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The Ideal Place to Live By James Bishop Patricia Crowley Taz Ali


 * __PLANETARY FORECASTER: 8 WEEKS__**

__**Essential Question:**__ NASA has just discovered a new planet with characteistics similar to Earth. Since the world will be ending on December 21st 2012 we need to move to this new planet. How can we determine the most ideal place on this planet to live, consdering the characteristics of planet Earth.


 * Topics:**
 * 1) Identify the 4 major factors that affect the surface temperature of the planet
 * 2) Identify the Biomes and ecosystem.
 * 3) Differentiate weather and climate
 * 4) Accurately read weather maps
 * 5) Natural Disasters

__**GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:**__

Students will identfiy the 4 major factors that affect surface air temperature (shape, tilt, land/water differences and elevation) Students will identify the location of land masses using latitude and longitude. Students will identify weather and climate (seasons) Students wll identify the components of the water cycle Students will identify how scientist determine daily and monthly average temperature Students will be able to read thermometer in Celsius and appropriately convert to Farehenit Students will create bar and line graphs Students will identify the difference between the solstice and equinox Students will identify the major world biomes and the food webs/chains within each biome Students will correctly read weather maps Students will identiy the layers atmosphere

__STANDARDS:__ NYC Performance Standards

Major Understandings: 7.1a A population consists of all individuals of a species that are found together at a given place and time. Populations living in one place form a community. The community and the physical factors with which it interacts compose an ecosystem. 7.1b Given adequate resources and no disease or predators, populations (including humans) increase. Lack of resources, habitat destruction, and other factors such as predation and climate limit the growth of certain populations in the ecosystem. 7.1c In all environments, organisms interact with one another in many ways. Relationships among organisms may be competitive, harmful, or beneficial. Some species have adapted to be dependent upon each other with the result that neither could survive without the other. 7.2a In ecosystems, balance is the result of interactions between community members and their environment.

Explain daily, monthly, and seasonal changes on Earth. Major Understandings:

1.1c The Sun and the planets that revolve around it are the major bodies in the solar system. Other members include comets, moons, and asteroids. EarthÕs orbit is nearly circular. 1.1d Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun and the Moon in orbit around the Earth. 1.1f The latitude/longitude coordinate system and our system of time are based on celestial observations. 1.1h The apparent motions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars across the sky can be explained by Earth's rotation and revolution. Earth's rotation causes the length of one day to be approximately 24 hours. This rotation also causes the Sun and Moon to appear to rise along the eastern horizon and to set along the western horizon. Earth's revolution around the Sun defines the length of the year as 365 1/4 days. 1.1i The tilt of Earth's axis of rotation and the revolution of Earth around the Sun cause seasons on Earth. The length of daylight varies depending on latitude and season. 1.1j The shape of Earth, the other planets, and stars is nearly spherical.

2.1a Nearly all the atmosphere is confined to a thin shell surrounding Earth. The atmosphere is a mixture of gases, including nitrogen and oxygen with small amounts of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases. 2.1b As altitude increases, air pressure decreases. 2.2i Weather describes the conditions of the atmosphere at a given location for a short period of time. 2.2j Climate is the characteristic weather that prevails from season to season and year to year. 2.2k The uneven heating of Earth's surface is the cause of weather. 2.2l Air masses form when air remains nearly stationary over a large section of EarthÕs surface and takes on the conditions of temperature and humidity from that location. Weather conditions at a location are determined primarily by temperature, humidity, and pressure of air masses over that location. 2.2m Most local weather condition changes are caused by movement of air masses. 2.2n The movement of air masses is determined by prevailing winds and upper air currents. 2.2o Fronts are boundaries between air masses. Precipitation is likely to occur at these boundaries. 2.2p High-pressure systems generally bring fair weather. Low-pressure systems usually bring cloudy, unstable conditions. The general movement of highs and lows is from west to east across the United States.

2.2q Hazardous weather conditions include thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms, and blizzards. Humans can prepare for and respond to these conditions if given sufficient warning.

__OPENING ACTIVITY__: Students will choose and IDEAL PLACE and justify why they believe it is ideal. (FACTORS required to sustain life: atmosphere, water, fertile soil, producers, temperature)

LAB 1: PROBLEM: How does the Shape of the planet affect surface temperature? (Vocabulary: sphere, latutude, longitude, direct, indrect, tangent, angle) Students will determine the angle of the sun at certain latiutdes thus identifying the variation in temperatures on planet Earth Activity measure the intensity of the sun at the following latitudes: 0, 23.5, 40, 66.5

HOMEWORK: students will research their ideal places latitude and longitude--print out and place in portfolio

LAB 2: How does the tilt of the planet affect surface tmperarture? (Vocabulary: rotation, revolution, axis, angle) Students will indentify that the reason for the seasons is because Earth does 2 movements at one time and it's tilted. Activity: create a line graph indicating the monthly average hours of daylight at certain latitudes: 0, 34.5 North, 34.5 South and 63 North Connect the hours of daylight to surface temperature

HOMEWORK: students will research the monthly average temperature in their ideal place-prin out and place in portfolio.

LAB 3: How does land/water differences affect surface temperature? (Vocabulary:specific heat capacity,albedo, air mass, land breeze, sea breeze, maritime polar, continental polar, maritime tropic, continental tropic, biomes, natural disasters) Students will identify that water plays a role in surface temperature. Students research a particular biome and its food web. Each group will present their biome/food web. Students will research natural disasters and each group will present their findings. Students will read local weather maps and determine temperature and certain locations.

Activity: heating up and cooling down of land vs water, create a double line graph with data

HOMEWORK: students will indentify the particular biome of their ideal place. Print-out and place in portfolio. students will identify natural disasters that may affect their ideal place-print out and place in portfolio.

LAB 4: How does elevation affect surface temperature? (Vocabulary: altitude, layers of the atmosphere, air pressure, molecules, conduction, convection, radiaiton, compression, expansion) Students will identify that variations in pressure affect surface temperature because of elevation. Activity: students will measure the temperature at varying altitudes (thermometer, bottle, pressure cap)

HOMEWORK: students will identify the elevation of their ideal place-print out and place in portfolio.

__CULIMNATING ACTIVITY__: Students will group with peers who have chose the same or similar place and prepare for their presentation. Students will consider the 4 major factors that affect surface temperature - shape, tilt, land/water surfaces and elevation. The poster presentation should have the four major factors and identify if the place is ideal. WHY or WHY NOT? FINAL PRESENTATION CAN BE DONE ON POWER POINT, DISPLAY BOARD, WINDOWS MOVIE-MAKER

__ASSESSMENTS:__ Students will do hands-on lab. At the end of each lab, students will submit lab reoprts (4). Students will do 3 public speaking presentations-biomes/food webs, natural disasters and ideal place. Each member will be accountable for a particular part of the presentation. Students will have 2 multiple choice/ short-answer assessments Throughout the unit, facilitator will conference with each group using Bloom Taxonomy

Did you achieve the following ? ……  Presenter is prepared for public speaking  Eye contact with the audience  Speaks in a clear engaging voice  Information Accurate  Use of visuals and/or technology  Presentation 3-5 minutes
 * //__ PRESENTATION CHECKLIST __//**

Rubrics

__RESOURCES__ **http://www.weather.com/** **http://www.fema.gov/kids/index.htm** **http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078771285/** **http://www.fi.edu/weather/todo/todo.html** **http://edheads.org/activities/weather/**