Weather and Water Unit Unit Portfolio Presentation Facilitator: Mary Trent Sixth Grade Science

Unit Summary: Students will complete a series of Weather and Water investigations during a study of the Earth's atmosphere and it's influence on the weather. Students will relate these activities to real world applications in the field of meteorology, how science influences society, and how Global warming relates to their daily lives. Students will take on the various roles of global summit representatives at an environmental conference. Tasks will be divided amongst groups of students depending on their interests and who they represent as a group. As students delve into the weather investigations they will gather information as researchers preparing for the Global summit.

Vision for Learning Community: In order to build a community of learners that can communicate their scientific thinking and reasoning my vision is that: Students will relate science to technology in social and personal perspectives Students will propose viable solutions of responding to an identified need or a problem along with comparing solutions to best address the problem. Students will increase their scientific literacy by evaluating claims, evidence, and reasoning about an important global issue.

The “Big Ideas” Essential Questions: How do humans impact the Earth? How do systems interact to create change over time? What is the cost of a sustainable society?

Curriculum Framing Questions: Unit Questions: 1. How do systems interact to cause global weather change? 2. How does society affect changes in a larger global ecosystem? 3. What patterns are evident in today's global weather systems? Content Questions: 1. What are the differences between weather and climate? 2. Why is the atmosphere important to us? 3. What are the conditions that create our planet's weather?

Benefits of Twenty-First Century Skill Development: Project-Based learning supports the fundamental principles of: The Nature of Science Inquiry History of Science as Human Endeavor Scientific “Big Ideas”. Through the development of student-led projects a unique classroom culture is established that promotes: A community of learners that collaboratively apply scientific principles to real-world issues. Meaningful and purposeful learning goals Scientific discourse and literacy Student self-reflection of academic growth and progress over time

Gauging Student Needs Assessment: The assessment will help me plan for upcoming scientific investigations by: Helping me to identify students misconceptions regarding scientific principles related to weather Identify which learning goals for my unit need to be remediated or enriched Showing student scientific reasoning and how students support their claims with evidence Help me decide which 21 st Century Skills would create a more meaningful learning experience for my students

Learning Goals: What factors or conditions create weather (locally and globally)? What properties of the atmosphere influence weather patterns? What causes seasons? What are some different forms of energy? How does heat transfer occur by radiation, conduction, and convection? How is density related to weather factors? How does evaporation and condensation affect the amount of water vapor in the air? How is Earth’s water distributed? How do air masses influence weather conditions? What tools do scientists use to predict and analyze the weather? What careers are associated with the study of weather?

Feedback: Which essential question would be the best choice for my Unit plan? What do you think of my learning goals? Note: These questions are directly related to the Gauging Assessment assignment. Am I on the right track?