students an alternate ways to produce electricity. The main focus will be on wind power and the role it plays in Nebraska's needs. Students will utilize the world wide web, knowledge of kinetic and potential energy and Nebraska geography.