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IMPROVING STUDENT COMPREHENSION OF WEATHER
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IMPROVING STUDENT COMPREHENSION OF WEATHER
THROUGH HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES

By

Kimberly Marie Saffron

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTERS OF SCIENCE
Physical Science--Interdepartmental

2010

ABSTRACT

IMPROVING STUDENT COMPREHENSION OF WEATHER
THROUGH HANDS-ON LEARNING

By

Kimberly Marie Saffron

The main goal of this research project is to promote student interest and enhance
learning during instruction of a three-week unit on weather. The unit is part of a nine-
week elective course for 10-12 graders titled Weather, Climate, and Space. My goal in
developing this unit was to make it more student-centered. This was accomplished
through developing a series of individual and group hands-on activities for students.
Demonstrations, educational videos, lecture, writing assignments, and class discussion
were also incorporated. A general survey of likes, dislikes, and learning styles was
administered along with a pretest and posttest in order to measure student comprehension
of the material presented. After each activity, students were asked to share their thoughts
about the activity and if they thought it assisted them in learning the concepts presented
in class. For every hands-on activity, the majority of students commented that they felt
the activity was helpful to increasing their comprehension of weather. Assessments

indicated an increase in student comprehension of weather topics.

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

First and Foremost I would like to thank my mom, Linda, for believing in me and
continually prodding me to complete this thesis and the masters program. She has always
encouraged me to be the best I can be.

Thank you to my husband, Brendan, for being understanding and supportive
throughout the completion of the program.

Thank you to my sister, Melanie and her husband, Mike, for graciously allowing
me to visit with them and for the countless hours of child care she provided so that I
could complete my research and writing.

Thank you to Doug Kaulkwarf who allowed me to take over his classroom to
teach my weather unit and for picking things up where I left off.

Thank you to Dr. Merle Heidemann and Connie Kemner for guiding me with the
research and writing process. Your patience for the countless questions you answered is
greatly appreciated.

I am also grateful to the Towsley Foundation for the financial assistance

throughout the course of completing the masters program.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables .......................................................................................... v
List of Figures ........................................................................................ vi
Introduction ............................................................................................ 1
Ideas about Teaching Weather ............................................................. 5
School Profile ................................................................................. 7
Class Profile .................................................................................. 8
Implementation ...................................................................................... 1 1
Unit Outline ................................................................................. 11
Activities .................................................................................... 14
Assessments ................................................................................. 22
Results/Evaluation .................................................................................. 24
Conclusion/Discussion .............................................................................. 38
Appendices ........................................................................................... 43
Appendix A—Parent Consent Letter ...................................................... 44
Appendix B—Surveys
B-l Pre-Unit Survey .......................................................... 48
8-2 Post-Unit Survey ......................................................... 49
Appendix C—Assessments
C-l Pre-test ..................................................................... 52
C-2 Post-test .................................................................... 52
Appendix D—Activities
D-l Is Air a Fluid? ............................................................ 55
D-2 Crushing Can .............................................................. 57
D-3 Mapping the Atmosphere ................................................ 59
D-4 Conduction, Convection, Radiation .................................... 6O
D-5 The Water Cycle ......................................................... 61
D-6 Energy Absorption and Reflection ...................................... 64
D-7 Determining Relative Humidity ......................................... 67
D-8 Building a 3-D Surface Weather Map ................................. 68
Appendix E—Omitted Activities ......................................................... 70
Appendix F—Student Data ................................................................ 85
Bibliography .......................................................................................... 88

iv

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1— 2006-2008 ITED Percent Proficient for Reading, Quantitative Reasoning and

Science———West High School ............................................................ 7
Table 2— Unit Outline with Objectives ......................................................... 1 1
Table 3— Student Points Earned on Pretest and Posttest Questions ......................... 86
Table 4— Student Pretest, Posttest, and Final Exam Scores .................................. 87
Table 5— Student Scores for Classroom Activities ............................................ 87

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1— Student Response Scores for Pretest & Posttest ................................... 25
Figure 2— Student Improvement between Pretest and Posttest .............................. 26
Figure 3— Students Favorite and Least Favorite Classes ..................................... 30
Figure 4— Student Plans afier High School ..................................................... 31
Figure 5— Student Responses to question 2 on Post survey .................................. 31
Figure 6— Student responses to question 3 on Post survey ................................... 33
Figure 7— Student responses to question 4 on Post survey ................................... 33
Figure 8— Student Post Activity Attitudes ...................................................... 35

vi

INTRODUCTION

Teaching science today can be challenging. Educators may encounter obstacles
relating to class size, lack of materials, discipline, or parental support. Students may have
personal issues that affect their ability to learn. Teachers are often required to instruct on
specific topics and perform specific activities in order to meet required benchmarks. In
addition, uninterested and unmotivated students make effective teaching and learning that
much more difficult. Regardless of the situation, there are teaching techniques that can
be used to increase student motivation, comprehension and retention of material being
taught. To achieve this, classroom material can be taught in a variety of ways to catch
and keep the attention of the learners (Williams, 2006). Learning can be guided at times
but should also allow for learning through personal experience. Activities should be
relevant and meaningful to engage student interest and increase motivation. Students
should be given numerous opportunities to develop skills and learn through trial and
error. The Constructivist Theory based on Jean Piaget's work, tells us that it is only by
direct, active, hands-on exploration and learning fiom our own errors that a person can
optimally learn (Smilkstein, 1991). In addition, students need to take an active role in
constantly evaluating their learning strategies and level of understanding. Educators can
assist students by encouraging self-evaluation and by providing feedback. By doing so,
students become aware of their own learning, feedback becomes more meaningful, and
students will have a more effective Ieaming experience (Bransford, et. a1, 1999).

I chose to design a unit on weather in order to increase my knowledge of the
subject and to increase my repertoire of weather related activities in order to make

Ieaming about weather more relevant and interesting for my students and me. Prior to

developing the unit on weather, I taught weather in the class Weather, Climate, Space for
one semester at West High School in Davenport, Iowa. Unfamiliar to the concepts
relating to meteorology and how to convey them to students, the class was mainly
teacher-centered. I would lecture for part of class while students took notes from the
overhead. At times students would take turns reading the text aloud, work on a
worksheet or two pertaining to the class reading, and occasionally watch an educational
video relating to the current weather topic. This was boring for me and for the students.
Some students would tune out shortly after class began, putting their head down, talking
to other students, or finding another activity to keep themselves quietly amused. Students
would often complain about the quantity of worksheets they were responsible for
completing. It quickly became clear to me that I needed to change my teaching approach
in order to get my students attention and increase student comprehension of weather
topics. I needed to get them actively participating, increase their motivation, and get
them excited about weather. I decided to begin developing a weather unit that included
various activities including more hands-on activities for students.

