What's up with the weather?
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/07/g912/weather.html
A lesson plan for Grades 9–12 Earth/Environmental Science
About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 9–12
- Subjects
- science (meteorology)
- Provider
- National Geographic
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In this lesson students will pretend they're meteorologists who have been asked to give a press report explaining what is to blame for the seemingly strange weather patterns that have afflicted the country in the past few years: floods, hurricanes, blizzards, milder-than-normal winters, etc. They will conduct research in preparation for making a statement to the press about the issue. Then, students will imagine that their family is contemplating a move to California and has asked them to find out what the real risks of living in an earthquake-prone area are. Students will research and write a report informing their family about what they should look for when shopping for a home and deciding which neighborhood to live in.
To better meet the objectives of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, the teacher may want to incorporate research on seismic activity in North Carolina.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grades 9–12 — Earth/Environmental Science
- Goal 2: The learner will build an understanding of lithospheric materials, tectonic processes, and the human and environmental impacts of natural and human-induced changes in the lithosphere.
- Objective 2.04: Analyze seismic waves including velocity and refraction to:
- Infer Earth's internal structure.
- Locate earthquake epicenters.
- Measure earthquake magnitude.
- Evaluate the level of seismic activity in North Carolina.
- Objective 2.04: Analyze seismic waves including velocity and refraction to:
