Helfenbein, Hudak 2014

Grade/Subject:

7th grade Earth Science: Weather systems

Unit BIG Idea

Air pressure differences and Earth's rotation in the atmosphere result in wind
direction at the Earth's surface.

Next Generation Science Standard

MS-ESS2-5: Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and
complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.

Arizona Science Standard(s)

C2PO3: Apply the following scientific processes to other problem solving or

decision making situations-Observing, inferring, communicating, generating
hypotheses, predicting, and comparing.

Arizona College and Career Readiness

Standards (optional)
Culminating Assessment: How will I
measure mastery of the NGSS?

A test at the end of unit where the students will predict the wind directions by
drawing on a map of a storm system by using their wind models.
Real-Time Calendar

A standard is most likely too complex to be taught in its entirety in one lesson. Therefore, it will be broken down into daily
objectives to scaffold learning for students in order to ensure that they master the entire standard. List the daily lesson objectives
you will teach during a 10 day unit in the calendar below (50 minutes per day). There are those instances where students may not
achieve the daily lesson objective in one day of instruction. You will want to allow time to review the content and practices, as
necessary (factual level reviews, such as Jeopardy are highly discouraged). This section helps you to see the alignment
between the standard, daily lesson objectives, lesson activities, and assessments in real-time. Days can be added if needed.
DAY
LESSON SUMMARY
List an agenda with description of each agenda
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Formative Assessment*
item.
1

SWBT: Observe how

water flows from one
container into another
and record their
observations.

Engage: Short video of a large storm

system over land. Discuss what was seen
with the class. Ask them why they think it
moved the way it did.
Explore: Have students at sinks (or
outside) with two clear containers. The
students will follow lab directions and
place one container into the other, larger,
one. The inner container is full of water
the outer container is empty. The students
will then open the closable hole in the
inner container, draining the water into the
latter container. They will observe at what
point the water stops flowing into the
larger container. Students will repeat
procedure three times and record what
they observe in their science journal.

Teacher will check for

understanding and key words in
students science journals.
Assessment will be conducted as
journal is filled out and turned in
at the end of class.

Helfenbein, Hudak 2014

2

SWBT: Design their

initial wind/pressure
relationship model.

SWBT: Predict how the

wind flows around a
hurricane.

SWBT: Understand how

Coriolis force (from
previous unit) interacts
with surface air.

SWBT: Revisit their

initial model and add in
the affects of Coriolis
force.

Cont from previous day~

Explain: Students will discuss their
observations to their lab partners and
explain why they think it flowed from one
bucket into the other and why it stopped
where it did.
Elaborate: Have students share with the
class why they thought it acted the way it
did from the previous day's lab. Remind
the students that water is a fluid and that
air is considered a fluid as well. Talk about
how pressure causes fluids to flow from
locations of high pressure to low pressure.
Evaluate: The students will design
(generate hypothesis) their own
wind/pressure relationship model on white
boards explaining how air flows from a
location of high pressure to low pressure,
specifically stating directions.
Start off class with questions reminding the
students what they did the previous two
days. Have students share what their
models state. Think-Pair-Share on the
wind direction around a hurricane using
their models. Students are to draw out
their map of a hurricane by using wind
directions. On white boards, the students
at each table will draw out their wind
maps. Each group will share their maps
with the class and explain why they drew it
the way they did.
Show the class a video of a hurricane seen
from space. Have the students to write
down differences in their journals between
their maps and the video. They are to
write down their observations from the
video and write down the differences.
Have them TPS why they think causes the
differences. Share out loud.
Review a previous unit on Earth's spin and
Coriolis force and how it makes bands of
wind. Discuss how this force affects
surface air and tie it into wind direction.
Write findings in science journals.
Continue discussion on Coriolis force and
have the students revisit their models and
make changes. The students will TPS their
new models and will use their new models

Teacher will walk the room and

evaluate student discussions
regarding previous days lab,
checking for understanding and
literacy.
When students present their
models on white boards, teacher
will assess content
comprehension.

Teacher will observe Think Pair

Shares, checking for vocabulary
and seeing whether white boards
are being filled out correctly.
Check drawings for wind maps.
Observe and assess presentation,
checking for literacy.
Formal assessment of journals for
comparison.