In order to determine the best teaching strategies, one must understand how the
human brain “learns”. As the human brain gathers information from the world, it seeks
to detect patterns in order to make sense of the world and to build what are called
“programs” (Hart, 1999). A program is a sequence of steps or actions, intended to
achieve some goal. The human brain creates and stores a program for everything. A
program may be as simple as responding to a question with a “yes” or “no,” or it may be
more complicated such as solving a physics problem using various types of mathematical

computations and reasoning. On a daily basis, we take in information from our

surroundings, decide what it is we are sensing and what the reaction will be. When we
interpret something new, our brain searches for previous programs or knowledge of a
similar nature or alters an existing program to accomplish the new task at hand. Students
are normally “motivated to learn, if they feel that what they are Ieaming will give them a
better understanding of the world (by grasping patterns) and how it works (gaining more
control over it by building programs)” (Hart, 1999). Learning is also influenced by a
number of factors including physical environment, physical and emotional state of the
student, and a student’s cognitive ability. For this reason, students should be given
various opportunities within the classroom to “practice” hands-on science, allowing them
to become engaged in relevant and interesting problem solving. Educators can promote
Ieaming by arranging “the conditions of the learner's environment so that the processes of
learning will be activated, supported, enhanced, and maintained” (Hart, 1999).

Science is not just about gaining knowledge about the world around us or
memorizing facts; it involves ways of thinking and doing (American Association For The
Advancement of Science, 1990). For this reason, students should be given as many
opportunities inside and outside of the classroom as possible to experience the kinds of
thoughts and actions that are typical of various science fields. Students should be able to
practice asking questions, make observations, collect specimens and data, measure, and
analyze. By giving students opportunities to experience, manipulate and observe the real
world or simulations of the real world, Ieaming becomes relevant, rewarding, and
engaging. (Carbone and Power, 2004). This supports true learning as, “most people will
not learn anything unless it is relevant to them” (Jensen 1997). The brain does not adapt

to senseless tasks. Learning similar concepts in various contexts also increases the

probability of task transfer into new environments (Jensen 1997).

When planning lessons, educators should take into account that every student is
unique. Each student that comes into the classroom has a background, prior knowledge,
skills, abilities, styles and values that are specific to him/her (Linder, 2003). Teachers
should take this into account when preparing lessons and activities in order to make them
more relevant and meaningful to students. This requires that teachers discover what
students already know about the topic at hand. “Prior knowledge fundamentally
influences whether and how a student will gain an accurate or deep understanding of the
topic” (Jensen, 2005). This can be accomplished by asking students questions or having
students write down what they already know. This allows the educator to challenge false
beliefs. Then by asking students to make connections to accurate information real
learning begins (Jensen, 2005).

The likelihood that any given classroom contains a group of individuals with
identical intelligence strengths and preferred methods of learning is highly unlikely.
Some students may excel linguistically, while others may be more logical/mathematical,
kinesthetic, musical or a combination of these (Viens, 1999). By incorporating
multimodality teaching techniques, such as lecture, demonstrations, media, various types
of hands-on activities, discussions, individual and group work, teachers provide varying
opportunities for students to draw on their strengths maximizing Ieaming opportunities.
When teachers identify students' Ieaming styles and plan activities that support these
styles of Ieaming, students will be motivated to learn and get “caught up in the learning
experience” (Williams, 2006). Brain research has also demonstrated that, “the more

locations in the brain that are engaged in Ieaming and memory, the better the Ieaming and

the sharper the recall” (Jensen, 2005). In other words, various activities that allow
students to use a variety of senses and become emotionally involved will assist in

activating multiple memory pathways within the brain.

Ideas about Teaching Weather

Weather is the state of the air in the atmosphere at a particular place at a particular
time. Weather is constantly changing as the gasses in the troposphere move to distribute
heat energy from the sun. Understanding meteorological phenomena can be difficult as
students must be familiar with physical science concepts such as temperature, density, the
nature of gases, air pressure, and the water cycle to name a few. (Papadimitn'ou and
Londridou, 2001). To increase understanding of atmospheric processes, students should
have the opportunity to relate theoretical concepts to personal experiences (Carbone and
Power, 2004). This can be accomplished through daily weather observations and actively
exploring explanations for what they see. In a study by Carbone and Power (2004), when
students kept a daily weather journal, their observations became more detailed and with
time, included explanations. Utilizing real time weather data via the computer allowed for
students to become familiar with concepts such as monitoring, data collection and
analysis, visualization, bias with data sets, and the importance of databases to support
research and Ieaming. In addition, allowing for personal experience increased interest in
the local environment, reinforced concepts in meteorology, introduced fundamental
science concepts, lead to refined personal observations and allowed students to
understand how meteorological phenomena vary over space (using various collection

stations). If maximal learning is going to occur, including hands-on activities that

include personal experiences are great ways to encourage synthesis, improve
comprehension, and make learning exciting.

Reading and interpreting meteorological maps can be another challenge for both . .
teachers to teach and for students to learn (Meyer, 2006). Abstract thinking is required to
visualize and comprehend three-dimensional weather phenomenon from a two-
dimensional map in a textbook or on the overhead. Atmospheric pressure, for example,
is one of the more prominent features on a surface weather map that students struggle
with (Meyer, 2006). One strategy to better visualize and understand meteorological
concepts and processes is to construct a 3-D surface weather map. In addition to the final
product being a Ieaming aid for students, there is a degree of physical input, emotional
involvement, and active thinking involved with the task of building the map. Without
this “doing” or “acting,” along with immediate feedback, substantial Ieaming of new or
changed programs will not occur (Hart, 1999).

As I developed my unit on meteorology, I utilized a constructivist approach as
much as possible. My biggest goal was to incorporate more hands-on activities that
would allow students to become actively engaged in the Ieaming process, improve
comprehension, and have fun at the same time. True learning only occurs with personal
hands-on Ieaming through trial and error. In addition, I took into consideration students’
prior knowledge and utilized a variety of teaching modalities in order to support varying
Ieaming styles and interests to make lessons more personal. As I continue to teach my
unit on weather, I expect to incorporate more activities to enhance and improve the unit.
If a variety of teaching resources are utilized with a focus on hands-on activities, then I

expect students in Weather, Climate, Space will be more engaged in learning and

improve their comprehension of weather.

School Profile

West High School is a public school for ninth through twelfth grades located in
Davenport, Iowa. For the second count of the 2008-2009 school year enrollment was at
1930 students. Of those students 469 (24.3%) were identified as students of color. Just
under half of the enrolled students (45.7%) or 882 students qualified for free or reduced
price lunch.

To examine and compare student's ability in a variety of subject areas, the
Davenport School district uses what is called the Iowa Tests of Educational Development
or ITED. Reviewing ITED science and reading assessment data collected each school
year from 2006 to 2008, shows that the number of students proficient in these areas have
decreased in reading and science comprehension for the ninth and tenth grades. For
2008, the ninth grade scores are slightly above district average. For the eleventh grade,
reading scores declined and science scores increased. Although not part of the ITED, the
ACT score for twelve graders remained unchanged at 20.5 for all three years.

