Teacher Guide: Weather Maps

Learning Objectives Students will Interpret a weather station symbol. Measure the air pressure in high- and low-pressure systems. Draw the circulation of air around high- and low-pressure systems. Describe typical weather patterns associated with high- and low-pressure systems. Compare and contrast cold fronts and warm fronts. Explain how the weather might change as a cold or warm front passes through. Vocabulary air mass air pressure cold front high-pressure system !not low-pressure system precipitation warm front Lesson Overview "early e#eryone has listened to a weather person forecasting tomorrow$s weather. %nd nearly e#eryone has grumbled when that forecast turned out to be wrong. &hat goes into a weather forecast' &ith the Weather Maps (i)mo* students will gather meteorological data and obser#e typical weather patterns that are associated with high-pressure systems low-pressure systems cold fronts and warm fronts. +ased on the patterns they see students will be able to predict what the weather will be li!e as one of these systems passes through. ,he Student Exploration sheet contains three acti#ities %cti#ity % . Students obser#e and describe high-pressure systems. %cti#ity + . Students obser#e and describe low-pressure systems. %cti#ity C . Students in#estigate cold fronts and warm fronts.

Suggested Lesson Sequence 1. re!Gi"#o activity / #ariable0 In the wee!s leading up to your weather unit ta!e the class outside on days when particular weather systems are present. 1a#e students obser#e the weather when a high-pressure system is present and when a low-pressure system is present. If possible try to ma!e obser#ations as a cold front and a warm front pass through. Summari)e each set of obser#ations on butcher paper and post them on the wall of your classroom. &hen students begin the Weather Maps (i)mo you can refer to these obser#ations to see how well they agree with what is shown in the (i)mo.

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rior to using the Gi"#o / 23 . 24 minutes0 Before students are at the computers pass out the Student Exploration sheets and as! students to complete the 5rior 6nowledge 7uestions. Discuss student answers as a class but do not pro#ide correct answers at this point. %fterwards if possible use a pro8ector to introduce the (i)mo and demonstrate its basic operations. Demonstrate how to ta!e a screenshot and paste the image into a blan! document.

3. Gi"#o activities / 24 . 93 minutes per acti#ity0 %ssign students to computers. Students can wor! indi#idually or in small groups. %s! students to wor! through the acti#ities in the Student Exploration using the (i)mo. %lternati#ely you can use a pro8ector and do the Exploration as a teacher-led acti#ity. 4. $iscussion questions / 24 . :3 minutes0 %s students are wor!ing or 8ust after they are done discuss the following ;uestions &hy are high-pressure systems associated with dry and sunny weather' <Dry air has relati#ely high density and tends to sin! forming a )one of sin!ing air and high pressure.= &hy are low-pressure systems associated with moist air' <Moist air has low density and tends to rise forming a )one of rising air and low pressure.= &hy does air tend to circulate in a cloc!wise direction around a high-pressure system and in a countercloc!wise direction around a low-pressure system' <See the Scienti%ic &ac'ground below.= &hat causes clouds to form' +ased on this why do clouds often form along fronts' <Clouds form when moist air rises and cools. ,his often occurs along fronts where warm air rises abo#e cooler air.=

5. (ollow!up activity: )nterpreting weather data / 93 . >3 minutes0 1a#e students practice interpreting meteorological data by pro8ecting the Weather Maps (i)mo to the front of the classroom. ,urn off the Show %ronts and high*low pressure areas and Show additional display options chec!boxes. Clic! +ew and as! student #olunteers to try to identify weather systems using Mobile Station & data. Students can mar! the location of the system using the arrows in the 5?I",E@ tray at the bottom of the (i)mo. Students can also search for warm or cold fronts on the map. Scienti%ic &ac'ground %lthough weather patterns are incredibly complex and notoriously difficult to predict the basic principles guiding weather patterns actually are fairly simple. Altimately air mo#es because of density differences between different air masses. ,he density of air depends on two factorstemperature and humidity or water content %s air heats up air molecules mo#e more ;uic!ly and tend to spread out. ,his ma!es heated air less dense than cooler air. &ater molecules /19?0 ha#e less mass than nitrogen /"90 or oxygen /?90 molecules. ,herefore humid air tends to be less dense than dry air at an e;ual temperature.

%ir that is less dense than surrounding air rises resulting in a region of low pressure or a lowpressure system. %ir that is denser than surrounding air sin!s forming a high-pressure system. @ising air in low-pressure systems tends to cool which leads to condensation and the formation of clouds. Bow-pressure systems are often associated with humid and rainy weather. Sin!ing air in highpressure systems tends to warm up as it descends. ,his discourages condensation and usually results in dry weather. In general air mo#es from regions of high pressure to regions of lower pressure resulting in winds. If the Earth did not rotate air would mo#e straight out of high-pressure systems and straight into low-pressure systems. 1owe#er Earth$s rotation and shape cause winds to be deflected a phenomenon called the Coriolis effect. %ir is deflected to the right in the "orthern 1emisphere and to the left in the Southern 1emisphere. In the "orthern 1emisphere this causes air to circulate in a cloc!wise direction around a high-pressure system and in a countercloc!wise direction around a low-pressure system. Bow-pressure systems are often associated with fronts or boundaries between air masses. % cold front forms along the leading edge of a cool air mass that is ad#ancing into a warm air mass. ,he dense cold air pushes the warm air up at a steep angle causing it to cool ;uic!ly. If the warm air contains moisture large cumulonimbus clouds will form. Intense thunderstorms or snowstorms often occur as the front passes followed by a period of clear and cool weather.

% warm front forms along the leading edge of a warm air mass that is ad#ancing into cooler air. ,he warm air rises o#er the cold air cooling gradually. If the air is humid stratus clouds form. (entle precipitation may occur followed by clearing and warming. Commonly a low-pressure system will include both a cold front and a warm front. If the cold front catches up to the warm front the result is an occluded front. In this case the warm air is lifted abo#e the ground and se#eral days of rain may occur. Selected Web ,esources &eather station symbols- http-CCwww.hpc.ncep.noaa.go#ChtmlCstationplot.shtml 1igh- and low-pressure systems- http-CCwww.atmosphere.mpg.deCenidC:sf.html Coriolis effect- http-CCscience.nasa.go#CheadlinesCy933>C9:8ulDspin.htm %ir masses and fronts- http-CCwww.physicalgeography.netCfundamentalsCEr.html http-CCwww.phschool.comCatschoolCphsciexpCacti#eDartCweatherDfrontsCindex.html @elated (i)mosHurricane Motion- http-CCwww.explorelearning.comCgi)moCid'>9E Coastal Winds and Clouds- http-CCwww.explorelearning.comCgi)moCid'>:F

Water Cycle- http-CCwww.explorelearning.comCgi)moCid'>:4 Relative Humidity- http-CCwww.explorelearning.comCgi)moCid'>94