1. Water in the Atmosphere

3. Do now What are some possible sources of this rain?
Where may those sources be located relative to the location of this rain cloud?
What will happen to this rain after it reaches the ground?

4. Weather vs. Climate: Do now
How would you define weather?
How would you define climate?

5. Weather - The day-to-day state of the atmosphere in a region, and its short-term (minutes to weeks) changes.
Climate - Statistical weather information that describes the changes of weather at a given place for a long interval such as months or years (usually over a 30-year period).

6. HOOK: Weather vs. Climate Activity DAY1
1. Draw a Venn diagram in your lab journal.
2. Title one side Weather and the other side Climate.
3. Look at the list of words and phrases below and determine if they fit in Weather, Climate, or both.
4. Refer back to the definitions on the board if you are unsure of an answer. List of Words and Phrases: • Rain • Long-term • Thunderstorm • Temperature • Snow tomorrow • July is usually hot • Sunshine • Short-term • Cloud cover • Tornado season • Flooding • El Nino • The high will be 56ºF today
Weather: Short-term, Thunderstorm, Snow tomorrow, Cloud cover, Flooding, The high will be 56°F today.
Climate: Long-term, July is usually hot, Tornado season, El Nino
Both: Rain, Temperature, Sunshine

7. What is the major difference between weather and climate?
Why is the phrase “Snow tomorrow” placed in Weather?
Why is “Rain” placed in both?
Weather is short-term conditions and climate is long term averages.
It is a short-term event.
It doesn’t have a time associated with it and it is part of both weather and climate statistics.

8. Activity 1: Water in the Atmosphere
Background of Lesson: In this 1st Activity, you will use maps and yearly rainfall data to evaluate weather conditions and determine the location of a rain shadow. You will also use an understanding of cause and effect relationships to predict weather patterns in other locations.
Pre Activity Discussion:
Name some mountain ranges in the United States.
Seattle, Washington, is sometimes called the Rain City. Why do you think the Seattle area gets so much rain?
The major mountain range that runs through both Washington and Oregon State is the Cascades. What are the Cascades known for?
What effect could the mountains have on the climate in Washington and Oregon?
Pre-Activity Discussion
Name some mountain ranges in the United States.
Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Cascade Mountains, Sierra Nevada
Seattle, Washington, is sometimes called the Rain City. Why do you think the Seattle area gets so much rain?
It is close to the Pacific Ocean.
The major mountain range that runs through both Washington and Oregon State is the Cascades. What are the Cascades known for?
Volcanoes - Mt. St. Helen and Mt. Rainier are both in this range.
What effect could the mountains have on the climate in Washington and Oregon?
It is colder in the upper reaches of the mountains

9. sample student response for do now activity #1
Higher rainfall amounts on the Pacific side of the mountains
The Cascade Mountain Range
There are no mountains separating them, so there is no rain shadow effect.
The windward side would receive the most moisture. The air carrying moisture will lose its moisture in the form of precipitation as it travels across the mountain range. There will be less moisture available on the leeward side. This is why it is very common to find a desert on the leeward side of mountain ranges.
The yearly rainfall totals matched the pattern indicated by the information in the introductory paragraph of cities located between the ocean and the mountains receiving more rain than cities located on the inland side of the mountains.

10. Activity 1 : Water in the Atmosphere
Post-Activity Discussion
The Andes mountain range runs along the coast of Chile in South America. Warm, moisture-laden trade winds blow from east to west over the continent of South America. What climate conditions do you predict occur on the east side of the Andes mountain range?
What cause and effect relationship assists in making such a prediction?
What climate conditions do you predict occur on the west side of the Andes mountain range?
There are no mountains in Florida. What could you predict about the climate in the peninsular state?
How do landforms affect local weather patterns?
A wet climate because the moisture-laden air is cooled rapidly as it flows up the mountain causing the water vapor to condense and fall as precipitation.
The cause and effect relationship allows a prediction of a wet climate on the east side of the Andes mountain range.
The west side of the mountain range will show a rain shadow and will have a dry, arid climate as the air released all of its moisture on the windward side of the mountain.
All of the state should have about the same amount of rainfall and a similar climate.
Landforms such as mountains can affect local weather patterns by directing the moisture-filled air upward into the cooler atmosphere where the cooled water vapor condenses to form rain, creating a wet climate for one side of the mountain range. This also causes the area on the other side of the mountains to receive little rainfall as the air that flows over the mountains has released its moisture. The direction of wind flow determines which side of the mountain ranges receives moisture and which side has dry conditions.

11. Activity 2: Water in the Atmosphere
Name one extremely wet area in the United States.
The Pacific Northwest is a rainforest due to the high amount of rainfall it receives.
Name one extremely dry area in the United States.
There are deserts such as The Great Basin, Sonoran, Mohave or Chihuahuan.
In the middle of the United States we find The Great Plains. How would you describe the amount of rainfall you think this area receives?
The Great Plains average between inches of rain per year. They receive more rain than the deserts but not as much as other areas.

12. Do Now # 2 post activity discussion
How does being close to an ocean affect the weather?
How does being far away from an ocean affect the weather?
How do ocean currents affect the weather in your area?