(http://www.davenportschools.org/schools/profiles/west.pdf)(Table 1)
Table 1—2006-2008 ITED Percent Proficient for Reading, Quantitative Reasoning, and

Science--West High School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade Subject Area % Proficient
2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009

9th Reading 57.2 56.1 54.6
grade

Quantitative Reasoning 54.2 55.5 56.3

Science 59.5 60 57.4
10th Reading 61.9 64.7 55.3
grade ~

Quantitative Reasoning 60.9 61.1 57.6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Science 65 .6 65.1 58
11‘“ Reading 70.6 69.6 67.7
grade

(Eantitative Reasonig 66.3 72.3 65.4

Science 67.0 70.5 73.3

 

Table 1 continued

Although overall ITED scores have increased over time, the scores did not improve
enough to meet the annual mandated objectives (AMOS) set by the Iowa Department of
Education for the 2007 -2008 school year or for the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
legislation. For this reason, West High School has been designated as a School in Need
of Assistance by the Iowa Department of Education. The Davenport Community School
District has also been designated as a District in Need of Assistance. This simply means
that West High School has developed a comprehensive school improvement plan (CSIP),
with measurable objectives, that outlines what the school and the district are doing to

raise student achievement in deficient areas to proficient levels.

Class Profile

West High School is in session for 178 school days per year. There are four
terms, each approximately 9 weeks long. Classes are 90 minutes long with the same four
classes meeting every day during each term. Weather, Climate, Space (W CS) is a nine -
week class that includes Ieaming about space for approximately six weeks and up to three
weeks of weather and climate. Students begin the class by exploring characteristics and
movement of the Earth and Moon in relationship with other objects in space such as other
planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. They then learn about what makes up our
universe, classification of galaxies and the life cycle of stars, and the structure and

activity of our sun. Students differentiate between asteroids, comets, and meteoroids and

throughout the class identify the tools used by astronomers to study objects in space.
After six or seven weeks, the focus is turned toward weather and climate. First is the
examination of the composition of earth's atmosphere, energy transfer, and atmospheric
circulation. Next students study humidity, how it is measured, cloud formation and
classification. Students learn about the mechanisms that produce weather. They examine
air masses, types of fronts, and severe weather. Finally they look at factors that can
affect climate and climate change such as global warming and what can be done to
reduce human impact on climate change.

The Davenport School District requires three years of science for graduation.
When I began the research for my thesis in the summer of 2007, Weather, Climate, Space
was a general ninth grade class, meaning that most incoming freshman would take the
class sometime during their freshman year. After completing WCS, students would then
move on to take biology, then chemistry, physics or an elective science class. During the
development of the weather unit, however, the curriculum was altered making biology a
general ninth grade science class. Weather, Climate, Space is now offered to tenth
through twelfth graders with no prerequisites. Students are generally placed in their
science classes based on their interests and/or by teacher recommendation.

The unit was presented to one Weather, Climate, Space class with a total of 26
students: 4 ninth graders, 20 tenth graders, and 2 eleventh graders. Nine were female, 17
were male. Out of 26 students, 4 were identified as students of color. There were 8
special education students in the classroom. During the teaching of the weather unit,
three teachers were present and assisted students when needed: the classroom teacher, a

special education teacher, and myself. During the presentation of the weather unit, I was

a guest teacher in another teacher’s classroom as I was no longer teaching for the district.
I was present in the classroom one week prior to beginning the weather unit and remained
with the class until the end of the semester.

The data in this study were generated by 13 students (6 female, 7 male) who
submitted signed consent forms (Appendix A). Students had an adequate time period to
share the forms with their parent! guardian and return it to me in a timely manner. Extra

copies were available if original copies were lost.

10

IMPLEMENTATION

I began the weather unit the fifth week of school. Students completed the unit on
space with the classroom teacher and then I began the unit on meteorology with the
students. There were initially 13 activities and 3 demonstrations planned for the unit.
Due to time constraints, only 5 of the activities and 3 demonstrations were utilized. The
unit outline with corresponding planned activities and objectives are located in Table 2.
Activities used during the teaching of this unit are marked with an asterisk (*). Each
activity will later be described in greater detail.

Table 2—Unit Outline with Objectives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics Activities Ob'fictives
Ch. 22--The
Atmosphere
Characteristics of the *Demo: Is Air a Fluid? Describe the composition
Atmosphere of the Earth's atmosphere
Pressure vs. *Demo: Crushing Can Explain how two types of
Temperature barometers work

Activity: Factors Affecting
Measuring pressure Gasses and their Identify the layers of the

Interactions atmosphere
Layers of the Identify two effects of air
Atmosphere pollution

*Activity: Mapping the
Temperature Atmosphere
Inversions
Solar Energy and the *Activity: Energy Explain how radiant energy
Atmosphere Absorption and Reflection reaches Earth.

Describe how visible light

Radiation, Activity: Building a Hot and infrared energy warm
Conduction, Air Balloon Earth
Convection

*Demo: Conduction &
Scattering & Convection
reflection Summarize the processes of

radiation, conduction, and

The Greenhouse convection
Effect

 

ll

 

Table 2 Continued

 

Atmospheric
Circulation

Coriolis Effect

Global & local winds

Activity: Graphic
Organizers

Explain the Coriolis effect

Describe the global patterns
of air circulation, and name
three global wind belts

Identify two factors that
form local wind patterns

 

Ch. 23—Water in the

 

 

 

Atmosphere

Atmospheric *Activity: The Water Explain how heat energy

Moisture Cycle affects the changing phases
of water

Changing forms of

water

Humidity *Activity: Determining Explain relative humidity

Relative Humidity and how it is measured.

Describe what happens
when the temperature of air

Dew point decreases to the dew point
or below the dew point

Clouds & Fog Activity: Clouds in a Jar Describe the conditions that

Cloud classification

Precipitation

Activity: Cloud Formation
Classroom Activity

Activity: Outside Weather
Observations

are necessary for clouds to
form.

Identify the three types of
clouds

Describe four ways in
which fog can form.

 

Ch. 24 Weather

 

Air Masses

Explain how an air mass
forms.

List the four main types of
air masses.

Describe how air masses
affect the weather of North

America

 

 

Fronts

 

Activity: Weather
Forecasting

 

Compare the characteristic
weather patterns of cold
fronts with those of warm
fronts.

Describe the development
of hurricanes,
thunderstorms, and
tornadoes.

 

12

 

 

Table 2 Continued

 

Weather Instruments

Identify four instruments
that measure lower-
atmospheric weather
conditions.

 

Forecasting Weather

*Activity: Building a 3-D
Surface Weather Map

Explain how a weather map
is created.

