|
Topic(s):
Climate, Elementary (K-4), Hydrosphere
Scenario: Climate Poem
Climate and Water
The water cycle moves Earth's water around.
Sometimes through the air. Sometimes through the ground.
Some places have rain. Some places get snow.
So where does your water come from and where does it go?
The energy from the Sun keeps the cycle in motion.
Moving water into the air, to the ground, to the ocean.
Weather is short-term, you're talking about days.
Is climate long-term and different in other ways?
If you could find out where your water is found.
How much of it is in the air and on or in the ground.
Decided whether your water is mostly liquid, solid or gas.
Would that help you know your climate, at last?
Some places have lakes. Some places have streams.
Some places have almost no water, it seems.
Some places have damp air. Some places, air that is dry.
Not much water in a desert. Can you tell me why?
When it comes to water, places are dry or they're wet.
And some places change with the seasons, you bet.
To talk about climate without water would be tough.
Knowing the temperatures, now would that be enough?
In places where it never rains and it never snows.
Water hides deep in the ground or even in rivers flows.
Now think about where you live and your daily weather.
Do you get rain and need to have an umbrella or a sweater?
If you think about the water that falls from your sky.
What form it takes, how much comes down, and the reasons why.
You get no snow, no fog, no rain or maybe you get too much.
Is it your elevation, your location, the time of year and such?
Water words like rain or snow are used for the weather.
With temperature words like hot or cold come together.
To tell you what it's like outside your door for today.
But to talk about climate what other words would you say?
Climate and Water Essential Questions
As you work through this module see if you can find answers to these essential questions and other questions of your own about climate and water.- What does the amount of rain and other precipitation you get in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the kind of precipitation that you get in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the amount of water in the air and in and on the ground in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the amount and type of precipitation that falls in your neighborhood have to do with the kinds of things that live there?
- How does the amount and kind of precipitation in your neighborhood change the land in your neighborhood?
- How is the water in your neighborhood the same or different from the water in other places on Earth with a different cliamte?
Date: 11/20/2009
|
Scenario Images
Earth is called the water planet. How much water a place on Earth has in the air or in and on the land nearby depends on its climate. Some places have almost no water anywhere. Other places have water almost everywhere. In some places the water freezes most of the time. In some places the water never freezes and in others the water is always changing states. The water cycle moves Earth's water from the oceans to the air, to the land and back again. How much water do you have in your neighborhood? Images: clipart.com
Sunshine around the world. What do the colors mean? The Sun shines and warms our air, water, land and us, too. Not all of the places on Earth get the same amount of sunshine. Even the same place on Earth gets different amounts of sunshine at different times (seasons) of the year. Watch this and see how the amount of sunshine changes during the year and from year to year around the world. Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory
Ocean surface temperatures around the world. What do the colors mean? The Sun shines on the ocean and warms the water near the surface. Some parts of Earth's oceans are warm and some parts are cold. Earth's oceans affect weather and climate in your neighborhood even if you don't live near the beach. Watch this and see how the temperature of Earth's oceans change from year to year.
Rainfall around the world. What do the colors mean? Some places on Earth get a bunch of rain. Some places get only a little. The amount of rain that a place gets over a long period of time is part of what determines its climate. Watch this to see how the amount of rain in different places on Earth changes from year to year. Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory
Snow around the world. What do the colors mean? Do you have snow where you live? Not all places on Earth get snow, but some places get a lot of it. Snow and rain are part of the water cycle. Watch this to see where and how much snow falls around the world from year to year.
|
Resources
Climate: Water
(Cycle A)
These sites for kids have age appropriate information about climate and water:
Earth Science Basics
(Cycle A)
Need information about Earth's cycles, systems and processes? These resources are for you:
Learn About Climate and Water for Teachers
(Cycle B)
Use these resources to build your understanding of climate and water: - What is Climate? This Exploring Earth investigation explores factors affecting climate.
- World Climates Information about climate classification, biomes and more.
- The World's Biomes from the University of California's Museum of Paleontology.
- NSTA Science Objects NSTA Science Objects are on-line interactive inquiry-based modules that help teachers better understand the science content they teach. Many objects are free to non-members and can be saved in a personal library by creating an account. On the home page select Earth and Space Science from the Subjects menu. Scroll to find topics of interest and these free specific objects from the weather topics:
- Global Climate Patterns
- Ocean Effects on Climate and Weather: Global Circulation Patterns
- Oceans Effects on Climate and Weather: Global Precipitation and Energy
- Effect of Oceans on Weather and Climate
- Global Climate Change from NASA's Eyes on the Earth - a complete resource for exploring climate change.
- Human Influence on Global Climate This Exploring Earth investigation explores how human activities influence the global climate system.
