Lesson Plan #1: Comparing Inside Temperatures

Grade level: 2nd

Concept: Temperature varies throughout a given area, such as a classroom.

Objectives: Students conduct an investigation to identify and analyze factors affecting temperature differences in their classroom and school.

Standard/Benchmark:E.ES.02.26 Compare daily changes in the weather related to temperature (cold, hot, warm, cool); cloud cover (cloudy, partly cloudy, foggy) precipitation (rain, snow, hail, freezing rain); wind (breezy, windy, calm).E.ES.02.30 Identify the tools that might be used to measure temperature, precipitation, cloud cover and wind.

Materials: Each group of 4-5 students should have at least one thermometer, tape, and a meter stick. The thermometer will be taped to the meter stick for temperature readings at the ceiling.

Safety Concerns: Students should not be using thermometers made of mercury. Students should be instructed to handle glass thermometers carefully. They should also be instructed not to climb on anything to get the ceiling reading, because using the meter stick is sufficient.

Engage: Ask about experiences your students have had with warm or cool spots at home or in school. Question them about their classroom. Does it have warm or cool spots? Where are they located? Ask them to predict the number of degrees difference between the warmest and coolest spot in the room. Ask them to explain their reasoning. Record their prediction. Focus the students on the question to be explored: What factors affect the temperature in different parts of our classroom? Post the question for all to see. We will pick sites that will have varying temperatures that are caused by air vents, windows, and insulation.

Explore:1. Assist the students in selecting floor temperature sites. At least one site should be close to a door opening, one near a heat or air conditioning vent, and several along a row of windows. Have a data chart prepared or have students make a data chart where they can mark their findings at each temperature site. All data should be recorded on student charts and on a master chart.

2. Have students indicate factors they think might affect air temperature at each location.

3. Have students make their predictions prior to taking the actual temperatures.

4. To measure the temperature near the ceiling, have students tape a thermometer to one end of a meter stick. Hold the other end and raise the stick above your head. Wait 2 minutes, and then lower the meter stick and read the temperature.

Explain:In the classroom, we found the floor temperature to be 630 Fahrenheit, the table temperature to be 660 Fahrenheit, and the ceiling temperature to be 710 Fahrenheit. Since most students thought the difference would only be a couple of degrees, they were surprised to find a wider variation.

1. Depending on the time of day, the location of your room in the building, its number and size of windows, and the quality of insulation, you can expect 5 or 6 degrees difference in floor temperatures. Look for patterns or areas with similar temperatures.

2. In the morning the floor temperatures near windows may be several degrees cooler than those in the center or opposite side of the room. If the windows are on the south side of the room, the floor temperatures may be warmer in the afternoon. The floor area in front of doors may be cooler than in the center of the room. If both the door and windows are open you may be able to track the flow of cool air across the floor between them. Floor areas near heat vents may be warmer, and those around air conditioning vents may be cooler. Measured and recorded floor temperatures provide scientific evidence.

3. Discuss the question as a group. Place thermometers on the desktop, wait for 2 minutes, and then read the temperature. Typically, desktop temperatures are a degree or two warmer than those on the floor (unless the classroom has a floor heating system). The pattern of differences may vary from that of the floor.

4. Typically, temperatures at the ceiling will be several degrees higher than those at the tabletop. Temperatures will vary from location to location, not necessarily in the same pattern seen on the floor and desktop.

5. Discuss the maximum temperature difference. Compare the locations of the highest reading and the lowest. This may help explain the difference.

Extend and Apply:1. Initiate a discussion with students about the factors that affected the temperatures and how these might apply to other rooms in the school.

2. Students should agree on a standard procedure to use when measuring the temperatures of various classrooms.

3. The temperatures are likely to be different in the various classrooms due to the direction the room faces, what floor it is on, the number of windows, heating and cooling equipment, size, ceiling height, etc.

Discuss students’ ideas on how to minimize temperature differences in the school. You could discuss how adding ceiling fans might affect the air temperature distribution in classrooms.

Students might also consider the location of thermostats in each of the classrooms. The students' letters should summarize their findings as well as provide suggestions on how to maintain a more uniform temperature throughout the school building.