 

Ch. 25 Climate

 

Factors that Affect Identify two major factors
Climate Activity: Factors That used to describe climate
Affect Climate
Temperature & Explain how latitudes
Precipitation determines the amount of
solar energy received on
Heat Absorption & Earth.
Release Describe how the different
rates at which land and
Topography water are heated affect
climate
Explain the effects of
topography on climate

 

Climate zones

Describe three main types
of climates.

 

 

Climate Change

 

 

Describe four factors that
may cause climate change.
Identify potential impacts
of climate change.

Identify ways that humans
can minimize their effect on
climate change.

 

 

The unit began by administering a Pre-unit survey (Appendix B) and Pretest

questions relating to weather.

13

(Appendix C). The survey was given in order to gain insight as to what subject areas

students liked/disliked, what their attitudes of science were, what their plans were after
high school and what sort of classroom activities they felt helped them to be successful.
The pretest was given to check for prior knowledge and to compare knowledge before

and after the weather unit was taught. The pretest was a set of twelve open ended

Each day begin with a review of what was done the previous day with time to
answer any student questions. To increase student participation and in order to check for
student comprehension, warm-up questions relating to weather were given and then
discussed. Almost every day the students had a hands-on project to work on. Activities
such as “Mapping the Atmosphere,” “Energy Absorption and Reflection,” and “Building
a 3-D Surface Weather Map” each required two days to complete. “The Water Cycle”
and “Determining Relative Humidity” were completed in one day. In addition to the
hands-on activities, I incorporated demonstrations, lecture with note taking (using
PowerPoint), educational videos, warm-up questions, and review worksheets. At the end
of the unit, students were administered a Posttest (Appendix C) identical to the Pretest
and a multiple choice Final Exam (Appendix C). Finally they completed a Post-unit
survey (Appendix B).

Following is a description of the activities and assessments utilized during the
weather unit. A qualitative analysis accompanies each activity description. Student

comments for each activity were gathered by a survey proceeding each activity.

Activities
Is Air a Fluid? (Appendix D-l)

This demonstration allowed students to observe how gases in our atmosphere act as a
fluid. I did not trust the students in the classroom with matches, therefore, I chose to use
it as a demonstration. However, it could also be used as a classroom activity. Either
way, it is a simple activity and students commented that they would have enjoyed the

opportunity to do it on their own. All but one person commented that they did not find

14

the demonstration helpfiil. The comment was: “This whole thing was confiising. I was
lost the whole time.” I do believe that with assistance, this student would have been able
to gain an understanding of the purpose of the demo.

Crushing Can (Appendix D-2)

In this activity, a small amount of water was placed in a metal pop can and heated
until it steamed. The can was immediately turned upside down into a dish of ice-cold
water. Prior to the activity the particle theory was reviewed, I walked through the steps
of the activity, and students had time to hypothesize what they thought was going to
happen to the can. Students enjoyed watching the can get crushed. A few student
explanations for the can crushing included “the hot and cold water combining made a
vacuum,” “There were less particles in the can than there were outside of it so the can
collapsed,” and “The can got hot and then you put the can in iced water and the can caved
because particles where moving faster and faster.” I was happy to see that most students
understood the effect heat has on particles (Particle Theory). However, many students
failed to give a detailed description of why the can was crushed. They missed the
concept that when the water was heated, particles moved farther apart and out of the can.
Then when the can was quickly cooled, the existing steam rapidly condensed creating an
area of lower pressure inside the can due to the low amount of particles. Higher pressure
outside the can caused it to collapse. Aside fi'om poorly written explanations with little to
no details, this was a great activity to get students making observations, hypothesizing,
and writing down their thoughts.

Mapping the Atmosphere (Appendix D-3)

This activity was an independent activity and required students to make a graph, use

15

various textbooks/notes, and to use their creativity. The objective was to create a 2-D
model of the atmosphere including the layers of the atmosphere, their boundaries, and
characteristics of each layer. Students then answered questions about the atmosphere. I
was planning to have students write a short fictional story using facts about the
atmosphere, but ran out of time.

Despite the fact that step-by-step directions were given, many students needed
assistance in making their graphs. I suspect that many students failed to read the
directions before beginning, as this is a common problem faced in the classroom. After
multiple people asked for assistance, I stopped everyone from working and demonstrated
how to number and label the axes on the overhead. From that point most students were
able to complete their graphs with little assistance. Positive post activity survey
comments included that they liked this activity because they got to draw and color and it
helped them to visualize the layers of the atmosphere and what they contain. Negative
comments about the activity included that it was confusing or that it wasn’t fun. All
eleven students that participated found the activity helpful in some way.

Conduction, Convection, Radiation (Appendix D-4)

This demonstration aided students in visualizing and differentiating between modes
of thermal energy transfer. Conduction was demonstrated by placing a metal strip upside
down above a heat source (candle or Bunsen burner) at one end. Prior to the demo, the
bottoms of small birthday candles were melted to a metal strip. As the metal was
exposed to the heat source, the atoms in the metal gained thermal energy, and one by one
the birthday candles fell off of the metal strip.

To model convection, a piece of tissue paper was lit on fire and dropped from arms

16

length. As the paper burned, it rose up in the air along with the smoke. As it began to
cool, it moved outward and down to the ground. To reinforce this principle, I placed a
large beaker of cool water on a heat source and added a few drops of food coloring. As
the water began to heat up, the food coloring ascended with the less dense warmer water.

To explain radiation, we discussed the different types of electromagnetic radiation
and how they affect humans on a daily basis. For example, we feel infrared waves as
heat when we are outside on a sunny day. In order to protect ourselves from harmful
ultraviolet rays when we are outside, we should use sunscreen and wear sunglasses.
Radio waves are used to transmit signals for television and radio stations. X-rays and
gamma rays are used for diagnostic purposes in medicine. Gamma rays are also used to
irradiate foods, sterilize medical equipment, and treat some types of cancer in a procedure
known as gamma-knife surgery. Of all the forms of electromagnetic energy, visible light
it the one form that is visible which enables us to see color. The variety of topics relating
to radiation is tremendous and can act as a springboard for open discussion.

I thought that the demonstrations were easy to carry out and a great visual for the
students. Students especially enjoyed the demonstration of convection when the tissue
paper was lit on fire and allowed to float up toward the ceiling. All but one student found
the demonstrations helpful in differentiating between modes of energy transfer.

The Water Cycle Activity (Appendix D-5)

The objective for this activity was for students to describe the movement of water
within the water cycle and to identify the state of matter of water as it moves through the
water cycle. This activity required students to move throughout the classroom. Students

were split into nine groups representing nine areas water can move to in the water cycle

17

(i.e. ocean, clouds, animal, groundwater). Each station had one pre-made die specific to
that station, a piece of poster board, and colored pencils. At each station students took
turns rolling the die that determined where water moved to next in the water cycle. When
the die was rolled, students recorded their roll in their data table and continued to move to
the next appropriate station depending on where the die indicated for them to go. They
also recorded on their worksheet what state of matter water would be in for each station.
While at each station, they drew a picture to represent what the water molecules may look
like or what it may be doing at that station.

