Understanding Climate. How do the six factors influence an areas climate?

Created by: Jessica Kulman Subject Area: Earth Science Grade Level: Secondary (mostly ninth and tenth) Length of Lesson: Two days (70 minute periods) - one for implementation and one for follow up Objectives: 1. How is a certain area on the globe influenced by the six factors of climate? 2. Exercise skills by analyzing graphs at different locations. 3. Use prior knowledge about the suns rays (energy output) to explain an areas climate. Standards: E2.2D Identify the main source of energy to the climate system E4.p2I Identify major global wind belts (trade winds, prevailing westerlies, and polar easterlies) and their vertical components that control the global distribution of rainforests and deserts. E4.2B Explain how interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere influences global and regional climate. E4.2e Explain the difference between maritime and continental climates with regard to ocean currents. Technology/Materials Needed: 1. A computer for each student. 2. Access to http://people.cas.sc.edu/carbone/modules/mods4car/ccontrol/index.html 3. Activity sheet 4. Pencil or a pen 5. Projector that can display images from your computer. Day 1: *Students should have already been introduced to the six factors of climate. On the first day, students will obtain their own computer and access the site found at the top left hand side of their paper. Once they locate the website, students need to select the proper factor and begin to answer the questions that pertain to that specific factor. Once students are finished they are to turn it in. If a student needs more time they may finish it up at home and turn it in the next day. At the end of the lesson, the students are surveyed on how comfortable they were with the assignment and the level of difficulty. This can be done multiple ways such as, the thumbs up thumbs down survey or by having a rubric created, passing it out and having them fill it out before they leave. This will help guide your discussion on day 2. Day 2: *Assignment must be graded/assessed before it is returned to the students therefore; there may be sometime between day one and day two. As a class, go through the activity focusing on misconceptions and inaccuracies that may have been noticed during the grading process. Using a projector, display the website and demonstrate the lesson as you explain it. After the class discussion, reassess the students. If you do the thumbs up/down method you may ask some students to volunteer what it is that is still confusing them. If they are uncomfortable or you dont want to put them on the spot have them write it down and turn it in before they leave. This will give you a chance to start a discussion the next day.

Climate Controls computer lab

Directions: Go to the following website: http://people.cas.sc.edu/carbone/modules/mods4car/ccontrol/index.html or Google: Climate controls (1st link)

Name _______________________

Introduction (Home page): a. Climate classifications organize the worlds climate on the basis of ________________________________. b. How many climate controls are listed? _______________. Click on the Latitude. Answer the following questions. Latitude c. How does latitude affect temperature? _______________________________________________________ d. What does increasing the range in solar intensity mean? (In your own words)

e. Draw the climograph (RED temperature only) for Quito, Havana, and Toronto below: INCLUDE AN ESTIMATED AVERAGE dashed line across.
City: ________ Lat:__ City: ________ Lat:__ City: ________ Lat:__

f. What happens to the temperature range as latitude increases? g. Look at the Dec 21 sun angle for each city. Draw the approximate sun angle for Quito, Havana, and Toronto for DEC 21st AND include the HOURS of daylight.

h.

What happens to this angle as latitude increases? _____________________________________________

Click Land vs. Water Land vs. Water a. What is the latitude of Reykjavik? _______ N How about Yakutsk?______ N b. Are they approximately the same (are they within 50 of each other)? ____________

c. Draw the climograph (temp only) for these two cities Reykjavik

Yakutsk

d. Which city has the larger temperature range? _________________ e. Why?

f. Which location receives more precipitation? __________________ Why?

g. Click on the next arrow to show a map of Europe. Play the animation (once or twice). What happens to the temperature range as you move east (to the RIGHT) across Europe? _____________ Make sure you know why!!! (answer same as number 2e.) Geographic Position a. Are latitudes of the three cities similar? Around ___ _ N_ b. Draw the climographs (temp only) for each city:

c. Which citys climograph is the least like the others? ________________________ d. Why (read text)?

We learned in section #2 (Land vs. Water) that maritime (coastal) locations have a much different climate than continental locations. If this is true, why do the climographs for San Francisco and Norfolk (both are coastal locations) look so different?

Mountains a. What is the general trend for temperature as altitude increases in the troposphere? ___________________. b. What is the elevation for Evergreen, CO?________ How about Denver, CO?_________ These two cities are at the same latitude. c. Draw the ave maximum temperature for each city on the climograph below. (LABEL Denver and Evergreen).