Teacher will collect science

journals to check for previous
unit review.

Teacher will hand out initial

model and observe TPS for
assessment.

Helfenbein, Hudak 2014

SWBT: Predict the

direction of the wind by
using maps and various
diagrams.

SWBT: Read various

simple surface maps of
weather

SWBT: Revise their

models one last time
accounting for pressure
and wind speeds.

SWBT: Review for their

unit assessment

10

SWBT: Use their models

in an assessment to
predict the wind speed
and direction on a cloud
cover map

on practicing predicting wind directions

around storms. Do not forget to include
southern hemisphere differences in wind
direction (from Coriolis force discussion).
Using their models, students will look at a
variety of maps and charts to practice
predicting the wind direction. They will
also watch videos of various types of
storms and observe/discuss what they saw.
Students will be introduced to various
maps that show wind speed and direction.
They will observe how the wind increases
in speed the closer it gets to a low pressure
location.
After reviewing the previous day's activity,
students will revise their models one last
time accounting for wind speed. They will
use their models on maps and practice
reading more surface weather maps that
show wind speed and direction.
Students will use their models in practicing
making wind maps by drawing wind lines
on cloud cover maps.
Students will draw wind lines on a cloud
cover map of a storm, including a key that
tells the reading what the markings mean.

Initiate conversation regarding

storms and wind direction,
encourage engagement between
students and evaluate depth of
comprehension.
Teacher will have students
complete an E ticket about maps
and wind speeds.

Teacher will collect revised maps,

checking for accuracy of added
wind speeds.

Cloud cover maps will be

collected and assessed.
Teacher will check cover map for
effective model prediction.

Helfenbein, Hudak 2014

Coriolis Force and Air Masses: This is how we move

Class (Grade Level): 7th grade
Day 5
Time Length:

55min

BIG IDEA for LEARNERS

Air pressure differences and Earth's rotation in the atmosphere result in wind direction at the
Earth's surface.
LESSON OVERVIEW
Continue discussion on Coriolis force and have the students revisit their models and make
changes. The students will TPS their new models and will use their new models on practicing
predicting wind directions around storms. Do not forget to include southern hemisphere
differences in wind direction (from Coriolis force discussion).
STANDARDS
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
MS-ESS2-5: Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions
of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards (Literacy in Social Sciences, Sciences,
and Technical Subjects)
None for AZCCRS But current standards: S2C2PO3: Apply the following scientific
processes to other problem solving or decision making situations-Observing, inferring,
communicating, generating hypotheses, predicting, and comparing.
LESSON LEARNING OBJECTIVE AND ASSESSMENT
Students will revise their initial air mass flow model that describes the flow of air from high
pressure to low pressure and adjust it to incorporate Coriolis Force which includes the direction
in which air flows around the pressure centers (clockwise around highs, counter-clockwise
around lows in the northern hemesphere) and use their new models to predict air flow on a
weather map.
Students will demonstrate that they met the objective by
Using their new model to predict the airflow movement of three weather phenomena in an eticket. Students will also practice predicting airflow movement of various storms shown on the
projector during class. Once students are able to predict, by either physically demonstrating the
direction of the flow or through the e-ticket, the general airflow movement then they have
accomplished the objective.
SCIENTIFIC PRACTICES AND ASSOCIATED LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS
SCIENTIFIC
PRACTICE(S)
RECEPTIVE

Develop Models/sense making

Explanation of how Coriolis fits with weather, general reading of a

Helfenbein, Hudak 2014

LANGUAGE
FUNCTIONS
PRODUCTIVE
LANGUAGE
FUNCTIONS
KEY VOCABULARY

weather map (will be taught). Students will also watch some videos
to have a visual movement to help with their sense making.
Writing a science model, discussion in groups, answering questions.
Students will have to write out, and draw, their wind models as well
as explain their models to those in their groups.
Coriolis Force: The force felt on objects due to a rotational
movement
Air Mass: A body of air molecules that share the same
properties over a horizontal surface.
MATERIALS