Performance Assessment:The teachers should read the letters that the students have written and assess their knowledge based on what they write. They should include where high and low temperatures occur, what factors affected the temperature of a given area, and also how these factors could be limited.

Source:Moyer, R. H., Hackett, J. K., & Everett, S. A. (2007). Teaching science as investigations:

Modeling inquiry through learning cycle lessons. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Lesson Plan #2: Comparing Outside Temperatures

Grade level: 2nd

Concept: Temperature varies by location and is caused by a variety of factors.

Objectives: Students conduct an investigation to analyze the factors affecting temperature variation around the outside of their school building.

Standard/Benchmark:E.ES.02.26 Compare daily changes in the weather related to temperature (cold, hot, warm, cool); cloud cover (cloudy, partly cloudy, foggy) precipitation (rain, snow, hail, freezing rain); wind (breezy, windy, calm).E.ES.02.30 Identify the tools that might be used to measure temperature, precipitation, cloud cover and wind.

Materials: Each group of 4-5 students should have a diagram map showing an outline of the school building and grounds, and thermometers. Recheck your thermometers and select those that read the same temperature for this activity.

Safety Concerns: Students should not be using thermometers made with mercury. Students should handle glass thermometers with care.

Engage: Discuss outside temperature variation. Have the students predict where it will be warmer and cooler and tell why. Brainstorm a list of factors that affect the air temperature around the building. Have students predict the effect of each factor and explain why. Save the predictions and explanations and compare them with the measured temperatures. Focus student attention on the question to be investigated: How do these factors affect the outside air temperature around our school building? Post the question for all to see. We will pick sites that will have varying temperatures that are caused by the ground, amount of sunlight, and location relative to the building.

Explore:1. Help students select sites outside where they think it is likely to find temperature variations.

2. Have students indicate factors they think might affect air temperature at each location.

3. Have students make their predictions prior to taking the actual temperatures.

4. Students will tabulate their data in the table provided. Have students wait for about 2 minutes at each location for the temperature to stabilize.

Comparing Outside Air Temperature

Site Surface Type Surface Temperature

Eye Level Temperature

Location Notes

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Explain:Areas that were exposed to the sunlight had a higher temperature than those in the shade. Temperatures above concrete were higher than temperatures above grass.

1. The warmer locations will normally be those in direct sunlight, generally for an hour or more. Temperatures should also be warmest in sunny areas over asphalt surfaces (usually on the south side of the building).

2. The coolest areas will be those in the shade, especially places that have been in the shade for several hours (usually on the north side of the building).

3. On warm days temperature differences of at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit are possible between the warmest and coolest locations.

4. Surfaces (especially dark surfaces) that have been exposed to the sun for some time will be warmer.

Extend and Apply:1. Asphalt, concrete, and bare dirt areas absorb thermal energy from incoming sunlight and heat up. Asphalt in direct sunlight for several hours can become too hot to touch. Heat radiating from such a surface warms the air above it.

2. Surface temperatures should be measured with the thermometer in contact with the asphalt, concrete, dirt, or grass. Air temperatures can then be measured at waist level above each different surface. Measurement techniques should be consistent. The type of surface is the independent variable. Controlled variables would include time of day, the amount of time the thermometer is exposed to the surface, and other measurement techniques.

Classrooms with south-facing windows are generally the warmest rooms in the building as they receive direct sunlight for several hours each sunny day. Temperatures are even higher in these rooms near the beginning and end of the school year, when the afternoon sun is higher in the sky. Classrooms with north-facing windows are generally cooler than other rooms in the school as

they receive little if any direct sunlight. Encourage students to think of practical ways to address temperature variation, such as the addition of curtains, blinds, awnings, trees, and so on. Have the students write a letter to the principal addressing these issues and have them include their recommendations for these classrooms.

Performance Assessment:The teachers should read the letters that the students have written and assess their knowledge based on what they write. They should include where high and low temperatures occur, what factors affected the temperature of a given area, and also how these factors could be limited.

