Students will answer probing questions about what causes oceanic motion.
Students will observe a model of oceanic motion and refine their ideas from the elicit.
Students will conduct investigations to explore the factors that affect oceanic circulation, and the relationship between ocean currents and heat distribution on Earth.
Students will use observations from their investigations, text, map, and video resources to explain the relationship between atmospheric motion, oceanic currents, and heat distribution on Earth.
Students will develop a model of wind driven surface currents.
Students will use observations from their investigations, text, map, and video resources to explain the relationship between atmospheric motion, oceanic currents, and heat distribution on Earth.
Students will develop a model of wind driven surface currents.
Students will observe a teacher demonstration of the factors that affect the density of water. They will make inferences about how differences in density drive thermohaline circulation, and how this process redistributes heat on Earth.
Students will develop a model of the Global Ocean Conveyor Belt.
Students will use their models of surface currents and thermohaline circulation to explain patterns in the location of trash debris in the ocean.
#
In the previous cycle, students conducted a series of investigations to explain the factors that affect atmospheric motion. They developed models of global atmospheric circulation cells and prevailing winds, which will continue to be utilized throughout the concept.
In this cycle, students will construct an explanation that answers the guiding question: What factors affect oceanic circulation? How does oceanic circulation distribute heat on Earth? Students will answer this guiding question by conducting investigations to explain differences in the distribution of solar energy and temperature changes on Earth; specifically, the rate at which land and water transfer thermal energy. They will develop a model to explain the relationship between ocean currents, wind, and landmsses on Earth. Students will use the information they have obtained from their explorations, as well as text, map, and video resources to explain that surface currents are formed by the motion of the wind, the coriolis effect, and landmasses on Earth. The ocean currents form circulation cells known as gyres, and the currents affect the distribution of heat on Earth. Students will develop a model of these surface ocean currents. Next, students will explore how density affects thermohaline circulation on Earth, and how this process distributes heat on Earth. Students will refine their model to include this deep ocean conveyor belt. Finally, they will use the models they developed in cycle 1 and cycle 2 to consider the relationship between surface currents, thermohaline circulation, and concentrations of trash within the Earth’s oceans.
In the next cycle, students will conduct investigations and develop models to explore the relationship between atmospheric and circulation, and the distribution of moisture on Earth. They will focus on how water cycles through Earth systems, driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.