Student models of air mass flow

Pictures of various weather fronts
RESOURCES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXqbXZY3ATU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhOo_rmMybI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zRq2k_o_pk
weatherchannel.com
nasa.gov
noaa.gov
PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE
Students need to know how Coriolis Force works, how fluids move from high pressure to low
pressure, and how to word a thesis and/or model. They will know the science concepts from
previous lessons and will be revisited in this lesson through the opening questions and answers.
The Coriolis Force directs objects in motion above the surface of the planet to the right in the
northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere. This is due to the rotational
movement of the Earth under the object and the change in rotational velocity as the object
moves to, and from, the equator. The equator rotates faster than the latitudes going towards the
poles as the diameter decreases. This mean that the initial rotational velocity of the object as it
moves from the equator is faster than the rotational speed of the Earth under it and it is still
deflected to the right (in the northern hemisphere). Fluids move from locations of high pressure
to low pressure to bring about a balance of pressure.
TEACHING PROCEDURES AND ANNOTATED SSTELLA PRACTICES
Opening: Continue discussion on Coriolis force and ask questions regarding what direction the
air mass is deflected in which hemisphere. Answer any questions the students have about
Coriolis force, this should be an old topic for them. "What direction does the Coriolis force
deflect objects in the northern hemisphere? In the southern hemisphere?" "How does latitude
effect the force felt by the Coriolis?" "If I was an air mass moving from the equator to the North

Helfenbein, Hudak 2014

Pole, what direction would I be deflected?" If I am flying from Arizona to Denver, what side of
Denver should I aim for?" Watch the tornado video on youtube.com. This video will interest
the students and get them thinking in terms of rotation.
Have the students take out their initial models and, in their table groups, the students will
apply the deflection from the Coriolis Force to their models. The teacher will walk around and
look for understanding by using science talk strategies and questions. The students should not
understand what is going on at first. At various intervals through the activity show several
pictures of hurricanes and major storm fronts where the wind direction is clearly apparent.
This will help the students make visual connections. Show pictures and videos of hurricanes to
help them make the connection on their own. After about 10 minutes, show the force diagram
of how air pressure and Coriolis Force effect the direction of the air mass. The force of the
pressure from the high pushes the air mass outward and the Coriolis force directs the air to the
right, so the resulting motion is a clockwise movement. The air mass is then affected by the low
pressure which the air mass is directed directly towards. However, the Coriolis force pushes
the air mass to the right, not allowing the air mass to move directly to the low pressure area
causing the air mass to start moving in a counter-clockwise motion. The students will TPS their
new models and make adjustments from their discussions. During the TPS activity each group
will write their new model on a white board. Each group will present their new model and the
teacher will create a classroom model from the students' models to be a master model the
students can refer back to. This new model will be displayed on the main white board. The
teacher will show the class a weather map, one with only wind directions one it and show the
last two videos listed under resources. The purpose of the wind direction map is to show how
meteorologists display wind measurements in a graphic form. There will be a quick discussion
as to why the wind arrows point towards the direction the wind is coming from instead of
going to. The students will infer why the arrows are pointed that way. There will be a quick
overview on how to read the map. Students will use their new models on practicing predicting
wind directions around storms. Do not forget to include southern hemisphere differences in
wind direction (from Coriolis force discussion). This activity is a group activity. If time,
students will get up and mimic how they think an air mass will move according to their new
model, in groups. This activity should be done either after the students have completed their
new models, or before if the teacher verbally explains what is going on in each step. The
teacher will be the center of high pressure and "push" the students outward. The students will
then start moving outward but the teacher reminds them that while the high is pushing
outward, the Coriolis force is deflecting them to the right. The students should start to figure
out that the movement will be clockwise. The teacher will then move to the area of low and
explain that as they get closer to the low, the force of the low pulling on them increases and they
want to move directly to the low, however the Coriolis force keeps deflecting them to the right,
so they should start moving in a counter-clockwise direction. If the activity is done this way, it
should be done just before the force diagram is shown to the class.
Closing: The teacher will show some standard weather maps to show what they are going to
learn next. Before exiting the room, students will look at three weather fronts and will predict

Helfenbein, Hudak 2014

the direction of the wind using their models. The predictions will not be exact; the teacher will
look for correlations between the students' models and the predicted wind direction. If they
have the basic - clockwise around a high, counter-clockwise around a low in the northern
hemisphere, then they have shown that they have revised and predicted wind flow.