Source:Moyer, R. H., Hackett, J. K., & Everett, S. A. (2007). Teaching science as investigations:

Modeling inquiry through learning cycle lessons. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Lesson Plan #3: Relating Temperature to the Seasons and the Sun

Grade level: 2nd

Concept: Temperature varies in a given location throughout the year due to the angles of the Sun’s rays, thus resulting in the seasons.

Objectives: Students will use information to identify what causes the seasons and how it can be observed by looking at temperature trends for a given area.

Standard/Benchmark:E.ES.02.27 Describe and compare weather related to the four seasons in terms of temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, and wind.

Materials: Each student will receive a chart of the average weekly temperature for their given area, graph paper, colored pencils, and a diagram of the Earth’s location relative to the Sun for each season.

Safety Concerns: none.

Engage: Have students use an interactive bulletin board to start talking about the differences between the seasons. If you already have pictures or words prepared for the board you can pass them out to students or have volunteers add them to the board. When finished, ask questions that lead students to realize that the seasons have varying temperatures, such as:

How did you know to put boots and gloves in winter? Why can’t we build a snowman in summer?

We want to find out how temperature changes over time. Ask students what temperatures they experience during the seasons? When does it get cooler or warmer? Why does this happen? Use the discussion to pose the following question: What causes the changes of season? Post the question for all to see. We are going to examine how the Sun’s angle affects the seasons and how we can observe this by temperature changes. By looking at temperature charts, we will plot data on a graph to see the trend in temperature change throughout the seasons.

Fall Winter

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Spring Summer

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Explore:1. Distribute the charts and graph paper to each student and instruct them to create a line graph based on the given temperatures.

Monthly Temperature Averages for Allen Park, MI (48101)

Month Average Temperature

January 25°FFebruary 28°FMarch 37°FApril 48°FMay 60°FJune 69°FJuly 74°F

August 72°FSeptember 64°F

October 52°FNovember 41°FDecember 30°F

2. Have students shade in the portions of their graph that represents each season in a different color by using their season guide to distinguish the start and end of each season.

Average Monthly TemperaturesAllen Park, MI (48101)

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January February March April May June July August September October Nov ember December

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Season Guide

Season Start Date End DateWinter 12/22 3/21Spring 3/21 6/20

Summer 6/20 9/23Fall 9/23 12/22

3. Pass out the Sun angle diagram and have students compare the corresponding parts of the graph and the diagram. Have students make their predictions as to why seasons have varying temperatures. What makes it warmer in summer and cooler in winter?

The Seasons in the Northern Hemisphere

Explain:Using the data, the students made a graph that showed the fluctuating trend temperature exhibits through a year. This made them see what seasons were occurring when the temperature increased or decreased.When predicting about what makes it warmer in summer and cooler in winter, students said that the Earth was closer to the Sun in the summer and farther away in the winter. After looking at the picture they can tell this is not true. The picture clearly showed that the Earth is closest during winter, which sparked the students to look for other explanations such as the way the Earth is bending or leaning.

Extend and Apply:1. Initiate a discussion with students about how the Sun’s rays affect their location and how this might be different for other locations.

2. Students should agree that the Earth’s distance from the Sun does not affect the temperature. It is caused by the intensity of the Sun’s rays on a given area.

3. The temperatures are likely to be different in the various locations due to their surroundings, such as large bodies of water or mountains, but the trend will be the same. More direct sun rays result in higher temperatures for that location.

Students should be instructed to write one paragraph (3-5 sentences) on each of the following scenarios. Included should be how much daylight, how the temperature would be, and what kind of precipitation they would be most likely to get.

North Pole in December South Pole in December Equator in September

Michigan in March

Acceptable Answers for Scenarios

The North Pole in December is cold. They have no sunlight because they are tilted away from the sun. They would have snow, because it would be too cold to rain. They might also have some hail.

The South Pole in December is cold, but warmer than it normally is. They have 24 hours of sunlight because they are tilted towards the sun and never rotate out of its rays. They would still be having snow, but it will reach the warmest point of the year at about -20°F.

The equator in September is hot. They have equal times of dark and light, because the rays are hitting directly at the equator. We would not find any snow here, but possibly rain.