Overall, I believe students enjoyed this activity. When surveyed at the end of this
activity 9 out of 10 students said that the activity was helpful to them and helped them to
understand what happens in the water cycle. When asked what they liked about the
activity some student comments were “How it showed that water kinda recycles and
doesn't really move sometimes” and “not sitting in a chair”. Student negative comments
for the activity included comments like “going back and forth” and “It was confusing for
a while.” I would agree with the students that as the activity began there was confusion
on what exactly to do. Students knew to roll the die and to go to the station that showed
up on the die. However, due to the set up of the classroom with lab tables, it was difficult
for students to move around the classroom and to locate the appropriate station they were
moving to next. Quickly making a map on the board with the nine stations relative to
each other proved helpful. When at a station, students also didn't know if they were
supposed to draw a picture of the current station they were at or where they were going to
go next (determined by a roll of the die). Half way through the activity, I had students

omit the drawings just to get through the die rolling and movement around the classroom.

18

I did not have the students go back and finish the drawings due to a lack of time but feel
it would be worthwhile to do in the future. To wrap up, we discussed their results to see
where water seemed to move the most/least, and how for many people, water seemed to
stay in one location for two to three rolls of the die.
Energy Absorption and Reflection (Appendix D-6)

Students utilized the scientific method in this activity to develop a hypothesis, test
their hypothesis by making observations and collecting data, analyzing the results, and
drawing conclusions. It was the most formal investigation students participated in during
the weather unit. Students were put in to groups of three to four individuals and each
student was given a different responsibility. The objective was to observe characteristics
of different materials and determine which are conductors or insulators. Students chose
two materials from a selection of wood, sandpaper, rubber, metal, and various colored
cardboard to compare. They were asked, “Which material would keep the interior of a
house coolest and why?” We then went outside to measure the surface temperatures and
temperatures below the materials being compared. After conducting the experiment, they
graphed their data and analyzed the results. Finally, conclusions were drawn
determining if their hypothesis was supported and what changes could be made in the
future to improve their data collection.

Students commented they enjoyed going outside, working in groups, and found the
investigation helpful to understanding the concept of absorption and reflection. From
my observations, I felt giving each group member a responsibility assisted in keeping
things moving more coherently and it kept students engaged in the activity. Some

students had difficulties reading the thermometer or recorded data in Fahrenheit instead

19

of Celsius. For the future, I would like to include more materials to give students more of
a selection from which to choose.
Determining Relative Humidity (Appendix D-7)

Using a sling psychrometer and relative humidity chart, students determined the
relative humidity of the classroom. This was done with two thermometers, a small piece
of cloth, rubber band, and a container of room temperature water.

Students worked in groups of two for this activity. Overall the activity moved smoothly
and all students commented that they found the activity helpful. Five out of twelve
students commented they felt unclear on some things. The most difficult aspect of this
activity was reading the relative humidity table and understanding the meaning of the
the numbers. Dry-bulb temperature was located on the y-axis of the relative humidity
table; difference in temperature was on the x-axis. Finding the correct number on the
side and top and then following them to where they meet was difficult for some students.
The relative humidity was also given as a whole number rather than as a percent. This
was confusing for students so additional time was taken for explanation. Further
applying the concept of dew point with this activity, 7 out of 11 students left the
conclusion question blank “Is the air in your classroom close to, or far from the dew
point? Explain your answer.” The next day we reviewed the activity and answers
together.

Building a 3-D Surface Weather Map (Appendix D-8)

Using identical copies of a weather map, students constructed a layered 3-D weather
map illustrating the differences in high and low pressure across the United States. First

the maps were glued to cardboard. The number of maps needed depends on the number

20

of varying isobars the map contains. Our map had five layers. Students began with a
base map. Next students looked for the lowest pressure isobar and cut along the lowest
isobar line. This was then glued to the base. The process was continued with each new
isobar reading until the range of isobar readings had been complete and all the
corresponding layers had been glued down. Once the 3-D map was constructed, students
answered questions relating to the pressure systems on their map.

Eight out of nine students found the activity helpful. Students enjoyed the activity
because it was hands on and engaging. Working with partners was enjoyable for some
people yet for others it made the task more difficult. For example, one student
commented he didn’t like that “I had guys who don't know what to do.” Another
comment was “partner yelling b/c I messed up.” Despite the comments of frustration,
there were many positive comments. In the future I will make groups no bigger than two
people instead of three or four to cut down on bickering and to make it a more personal
activity.

The biggest challenge students had with this activity was cutting out the appropriate
isobars at the appropriate times. One group had a final 3-D map that had the areas of
high and low pressure reversed. Other groups at times would accidently cut out the
wrong area of pressure for the particular level. Again, limiting a group to two people
may alleviate these issues but may increase the amount of time needed to complete the

activity.

21

Assessments

Students were given the following assessments during the weather unit:
1. Pre- and Post-unit Surveys (Appendix B)

The surveys were used to anonymously gather general information from students.
Queries about most and least favorite classes, education plans after high school and
students preferred methods of Ieaming were included in the Pre-unit survey. The Post-
unit survey was used to collect any comments the students had about the weather unit
after it had been taught, what activities they liked/disliked, if the teaching approach used
was helpful in increasing their understanding of weather and if their perceptions of
science had changed after the unit.

2. Unit Pretest and Posttest (Appendix C)

The Pretest and Posttest were identical instruments used to gather information
regarding students’ prior knowledge and to compare to knowledge gained at the end of
the unit. Tests were graded based on answering part or all of each question correctly.
Questions varied in point value. If the question was left blank, no points were given.
Grades on the Pretest and Posttest did not affect students overall grade in the class.

3. Classroom Activities (Appendix D)

Students were graded based on participation in the activities, work generated fi'om
the activities, and how well they were able to answer questions pertaining to the concepts
of each activity. Each activity varied in point value.

4. Student Assessment of Activities (Appendix B)
After participating in each activity, students were asked to comment on what they

liked and disliked about the activity. They also indicated if the activity was very helpful,

22

somewhat helpful, or not helpful. Data gathered were used to evaluate the effectiveness
of each activity performed and student interest. Some student comments were utilized in
the preceding section that details each activity. These assessments were anonymous and
not graded.
5. Final Exam (Appendix C)

The final exam was a series of 42 multiple-choice questions relating to the concepts

covered during the weather unit. Each question was worth one point.

23

RESULT S/EVALUATION
Pre/Posttest Evaluation
All students were administered an identical Pretest and Posttest (Appendix C)
comprised of twelve open ended questions regarding concepts covered in the weather
unit. Although overall scores where much lower than I expected, there was an
improvement in scores from the pretest to the posttest with the exception of student 6
whose score remained the same (Figure l). The average pretest score was 8.2% and the

average posttest score was 26.8%, a difference of 18.6%. Although scores were

 

extremely low, I anticipate it was partially due to the nature of the testing method used.
Questions ranged fi'om defining a term to describing a process and explaining why it
occurs. Every question required recalling information and conveying knowledge or
thoughts in writing. This seemed to be difficult for many students throughout the course
of my teaching experience in this classroom. I believe that if a student was unsure about
an answer, they left the response section blank. The majority of questions scored with a
zero on the pretests and posttests were left blank. Raw data for students are located in

Appendix F.