13. do now #2 post discussion answers

14. Donow # 3 pre activity discussion
What is air made of?
Does air have mass and volume?
What force keeps the atmosphere around Earth?
How far does the atmosphere extend from Earth’s surface?
Does the mass of the atmosphere affect us?
What is this called?
How does our body handle air pressure?
What happens when air is heated?
What happens when air is cooled?
Matter
Yes
Gravity
600 km or 375 miles
Yes, it pushes down on us.
What is this called?Air pressure
How does our body handle air pressure. Human bodies are able to handle air pressure, although the only time you might notice it is when your ears pop as they adjust to a change in atmospheric pressure. Your body self-regulates to the different weights of the air above you.
The molecules contained in it expand, causing the air to become less dense and rise.
The molecules contained in it contract, causing the air to become more dense and sink.
Donow # 3 pre activity discussion

15. Post - Activity discussion
What force held the board to the table?
Why was a piece of chart paper able to hold the wood to the table?
Why was the crumpled up piece of paper not able to hold the board?
Is the air pressure high or low inside an inflated balloon?
How does the air pressure of the classroom compare to the air pressure inside the balloon?
Why does the air rush out of an inflated balloon when released?
What happened to the paper spiral?
What caused it to begin to turn?
The air, paper spiral, and lamp are parts of a system. Describe the effect the lamp has on the system in terms of energy transfer.
Think about the lamp and the paper spiral. How do they demonstrate the causes wind?
We have been describing air as having high pressure or low pressure and as being cooler with a higher density or warmer with a lower density. How could you pair the descriptions in a statement about air masses?
Air pressure held the board to the table.
The air pressing down over the whole area of the chart paper is heavier than the board.
The air pressure was concentrated in one little area and couldn’t withstand the force of the hit on the board.
The air pressure within an inflated balloon is high.
The air pressure within an inflated balloon is higher than the air pressure in the classroom.
The air moves from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure.
Once the lamp was turned on, the spiral began to turn.
The hot air rising from the light bulb caused the spiral to turn.
The heat from the lamp is transferred as radiant energy to the air surrounding the lamp. The thermal energy in the air is transferred by convection. The air gains thermal energy and becomes less dense as the molecules move farther apart. The less dense air mass rises. As the air mass moves away from the heat source, it begins to cool. The molecules move closer together and the air mass becomes more dense. The cooled and more dense air mass then sinks back toward the lamp. The convection current of the air causes the paper spiral to move.
The paper spiral began to turn because the air below was heated and began to rise. This allowed the cooler surrounding air to rush close to the light bulb. This cooler air rushing toward the light bulb is wind.
A high pressure air mass is cooler and is more dense than a warmer and less dense, low pressure air mass.

16. #3 Post Discussion answeres
Air pressure held the board to the table.
The air pressing down over the whole area of the chart paper is heavier than the board.
The air pressure was concentrated in one little area and couldn’t withstand the force of the hit on the board.
The air pressure within an inflated balloon is high.
The air pressure within an inflated balloon is higher than the air pressure in the classroom.
The air moves from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure.
Once the lamp was turned on, the spiral began to turn.
The hot air rising from the light bulb caused the spiral to turn.
The heat from the lamp is transferred as radiant energy to the air surrounding the lamp. The thermal energy in the air is transferred by convection. The air gains thermal energy and becomes less dense as the molecules move farther apart. The less dense air mass rises. As the air mass moves away from the heat source, it begins to cool. The molecules move closer together and the air mass becomes more dense. The cooled and more dense air mass then sinks back toward the lamp. The convection current of the air causes the paper spiral to move.
The paper spiral began to turn because the air below was heated and began to rise. This allowed the cooler surrounding air to rush close to the light bulb. This cooler air rushing toward the light bulb is wind.
A high pressure air mass is cooler and is more dense than a warmer and less dense, low pressure air mass.

17. Ocean Currents
• Ocean currents = are stream-like movements of water • Ocean currents affect our weather and climate • There are 2 types: #1: Surface Currents #2: Deep (or Density) Currents

18. do now activity #3 What is air made of? Does air have mass and volume?
What force keeps the atmosphere around Earth?
How far does the atmosphere extend from Earth’s surface?
Does the mass of the atmosphere affect us?
What is this called?
How does our body handle air pressure?
What happens when air is heated?
What happens when air is cooled?
Matter
Yes
Gravity
600 km or 375 miles
yes it pushes down on us
air pressure
Human bodies are able to handle air pressure, although the only time you might notice it is when your ears pop as they adjust to a change in atmospheric pressure. Your body self-regulates to the different weights of the air above you.
the molecules contained in it expand, causing the air to become less dense and rise
the molecules in it contract and causeing the air to become more dense and sink.

19. do now #3 post activity discussion questions
What force held the board to the table?
Why was a piece of chart paper able to hold the wood to the table?
Why was the crumpled up piece of paper not able to hold the board?
Is the air pressure high or low inside an inflated balloon?
How does the air pressure of the classroom compare to the air pressure inside the balloon?
Why does the air rush out of an inflated balloon when released?
What happened to the paper spiral?
What caused it to begin to turn?
The air, paper spiral, and lamp are parts of a system. Describe the effect the lamp has on the system in terms of energy transfer.
Think about the lamp and the paper spiral. How do they demonstrate the causes wind?
We have been describing air as having high pressure or low pressure and as being cooler with a higher density or warmer with a lower density. How could you pair the descriptions in a statement about air masses?