Michigan in March would be cold, but would be warming up. They would have fairly equal times of light and dark. We could have snow in Michigan if it is cold enough, but also have rain. Freezing rain is a possibility due to the temperature.

Performance Assessment:The teacher should read over what the students’ paragraphs about the scenarios and assess their knowledge based on what they write. A sufficient response is included.

Sources:Astronomy 161: the Solar System. Retrieved October 25, 2007, from

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/seasons.html.Blaylock, Janet. Understanding Seasons. Retrieved October 18, 2007, from

http://www.localschooldirectory.com/include/teachers/lesson_plan.php/lesson_plan_id/67

Monthly Averages for Allen Park, Michigan. Retrieved October 25, 2007, from http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/48101.

Lesson Plan #4: Finding Hurricanes

Grade level: 2nd

Concept: Hurricanes can only develop in certain areas.

Objectives: Students will analyze what areas are more prone to hurricane activity in order to understand why they are only found in select locations.

Standard/Benchmark:E.ES.02.28 Describe severe weather events.

Materials: One Hurricane Hotspots map for each student. One whiteboard and whiteboard markers for each group. A projector hooked up to a computer with internet access to show a short video clip.

Safety Concerns: None.

Engage: Ask about experiences your students have had with severe weather events. Have any witnessed hurricanes? If so, where did they occur? If not, why do we not see hurricanes in Michigan? What makes Michigan different from areas that experience hurricanes? Record responses. Focus the students on the question to be explored: What factors make a location more prone to hurricane activity? Post the question for all to see. Tell the students that they are going to find these areas of hurricane activity by examining maps that are marked with hurricane hotspots. They are going to look at where the hurricanes occur in regards to water, land, and the equator.

Explore:1. Distribute the maps and instruct students to examine where the hurricanes are located. In their groups, have a student record possible factors that these areas have in common on a whiteboard.

Hurricane Hotspots

2. Have students present what factors their group thought might affect a location’s hurricane activity.

3. Have students comment on the other responses and decide as a class what they feel are the most likely reasons.

Explain:Some answers included: hurricanes never start on land, they are always over water, they sometimes move toward land, they are all near the equator, and none are far North or South. Hurricanes might be located in these places because they need heat and water.

1. A hurricane can be up to 600 miles in diameter and can reach eight miles into the air. Warm water is the engine that creates and sustains the storm. Water vapor, sucked upward around a tropical depression, creates heat energy when it condenses to form rain. The high-altitude heat triggers exaggerated updrafts, which suck up even more water vapor. Once the chain is started, nothing but land and cooler water or high-altitude shearing winds can stop the fierce buildup.

2. Show a video showing how hurricanes form at http://www.ngtraveler.com/ngkids/0308/hurricane/path.html and click on the movie reel.

3. Islands and coastal areas are more vulnerable to hurricanes since they have oceans next to, or surrounding them.

Extend and Apply:1. Initiate a discussion with students about the locations that have hurricanes and what time of year would be best to visit them if you did not want to encounter a hurricane.

2. Initiate a discussion with students about why a hurricane might lose its strength when it travels over land. What is slowing down? What factor was needed that is no longer present?

Have students each choose a location and determine if that place has a time of year when hurricanes are predictable and write a short paragraph about it. This should include minor additional research either from a book or educational website.

Performance Assessment:The teacher should read the paragraphs that the students have written and assess their knowledge based on what they write. They should include what time of year that location would have hurricanes and why they think that.

Example of an acceptable paragraph for assessment: The island of St. Thomas is vulnerable to hurricanes in August and September. These months would have high temperatures and lots of warm moist air, which is needed for a hurricane. Due to the location of St. Thomas, it is prone to hurricanes. It is surrounded by water and is near the equator.

Source:Atwater, M., Baptiste, H. P., Daniel, L., Hackett, J., Moyer, R., Takemoto, C., et al. (1995). Our

big wet world. New York: Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Inc. National Geographic Society (1996-2006). Hurricane Paths. Retrieved November 16, 2007,

from http://www.ngtraveler.com/ngkids/0308/hurricane/path.html.St. Petersburg Times Online(1998). A hurricane in the making. Retrieved December 7, 2007,

from http://www.sptimes.com/StormWatch/HF.2.html.