24

Student Response Scores for

Pretest & Posttest
80
7o
60 -
‘5 so -
g :3 IPretest
i3 I I Posttest
0 I I I I . . I .
12345678910111213
Student (n=13)

Figure l—Student Response Scores for Pretest & Posttest

Analyzing student improvement between the pretest and posttest questions, there was
some level of improvement for all questions except for question 10, which remained
unchanged (Figure 2). Questions 5, 9, and 12 had the highest level of student
improvement with five students raising their score for questions 5 and 9, and six students
raising their score for number 12. Students demonstrated the least improvement on
questions 7, 10, and 11. As mentioned, no one showed improvement on question 10.

Only one student improved their score on question number 7 and 11.

25

Student Improvement between
Pretest 8r. Posttest

l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Test Question Number (as-13)

OHNUJ-bUIO‘N

Number of Students Showing
Improvement

Figure 2—Student Improvement between Pretest and Posttest

For questions 5, 9, and 12, I anticipate that students were able to improve their scores
with these questions the most as we spent an adequate amount of time engaging in
activities that utilized these concepts. In addition, these concepts were either repeated
throughout the unit or covered near the end of the unit making it fresh in the students’
minds.

Question 5 required students to list and describe the three different kinds of energy
transfer. Students performed well on this question, as it was a concept that was
demonstrated with the Conduction and Convection demo and discussed multiple times
throughout the unit. Question 9 required students to list four instruments scientists would
use to measure lower-atmospheric conditions. During the weather unit, students were
able to familiarize themselves with these instruments while collecting data for a few of
the activities and during classroom discussion. Question 12 asked what closely spaced
isobars on a weather map indicate about the wind. The last activity in the unit was to

construct a 3-D weather map. This assisted students in learning about isobars, how wind

26

is measured, how wind is represented on a map, and how these measurements are used to
predict weather.

For questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, there was improvement in scores, but I expected to see
higher scores as we spent time addressing these concepts in lecture and through
classroom activities. Question I asked students to list the visible and invisible
components of our atmosphere. Question 2 asked students to explain the cause of
atmospheric pressure. To address this concept, we read in the textbook as a class and I
performed the Crushing Can demonstration. Students participated prior to the
demonstration by hypothesized what would happen and why. Afterwards, students wrote
down if their hypothesis was correct and why or why not. As a class, we discussed why
the can was crushed. Question 3 asked students to list a characteristic of each of the four
layers of the atmosphere, which they had done when they had created a 2-D map of the
atmosphere in Mapping the Atmosphere. Question 4 asked students to describe how
visible light and infrared energy warm the earth. Time was spent in class discussing this
and students took notes. I did have an activity (Factors that Aflect Climate) that
addressed this topic I would have liked to incorporate but did not have time. For question
6, students were to describe the path a water molecule may take in the water cycle in five
sentences. I expected that students would do well on this question given that they
participated in a classroom activity teaching the water cycle. My only thought is that
they could not recall the vocabulary words associated with water transformation and/or
did not feel like writing a paragraph.

Question 8 asked students to describe the conditions necessary for clouds to form. 1

am not surprised that students did not do well answering this question as little to no time

27

was spent on cloud formation and types of clouds. I initially planned on going outside so
that students could identify clouds and I planned on utilizing the Cloud Formation
Classroom Activity, but ran out of time. Had students had time and been involved in the
activities, I believe they would have been able to correctly answer this question.
Questions 10 and 11 were about air masses and weather patterns associated with pressure
systems. Only one student was able to improve their score for question 11 and no one
answered question 10 correctly. Although we did spend time in class reading about air
masses and taking notes, I anticipate students would have done better had we had time to
do the planned hands-on activity Weather Forecasting.

After spending a day in class on the topic of relative humidity and incorporating a
hands-on activity, I expected more than one student to answer question 7 correctly.
Many students did attempt to answer the question and some answers were on the right
track. In hindsight, students spent most of the class time interpreting the relative
humidity chart and how to use it. Little time was spent on interpreting how relative
humidity is affected by temperature changes and question 7 required students to
understand this relationship.

In general, I feel students could have put forth more effort in answering the pretest
and posttest questions. Based upon student work completed in class and my personal
observation, I believe students knew how to correctly answer the questions but for some
reason chose to leave many answers blank resulting in low pretest and posttest scores.
Knowing that the Pretest and Posttests were not worth points and did not affect their
overall grade in the class may have been a factor for not putting forth much effort. In

addition, as a guest teacher in their class, my expectations and teaching methods were

28

different than that of their classroom teacher. Normally, the class was teacher-centered.
Students would listen to the teacher, take notes, and individually complete a few
worksheets. When I began instructing, students had to adjust to working in groups and
using new scientific tools and processes. They needed to think independently and apply
basic knowledge to higher-level orders of thinking. As with any newly learned skill, it
initially feels awkward and unfamiliar. It takes time to adjust and to get use to. I believe
this was the case for the students in this study. Students were probably accustomed to the
multiple-choice exams given by their science teacher, therefore, making the fill in the
blank questions unfamiliar and more challenging to answer. With time and experience
answering fill in the blank questions, I believe the students would have achieved higher
pretest and posttest scores. This idea is further supported by the 54.1% student average
on the multiple-choice final exam. This average was much higher than the 26.8%
average posttest score. The final was a multiple-choice exam that tested students on the
same concepts as the pre/posttest questions in addition to other weather related topics

covered in class.

Pre-lPost-Unit Survey Evaluation

1 was curious to know students perceptions of science class prior to working with
them. They were given an initial survey asking I) What was their favorite class, 2) What
was their least favorite class, 3) What were their plans after high school, 4) What helps
them to learn (Appendix B). Results indicated the majority of students (eight out of
thirteen) favored classes outside of the academic core (math and science) including

art/music, gym, and industrial arts (Figure 3). Science was ranked as the least favorite

29

class subject with four students indicating it as the least favorite class. Math and English
followed close behind with three students indicating it as the least favorite and social

studies was listed by two students.

Students Favorite & Least Favorite

Classes
5
a 4 ,
8 3 i a
5 .1; _ ' -.
as (1, .~ E E I - I
‘-
° .2 .r: m ._.V> .: E - m
E '3 E E 8% '9'. C? £3 a o
z 2 _ 03 go n. s:
E \ (‘1‘; ”(1) u. 3< 3‘0
g g '2 5
-' a
Class'l‘ype (n=13)

l Most Favorite Least Favorite

Figure 3—Students Favorite and Least Favorite Classes

According to survey results, most students indicated that they were planning on
attending some sort of higher level of education. Out of thirteen students, five plan on
attending college. Three students indicated they “hope” they will go to college or
“maybe go to college”. Three students plan on attending a vocational school. One
student would like to go to college but plans on taking some time off before enrolling.