Ocean Currents a. According to the map, what portion of the Earth (in general) do the warmest ocean currents travel? ____________________ Coldest? _______________________ b. How can the ocean influence air temperatures (read text)? ________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ _ c. Using the map, provide a location that would be warmer than normal as a result of a warm ocean current _____________________ Provide a location that would be colder than normal as a result of a cold ocean current _____________________ Pressure & Global Wind Belts a. Look at the equator (0). According to the diagram, what are the conditions like in this region? _________ _________________ Why? (hint: what is the air doing at the equator? left side of diagram) b. According to the diagram, where (give me a latitude N & S) do you think most of the worlds deserts occur? ______________________________ What is the name of this area (see diagram)? ___________________ c. Click next in the upper right hand corner. Alternate between January and July. In which general direction does the ITCZ (cloudy area near the equator) shift as the seasons change? _______________ Why? _____ ______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________ __ Content: Understanding climate and how it affects an area is the first step in making connections between climate change/severe weather and their impact on society. Energy is redistributed around the earth and this is apparent with all the different climates that exist on earth. When determining an areas climate, latitude is the first determining factor. This is due to the energy output from the sun. The suns radiation does not hit the earth equally therefore creating different climates instantly. Pedagogy: With this activity, I am allowing students to connect with the information at their own pace. This allows me to step away from the leadership role in the classroom and provide my students with a touch of independence to collaborate and facilitate their own learning. I merely assess them to make sure they are on the right path and clear up any misconceptions I may overhear. It also allows me to focus my efforts on those who are still struggling. Content and Pedagogy: I am ultimately trying to teach students that climates of different areas occur because of natural factors that the earth provides. By having an understanding of this, they can then move to the next topic, which is climate change. In order to understand how the climate can change one must understand how it originated in the first place. I want them to understand that there is a reason why we are cold in the winter and have snow but San Diego seems to have a much more consistent climate most of the year. If students dont understand the role the earth plays in climate formation then they will struggle in understanding whether it is a naturally changing place or if it the influence of humans. Technology: Students will be using a computer to access the Internet to log on to the website. They will be using this website because it is interactive and is well organized. It also displays graphs that are very similar and would be hard to replicate due to their similarities, therefore, it provides more detail. They will be looking at multiple graphs that relate to different factors of climate. Each section displays a map of the cities location on the globe. Overall, I dont think this website is necessary in order to achieve my goals. I feel that this website is content specific, which can be replaced with other activities. I could create multiple graphs, list the six factors and provide students with a large map and have them work in groups to determine where each graph would go. They could then match the proper factor with the graph and location and write a brief explanation as to why they choose that combination. However, the later seems very intense and laboring. With the website I can achieve the same results in a shorter amount of time. Technology and Pedagogy: Students will be engaged in multiple learning strategies. Behavioral learning will be occurring because they will be using their skills to read the graphs and interpreting data in response to each graph. Informational processing will be implemented by using prior knowledge to explain how latitude is affected by the tilt of the earth and explain it terms of direct or indirect rays. Cognitive learning will occur as well because they will analyze the same type of graph but apply it to a different city with a different factor that influences the areas climate. There will also be some social constructivism due to the fact that they may be working together and they are encouraged to consult the person next to them first if they have any questions or difficulties. Technology and Content: The students will be using the computers in the science lab to access the Internet. From there they will go to a website and begin their activity. My students are very good at reading and finding the answer however, this assignment does not provide that for them. They will have to select the proper factor and scroll the mouse over

certain cites until the proper graph is displayed. They will have to know a little about what they are looking at so that they dont analyze the wrong graph. By students selecting the factor they are working on, sliding the mouse over the correct city, and correlating the graph to where the city is located, I hope to see them make the connections. My goal is to have them manipulate the website while answering focused questions to learn how all the factors work together to create an areas climate. Assessment: My ultimate goal for this lesson was to allow my students to use what they learned and see all the factors together. I wanted them to see how the factors work together to create a climate with latitude being the most important one. In order to move onto the next piece about climate, which is climate change, they need to have a foundation as to what even creates a natural climate to begin with. While the students navigate the website they will be completing an activity. They will have to answer questions about the graphs and apply what they know to what they see. Some questions will cause them to use their critical thinking skills, which is a great skill to practice. I will be able to assess students multiple ways. As the students are working on the lesson, I will be engaging them. I will also be answering any questions they may have. When they are finished, I will be able to grade their work. This will allow me to better examine how they connect the six factors. When we go over it in class, I will be able to have discussions with students and listen to their patterns of thinking pertaining to the implementation of the six factors.