Lesson Plan #5: Comparing National Temperatures and Weather

Grade level: 2nd

Concept: Weather varies depending on your location.

Objectives: Students will analyze information provided on a weather map to determine weather conditions at given locations and to predict the next day’s weather.

Standard/Benchmark:E.ES.02.26 Compare daily changes in the weather related to temperature (cold, hot, warm, cool); cloud cover (cloudy, partly cloudy, foggy) precipitation (rain, snow, hail, freezing rain); wind (breezy, windy, calm).E.ES.02.30 Identify the tools that might be used to measure temperature, precipitation, cloud cover and wind.E.ES.02.31 Observe and collect data of weather conditions over a period of time.

Materials: Each group of 4-5 students will need the weather map found in the Explore section, a newspaper or internet weather map for your area for the Apply phase of this lesson.

Safety Concerns: None.

Engage: Find out how many of your students are familiar with weather maps and how to interpret them. Show them a weather map from a local or regional newspaper. Point out the different kinds of marking on the map, but do not try to convey all of their meanings now. Ask: How do you read a weather map? Use the discussion to pose the following question: How do you interpret information on a weather map? Post the question for all to see. By viewing the data presented on a weather map we are going to learn how to read them. This will permit students to see weather trends such as what happens before the temperature decreases, and where warmer temperatures are found.

Explore:1. The weather map used in this activity shows weather conditions across the continental United States on November 28, 2005. Have students explore the information on the map in small groups. Bring them together to discuss where they found areas of low and high temperatures, sunny and cloudy regions, areas of precipitation, and the location of two major fronts. Review the map legend and its symbols. Point out that the temperatures for each city are given in pairs (e.g., 57/32 in Chicago). The first temperature is the expected high and the second is the expected low for the day. Arrowhead symbols appear on the leading edge of warm fronts.

Weather Map of the United States: November 28, 2005

2. The warmest temperatures are in the southwest and south: Los Angeles, 70, Houston, 69, and Miami, 62. The coldest temperatures are in the north central portion of the country: Bismark, 24, Rapid City, 28, and Cheyenne, 31.

3. The map implies cloudy conditions in the east. Rain or snow is indicated over large portions of the central and eastern United States.

4. Identify your location on the map for this date.

Explain:Students were able to identify what cities had the highest and lowest temperatures. Also, by using the key, they were able to identify precipitation, pressure, severe weather, and fronts.

1. The temperature tends is to be higher as you move from the northern states to the southernmost states.

2. The map shows that most of the eastern United States is cloud covered. This area is affected by a large low-pressure system centered in eastern Iowa. Low-pressure systems are usually associated with cloudy conditions and often with precipitation. Most of the southwestern and western areas have clear skies and are affected by several high-pressure systems. High-pressure systems are usually associated with fair weather and clear skies.

3. In Birmingham the expected high is 72 and the low is 48, with cloudy skies and rain.

Extend and Apply:1. A cold front extends just east of Omaha, Nebraska, and curves down through New Orleans and farther south. Ahead of the front, in cities like Louisville, Nashville, Birmingham, and New Orleans, the temperatures are in the low 70s. The temperatures behind the cold front in St. Louis and Little Rock are cooler (54 and 61, respectively). It is even cooler just to the west of these cities.

2. The temperatures are cold ahead of the warm front, and behind it the temperatures are warmer.

3. It is snowing ahead of the warm front. It is raining ahead of the cold front. Where the air is cold it is snowing, and where it is warm it is raining.

Make copies of the newspaper weather map for the day and give one to each group. Have students apply what they have learned to predicting tomorrow’s weather. Predictions should include expected high and low temperatures, sky conditions (cloudy or sunny), precipitation, and locations of any fronts and pressure systems that might affect the local weather.

Performance Assessment:The teacher should read the weather predictions written by the students. They should assess their knowledge by the information included.

Source:Moyer, R. H., Hackett, J. K., & Everett, S. A. (2007). Teaching science as investigations:

Modeling inquiry through learning cycle lessons. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.