Weather and Climate Science New 4-H Curriculum May 13, 2015

Curriculum Format  Level 1, grades 3-5: print and online  Level 2, grades 6-8: online only  Level 3, grades 9-12: online only  Facilitator’s Guides – 3 (one per level) – online only Why online?  Connecting with the digital natives in middle and high school  Ability to incorporate additional resources  Ability to link to websites (*.edu and *.gov)

4-H Weather and Climate Science

4-H Weather & Climate Science Level 1:  Introduces basic weather terminology and concepts  Activities focus on understanding the signs of weather  Youth begin to learn the difference between weather and climate Level 2:  Introduces more complex weather topics, including: air pressure, winds, humidity, and fronts and a little bit of climate science Level 3:  Delves even deeper into weather and climate science concepts  Youth are encouraged to supplement learning by consulting knowledgeable people and recent written materials

Level 1, Table of Contents  Comparing Climates  Country of Colors  Defining Weather Words  Earth’s Surfaces  H2O  Invisible Air  Reading about Wild Weather  ‘Tis the Season  Watching the Wind  Weather Affects Plans  Weather Alerts  Weather or Climate?  Where Is the Heat?

Level 1, Activity Example

Level 1 Example

Level 2, Table of Contents  Air Pressure  Carbon Footprint  Cloud Formation  Cloud Types  Cold Fronts  Earth’s Rotation  Global Winds  Greenhouse Effect  Humidity  Hurricanes  Making Weather Instruments  Mini-Tornado  Out of the Dust  Seasons  Using Weather Instruments to Collect Data

Level 2, Activity Example

Level 3, Table of Contents  Weather  Air Masses and Fronts  Isaac's Storm  Monitoring Weather  Pressure Systems  Weather Station Models  Weather in the Troposphere  Windchill and Heat Index  Climate  Climate and Climographs  Drought Monitoring  Energy in the Atmosphere  Energy Balance  Impacts of Climate Change  Investigating Climate Change  The Sun–Earth Relationship  Sunspot Cycle  Volcanoes

Level 3, Activity Example – Weather CoCoRaHS – Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network (

Level 3, Activity Example – Climate

Level 3, Activity Example – Climate (cont.)

Electronic Materials  Download Includes:  1 Welcome.pdf – a “read me” document  2 Soil &WaterScience,Level2.pdf – introductory pages  3 Contents – just the Table of Contents  Folders: Activities; Printable Manual (w/out attachments)

Using the Curricula: Volunteer Leaders, Parents, & other Educators  Let youth pick and choose the activities that they want to complete  Select activities and guide youth  Assist youth as needed – less and less as they mature  Use at home, at workshops, in 4-H club meetings, ….

The Judges Role  4-H exhibits are an example and often the culmination of project work under the guidance of a volunteer facilitator/parent/other educator  The judge’s role is to provide feedback on the educational process, based on the exhibit and, when open judging occurs, interaction with the youth  Success indicator examples:  Youth can explain how clouds form.  Youth can explain how highs and lows develop and can describe the weather associated with these systems.

The Judges Role  Judges are a critical component of the educational process  Use this time for teachable moments  Written comments should include positive comments and ways to improve  Be cautious with wording  Use a new scorecard rather than scratching out or erasing  Remember: JUDGE = EXPERT to 4-H youth

Questions? We hope this presentation was helpful! Natalie Carroll Dept. of Youth Dev & Ag Education Tony Carrell State 4-H Office Purdue University