Students observe a time-lapse of the total precipitable water for 2016 and consider where moisture originates from, how it circulates through the atmosphere, and where it is distributed on Earth.
Students observe a timelapse of the total precipitable water for 2016 and consider where moisture originates from, how it circulates through the atmosphere, and where it is distributed on Earth.
Students will conduct a lab to observe that adding thermal energy increases the rate of evaporation.
Students will use a kinesthetic model of warm and cold air masses to model how warm air masses contain more moisture than cold air masses.
Students will conduct a lab to observe that removing thermal energy increases the rate of condensation.
Students will conduct a lab to learn about saturation, humidity, and dew point.
Students will use a kinesthetic model of warm and cold air masses to model how warm air masses contain more moisture than cold air masses.
Students will conduct a lab to observe that removing thermal energy increases the rate of condensation.
Students will conduct a lab to observe that adding thermal energy increases the rate of evaporation.
Students will use a kinesthetic model of warm and cold air masses to model how warm air masses contain more moisture than cold air masses.
Students will conduct a lab to observe that removing thermal energy increases the rate of condensation.
Students will conduct a lab to learn about saturation, humidity, and dew point.
Students will use a model and obtain information from text and video resources to explain the cycling of water through Earth systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
Students will analyze and interpret data to explain the relationship between global pressure belts and global precipitation patterns on Earth.
Students will analyze and interpret precipitation and topography maps to explain the relationship between rainfall patterns and regional geography.
Students will develop a model of global precipitation patterns on Earth.
Students will apply what they have learned to describe lake effect snow and identify changes of state and energy transfer in the water cycle.
Students will either complete a mini project or play a water cycle game in which they will trace the path of a water droplet through the water cycle.
In the previous cycle, students conducted a series of investigations to explain the factors that affect oceanic motion, and how ocean currents affect the distribution of heat on Earth. They developed models of global ocean surface currents and thermohaline circulation, and considered the relationship between ocean circulation and atmospheric circulation. They will continue to utilize these models throughout the concept.
In this cycle, students will construct an explanation that answers the guiding question: How do energy from the sun and the force of gravity cause water to cycle through Earth’s systems? What is the relationship between atmospheric motion, oceanic circulation, and moisture distribution? Students will answer this guiding question by conducting investigations to explain how energy is transferred through the processes of the water cycle. They will develop and use models of the water cycle to explain how energy from the sun and the force of gravity drive the cycling of water on Earth.
Next they will explain the relationship between the atmosphere, the ocean, and moisture distribution on Earth. Students will develop models to explain how global precipitation patterns are related to global pressure belts. They will also explore the relationship between regional topography, and precipitation patterns on Earth.
In the next concept, students will use their understanding of the global circulation patterns of the atmosphere and ocean to explore how the complex patterns of the changes and the movement of water in the atmosphere, determined by winds, landforms, and ocean temperatures and currents, are major determinants of local weather patterns.