Only one student stated they did not know their plans.

30

Student Plans After High School

 

6
3 5 -
r:
8 4 '
:I 3 '
a 2 E] [:1
“a 1 -
E 0 , m r:
E if 3 S if g
3 = J .t: " tn
2 o t: 9 U 3 u
1: 2‘: '76 Z
r: .9 8 ::
£3 a -f-3
>
Student Responses

Figure 4———Student Plans after High School (n==13)

Student responses to what helps them to learn science indicated that the majority (8
out of 13) of students feel that Ieaming using hands-on activities helps the most. A few
students also stated that working in groups was helpful. Three students did not know

what types of methods helped them to learn (Figure 5).

What Helps You Learn Science?

 

 

7
‘3 e
8
a 5
“6 4
._ 3
g 2 . j. .
5‘ 3, , t:|
Hands-on Group work Both hands Any Don't know

on and group
work

Students Preferred Learning Methods

Figure 5—Student Responses to question 2 on Post survey (n= 1 3)

31

After the final exam was administered, students were given a survey to collect
information regarding their thoughts and feelings on the weather unit. First students were
asked their opinion of how the weather unit was taught. Their comments are as follows:

“Good”

“I liked it because we did a lot of hands on stuff”

“Good, I liked it”

“I thought it was taught very well”

“Ok, it was a bit confusing”

“It was easier than the space unit”

“It was good”

“I think it was taught pretty good”

“Helped us learn how the weather works”

“It was taught well”
When asked if the weather unit changed their perceptions of science class, seven out of
ten students said “no”. Only one said “yes”, one said “somewhat”, and one student did
not respond to the question. The one student who said “yes,” said it changed their

perception “Because this was fun” (Figure 6).

32

 

Did the weather unit change your
perceptions of science class?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 *_ a.
g 7 f —
a 6 , — ~— —— ——- s—
a s 1
“a 4 -- -
b 3 - _ — ~
'2 2 z — -—
5 4.----.“ __-___ “a -_A :- __ _ _ ,_
I Yes Somewhat No No response
. Student Responses

Figure 6—Student responses to question 3 on Post survey (n=10)
When asked if students thought the hands-on activities helped to increase their

understanding of weather, all but one student agreed (Figure 7).

 

....._ m _— _______._.

 

Did the Hands-on Activities
Increase your Understanding of

 

H
O

 

 

 

 

Numberof Students
0 N -h 0‘ co

yes no

Student Responses

Figure 7—Student responses to question 4 on Post survey (n=10)
Three students also made the following comments in addition to responding “yes” for
question 4 on the post survey:

“Because it showed what was going on”

33

“Some were easy and hard”

“I like hands-on activities”
From the student comments, I believe the students felt the hands-on activities were
effective in increasing their comprehension of weather. Having a variety of activities at
various difficulty levels challenged students and gave them the opportunity to visualize,
investigate, and apply the weather concepts they were Ieaming. The majority of students
in the science class may have indicated they preferred classes other than science, but they
did specify they learn best through hands-on activities and all but one student indicated

the hands-on activities increased their understanding of weather.

Evaluation of Student Assessment of Activities

Students were asked to evaluate each activity after it was completed. They had the
option to circle the following for each activity: the activity did not help, helped a little, or
helped a lot. They were also able to comment on what they liked and disliked about the
activity along with writing comments or questions. Student responses to the classroom

activities and the level of helpfulness for each activity are indicated below (Figure 8).

34

Post Activity Attitudes

Number of Students
9 N -F 0‘ m c:

it... “will

a i

l

i- ii

i

E. -_ ., ...

. I]

i.-. __._J

ls Air a I
Fluid?
In=111
Crushing Can
ln=121
111
3D Map I
Building
In=9l

Reflection &

Humidity

(n=11)
Conducfion
& Convection
In=101
Layers of the
(n
In

In 111
Water Cycle I
10)
Relative

Atmosphere
Absorption

I Did Not Help Helped 3 Little l Helped 3 Lot

Figure 8 —Student Post Activity Attitudes

The majority of students indicated they found every activity helpful to increasing
their comprehension of the ideas being taught. For the activities “Is Air a Fluid?,”
“Conduction and Convection,” “The Water Cycle,” and “Building a 3-D Surface Weather
Map,” only one student that participated in each activity commented that the activity did
not help their understanding. With student attitudes primarily positive concerning the
activities performed in class, I would have expected pretest, posttest, and final exam
scores to be much higher. Again, reasons for such low scores may be attributed the fact
that I was a guest teacher, the pre/posttests were not worth a grade, students did not take
the weather unit seriously, and in general, many of the students involved in this study
were academically poor students who typically perform poorly in science.
I can only attribute such low scores to the students having difficulties recalling
information or facts learned in class.

It is interesting to me that the majority of students felt the water cycle activity

“helped a lot” and that it was one of the top rated activities. With this activity being rated

35

as highly as it was, I would have expected higher posttest scores on the question relating
to the water cycle. Only three students improved their score on this question and six
students left the question blank on both the pretest and posttest. Reviewing student
scores from the actual activity worksheet indicated students understood the material.
However, five students left the same question blank on the activity worksheet that was
identical to the question on the pre/posttest. Student comments for the activity included
that they enjoyed moving around the classroom, rolling the dice, and that the activity was
fun. When doing this activity again, I will make sure that students have mastered the
vocabulary associated with phase change and the hydrologic cycle prior to the activity. I
will also reinforce the vocabulary proceeding the activity and practice writing skills using
new vocabulary if needed.

Students also found the relative humidity activity to be very helpful and among the
top rated. As I watched the students learn how to determine relative humidity using the
chart in their book, many students struggled to do it properly. After practice and a few
examples though, students were able to measure the relative humidity of the classroom
using their thermometers. Although all students mastered reading the relative humidity
chart (evident by good scores on activity worksheets and observation), many students
were unable to properly answer question 7 on the pretest/posttest relating relative
humidity, temperature change, and precipitation. I was very pleased to see that many
students attempted to answer the question relating to relative humidity on the posttest.
However, only one student actually improved their score on this particular question and
four students still left the question blank. When doing this activity again, I will spend

more time discussing scenarios in which variables are changed and how they change one

36

another.

37

CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION

The application of the weather unit within the classroom was very helpful in
conveying concepts to students and in making Ieaming interesting and engaging for
students. All but one student commented that the hands-on activities increased their
understanding of weather in the post unit survey (Figure 7). Throughout the weather unit,
students constantly commented on how they liked learning through hands-on activities,
working with partners or in groups, and that it was a nice change from mundane note
taking and daily worksheets. Although the pretest and posttest scores were much lower
than I anticipated, the posttest average (26.8%) was 18.6 % higher than the pretest
average (8.2%) (Figure 1) indicating increased student comprehension of weather topics.
I attribute the low scores to the fact that it was not worth points and because the questions
were fill in the blank. This idea is supported by the 54.1% student average on the
weather unit final exam, which was multiple-choice and counted toward their final grade
in the class.

