FrontPageFrontPage A Level One or Two Inquiry

Technology incorporated: laptops with internet

Level One or Level Two? For one of our teachers' classes, this lesson was a level one investigation: the students read about air masses and fronts before completing the simulation.  For this lesson, students were questioned about types of air masses and what they create during the anticipatory set.   For another teachers' classes, this lesson was a level two investigation: the students tried the simulation before reading about air masses.  Again, questioning was key.  As we went through directions of the simulation, we stopped to ask students what terms like tropical and maritime might mean.   In both classes, recording data was key for later analysis.

Standard of Learning: 6.6f:  The student will investigate and understand the properties of air and the structure and dynamics of the Earth’s atmosphere.  Key concepts include basic information from weather maps, including fronts, systems, and basic measurements.

Objectives: Students will forecast weather for two cities, one located at the beginning, and one located east of, an upcoming front. 

Level One Lesson:

Anticipatory Set: Mrs. Chapman will ask students how many air masses there are and how many fronts there are.  Students will identify the four types of air masses and the 2 types of fronts.

Instruction Delivery:

On day 1, teacher will read the section in the textbook on air masses and fronts.

On day 2, Mrs. Chapman will log onto Discovery Education Front Simulation site. There, she’ll show students how to use trial and error with two air masses to form the front being depicted in the weather map.  She’ll then try to forecast, thinking aloud, and check her work.  She’ll record her findings on the board.

Guided Practice: Students will complete at least 6 trials as possible on the simulation site, in partners.  They’ll record their findings on the printed trial sheets.

Resources:  Discovery Education Network Weather Forecasting Simulation: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/videos/dsc/externalApplications/Integrated_Science_Module/index.html?configFile=sim10

Assessment: Mrs. Chapman will grade trial sheets for accuracy.

Level Two Lesson Plan

Anticipatory Set: Mrs. Chapman will tell students that this week they will become meteorologists. 

Instruction Delivery:  Mrs. Chapman will log onto Discovery Education Forecast Simulation site.

There, she’ll show students how to use trial and error with two air masses to form the front being depicted in the weather map.  She’ll then try to forecast, thinking aloud, and check her work.  She’ll record her findings on the board.

Guided Practice: Students will complete as many trials as possible on the simulation site, in partners.  They’ll record their findings as Mrs. Chapman did.  On April 8, class will read the section in the textbook on air masses and fronts, and students will apply their data with what they read.

Our Findings

Students did become more and more accurate at forecasting the weather in the simulation.