- Earth's Climate and Global Change This collection from Windows on the Universe explores a variety of climate topics.
- U.S. Climate Normals This NCDC site has links to free information and data. Select Climate of the States then your state for a brief desciption of your climate.
Design You Own Investigation for Teachers
(Cycle C)
The following provide lesson plans and more relating to climate and weather: - Global Climate Animations
- MY NASA DATA Access lesson plans, activities and more for grades 3-5.
- Kids' Crossing in the Classroom This curriculum guide provides activities and more for use with the Kids' Crossing website from the the folks at UCAR.
- NASA Earth Observatory Image Generator Use this tool to make custom inmages of climate and weather datasets. Use the images to compare factors like snow coverage over a period of time in your neighborhood. Click on ? icon on the tools menu to learn how.
- Climate Change Wildlife and Wildlands - Toolkit for Teachers - Explore the impacts of climate change on the U.S. by region.
- This issue of Beyond Polar Bears and Penguins online magazine explores Climate Change and the Polar Regions. Includes misconceptions, activities, recommended books and more. Additional archived issues are available here.
- Teach Engineering has activities and lessons that can be sorted by subject and grade level.
- Digital Libray for Earth System Science the ultimate resource for Earth Science lesson plans, investigations and publications.
- This American Library Association site has links to all kinds of great websites for kids.
|
Sample Investigations
A Way to Start Understanding Climate: Precipitation
(Cycle A)
This investigation explores the difference between weather and climate and how precipitation affects climate.
Do you remember what the weather was like on your birthday last year? Probably not unless there was a big storm or you had an outdoor birthday party and it rained. Now try to remember what the weather was like on all of your birthdays for last 3 years. Hard, isn't it? Weather happens for a day, for a week, a month or a year. But climate is all of the weather that happens all year long over many years.
Want to learn more about climate? Do you like playing with sand? Then do this investigation and explore your and your family's climate by looking at one climate and weather indicator, precipitation. You will use your birthday and the birthdays of your family to build a "family climate" profile.
Class Climate: Precipitation for Teachers
Difficulty: beginner
Air Temperature and the Water Cycle
(Cycle A)
How does air temperature affect Earth's water cycle? Do this investigation and see what you can find out.
Air Temperature and the Water Cycle for Teachers
Difficulty: beginner
My Climate: Water
(Cycle A)
What do you know about the weather the day you were born? Do you know how hot or cold it was? Do you know if it was sunny or rainy? Do you know if it snowed? Was it windy? Now what if the weather on your birthday was the weather in your neighborhood everyday all year long, year after year? What if the same amount and form of precipitation that fell on your birthday, fell on your neighborhood all of the time? Do this investigation and see how what you can find out about your climate and water.
My Climate: Water for Teachers
Difficulty: beginner
Learn About Climate and Water
(Cycle B)
Work with your team to find answers to questions of your own and these Essential Questions about Earth's climate and water: - What does the amount of rain and other precipitation you get in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the kind of precipitation that you get in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the amount of water in the air and in and on the ground in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the amount and type of precipitation that falls in your neighborhood have to do with the kinds of things that live there?
- How does the amount and kind of precipitation in your neighborhood change the land in your neighborhood?
- How is the water in your neighborhood the same or different from the water in other places on Earth with a different cliamte?
Difficulty: beginner
Design a Climate: Water Investigation
(Cycle C)
Design an investigation of your own that will help students ask and seek answers to questions like these about Earth's climate and water: - What does the amount of rain and other precipitation you get in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the kind of precipitation that you get in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the amount of water in the air and in and on the ground in your neighborhood have to do with your climate?
- What does the amount and type of precipitation that falls in your neighborhood have to do with the kinds of things that live there?
- How does the amount and kind of precipitation in your neighborhood change the land in your neighborhood?
- How is the water in your neighborhood the same or different from the water in other places on Earth with a different cliamte?
Difficulty: beginner
Standards:
- Science
National Science Education Standards - Science Content Standards
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/overview.html#content
The science content standards outline what students should know, understand, and be able to do in the natural sciences over the course of K-12 education.
- K-12 UNIFYING CONCEPTS AND PROCESSES
The understandings and abilities associated with the following concepts and processes need to be developed throughout a student's educational experiences:
- Systems, order, and organization
- Evidence, models, and explanation
- Constancy, change, and measurement
- Form and function
- GRADES K-4 CONTENT STANDARDS
- Science as Inquiry (Std A)
- Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
- Understanding about scientific inquiry
- Physical Science (Std B)
- Properties of objects and materials
- Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism
- Earth and Space Science (Std D)
- Properties of earth materials
- Changes in earth and sky
- Science and Technology (Std E)
- Abilities of technological design
- Science in Personal and Social Perspectives (Std F)
|
