Summary:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There are plenty of good documentaries out there on natural disasters. For today’s lesson, we simply watched one. I like this one from National Geographic (posted above) because it does a good job covering a wide range of disasters. Volcanic eruptions, avalanches, tornadoes, tsunamis. It doesn’t completely focus on the three disasters that I like to highlight in Unit 6 (earthquakes, flooding, and wild fires). But still, it’s a solid documentary, and it gets students thinking about these types of catastrophes and what can be done to prevent them.

Resources:
https://ed.ted.com/on/2WvFdPKX

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Summary:
Some air masses on Earth are warm, wet, and have a low density. We call them “low pressure systems.” On the other hand, some air masses are colder, dryer, and heavier. We call these “high pressure systems.” So what happens when the two meet? That’s where it gets interesting. Usually, the heavier air will slide beneath the warmer, wetter air. And when warm, wet air is pushed skyward, it cools off. The water vapor then condenses, forming clouds of droplets. And if those droplets get heavy enough… grab your umbrella. Unfortunately, this process is hard to simulate in the lab. Condensation requires large temperature changes, which take time. And unless you want a foggy classroom, we can’t use regular air either. Luckily, both of these problems can be solved with a plastic bottle and a regular old bicycle pump.

Resources:
April 5 – Cloud in a Bottle Lab (pg612).docx

Summary:
Weather has three main components. The first is temperature, which is simply a measure of how fast atoms/molecules are moving. The second is wind, which is caused by the uneven heating of Earth’s surface, which creates convection currents. We have covered both of those components already in Unit 6. The last component was new today: clouds & precipitation. When two air masses collide, and one has a high density and the other has a low density, clouds & precipitation form. The low-density air mass is pushed skyward where it cools off rapidly. Then water in the air mass condenses; because of the drop in temperature the molecules slow down and cling together, forming droplets. If these droplets are small and light they stay in the air as clouds. If they get heavy enough they can fall as rain, sleet, or snow.

Resources:
April 4 – Changes in Weather (pg611).pptx

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Summary:
We did an experiment today where students investigated how the temperature of Earth’s surface can change. Students used a small tray that contained water (the ocean), sand (the beach), and grass (the forest). Then they turned on a small light to simulate the sun. Over the course of the lab, they kept track of how the temperature of each surface changed. The temperature of the forest changed slightly, while the temperature of the ocean was fairly constant. The temperature of the beach changed drastically. This is similar to what happen’s in real life on a hot summer’s day. After the lab, students were asked to determine how convection currents might have formed over each of the surfaces. Would it have been windy? In which direction would the wind have blown? And at what time would the wind have been the strongest?

Resources:
April 3 – Heating Earth’s Surface Lab (pg609).docx
April 3 – Heating Earth’s Surface Post-Lab (pg610).docx

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Summary:
Today we began our study of the atmosphere, another fundamental topic within Unit 6. We started off by discussing the various atmospheres within our inner-solar-system. Then we focused in on Earth’s atmosphere, including its benefits, its composition, its layers, and what happens when it is heated. Students took notes on each of these subtopics as we went through the PowerPoint posted below.

Resources:
April 2 – The Atmosphere (pg608).pptx

Summary:
Today we wrapped up our study of what’s going on inside Earth with a computer-based lesson that focused on mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes. For each of those three topics, students read an article, took notes, and drew diagrams. Then when they were finished, they watched related videos that covered everything from actual earthquake footage… to an explanation of how tsunamis form… to footage of scientists flying drones inside an active volcano.

Resources:
March 26 – Mountains, Volcanoes, & Earthquakes (pg607).docx

Summary:
Today students completed a reading on plate tectonics. It covered the history of the theory, from Alfred Wegner all the way to the modern day. It discussed how plates move as a result of convection currents in Earth’s mantle. It explained the dangers of plate boundaries and discussed the three types of boundaries. And lastly, it went over the history of Earth and its every-changing crust. A copy of the reading can be found below.

Resources:
March 25 – Plate Tectonics (pg606).docx