Presenting the weather unit as a guest teacher in another teacher’s classroom created
challenges for me as an educator. I did not have the close teacher-student relationship I
normally have with a classroom of my own. Normally with time, I am able to learn my
students’ strengths and weaknesses, what helps them to succeed, and which students
work well together in order to minimize behavior problems and maximize time on task.
Had this been my own classroom, I feel I would have been able to teach more effectively
and the students may have achieved greater success. I do feel it was beneficial that I
spent a week in the classroom prior the presentation of the weather unit. This gave me

time to break the ice and interact with students, even if it was minimal. However, I still

38

did not know the students as well as I would have preferred.

The Pre-unit survey assisted in gathering information about the students (Appendix
B). In general, I was not surprised students indicated math and science as their least
favorite class (Figure 3). Through talking with students in the past, science is a class that
many students struggle with. However, I was surprised the majority of students disliked
core classes and preferred music, gym, or vocational education classes. Working with
such a homogonous group of students that disliked or struggled with science before was
new to me. I was surprised at the number of students that indicated they would “possibly
go to college,” “work,” or that they were “not sure” (Figure 4). There is such an emphasis
today on the importance of education and earning a higher education degree to sustain an
average quality of life. I expected to see more students who planned on attending a
college or vocational school. When I asked students their preferred method of Ieaming, I
was not surprised that the overwhelming answer was “hands-on” (Figure 5). In my six
years of teaching secondary science, students are typically always excited about
participating in a lab or other hands-on activity. It was also apparent to me through
observation, student achievement in the class, and Pre-unit survey comments that these
students needed a teaching approach that would get them excited about science and
engaged in Ieaming. One thing I would like to incorporate in the future is a self-survey
that would allow students to analyze their Ieaming preferences. It was interesting to me
that two students indicated they did not know what type of Ieaming style worked best for
them.

My summer research resulted in a number of activities and demonstrations, some

which were implemented this year. As I began presenting the unit on weather, it became

39

apparent to me that I would have to omit some activities due to a lack of time. I spent
much more time than I anticipated repeating directions, assisting students with questions,
and addressing student behavioral issues. Meeting the accommodations of special
education students in the classroom also required additional time for students to complete
work. Since many of these issues were unforeseen, I took each day one at a time, and as
the unit progressed, omitted activities that I thought would be too time consuming with
what time we had left. Near the end of the unit, I simply ran out of time to complete the
remaining activities. I omitted the following activities: Factors Affecting Gases and
Their Interactions, Building a Hot Air Balloon, Graphic Organizers, Clouds in a Jar,
Cloud Formation Classroom Activity, Outside Weather Observations, Weather
Forecasting, Factors that Affect Climate. Although these activities were not utilized for
this study, I would still like to try them in future lessons. They are engaging activities
that would increase student interest, science related skills, weather knowledge, and
promote teamwork and cooperation. In hindsight, the one activity I regret not having
students do is to make outside weather observations. I initially planned on doing this for
one week near the end of the unit but omitted it as we neared the end of the semester with
many more activities planned and little time. This activity would have been a simple way
to grab student attention, introduce and prepare students for upcoming topics, and put
students in an environment where they would personally experience what it is we would
be discussing and Ieaming as a class. In the future, I would like to begin weather
observations on day l of the weather unit.

For the activities that were utilized in class, the majority of students commented they

found their participation in each activity assisted them in increasing their knowledge of

40

weather or weather related processes (Figure 8). I too found the activities to be helpful to
student comprehension although there are some things that I would alter for the future.
Instead of using Is Air a Fluid? as a demonstration, I would have groups of 2-4 students
perform it as an activity. It is an inexpensive activity to perform and I feel students
benefit more from the personal experience. As a guest teacher not really knowing the
students, I felt hesitant allowing students to use fire in the classroom. With Energy
Absorption and Reflection, I would like to incorporate more of a variety of materials for
the students to test their hypothesis. I would also like to take time to compare different
group results as a class. Comparing data from different groups would allow the students
to see results for all the materials tested and not just what they chose for their group.
This time could also be used to discuss inconsistent data, problems that arose during the
lab, and answer any questions students may have had. I think the Water Cycle Activity
would go more smoothly if it were done in a larger area such as the gym, cafeteria, or
even outside. Students did not have enough space to move around and were confused
about the location of the stations. In the future I would give each student a map of the
stations to fix this problem. The cardboard used in Building a 3-D Surface Weather Map
was very difficult for students to cut and required more time than I anticipated. When I
do this activity again I will try to find Styrofoam, which cuts easier, or better cutting
materials. Instead of having every group construct the same 3-D weather map, I would
use five to seven different weather maps so that afterwards, students could visualize how
the areas of high and low pressure move over the US. over time. It could also be used to
lead into a discussion or activity on air masses. I would not change the Relative Humidity

Activity, although I would spend more time discussing the connection between

41

temperature change, relative humidity, and dew point. Students were able to determine
the relative humidity of the class but when it came time to applying that knowledge to
temperature change and dew point, many students were unable to do so. When I teach
the weather unit again, I would also like to focus more on safe handling of lab equipment,
graphing, and giving students more opportunities to make connections by applying
knowledge learned in class. I feel students would have benefitted if we had concentrated
on these issues but trying to complete so many activities with so little time made it
difficult. Quality is better than quantity so I will probably eliminate some activities when
I teach the unit again unless I have more time. In general, each activity was useful in
that it allowed students to learn through personal experience. Students were able to
practice skills, have ownership of their work, and learned through trial and error.

In conclusion, I found the preparation, presentation, and analysis of the weather unit
very educational and rewarding. I have experienced first hand that a person learns the
most through personal experience and trial and error. There is much that I have learned
about conducting research, teaching, writing a thesis paper, and myself that I would not
have learned without the personal experience. The weather unit could use some
alterations but the hands-on activities that were utilized were engaging and increased
student comprehension of weather. Students enjoyed the activities and Ieaming about

weather and I enjoyed teaching about it too.

42

APPENDICES

43

APPENDIX A—CONSENT FORM

Improving Student Comprehension of Weather through Hands-on Activities
Parent Consent and Student Assent Form

I am currently enrolled as a graduate student in Michigan State University’s Division of
Science and Mathematics Education (DSME). My thesis research is on incorporating
more hands-on activities into the weather unit for Weather, Climate, and Space.

Data for the study will be collected from standard student work generated in the course of
teaching this unit such as pre and post tests, activities, quizzes and surveys. I am asking
for your permission to include your child’s data in my thesis. Your child’s privacy is a
foremost concern. During the study, I will collect and copy student work. These
assignments will have the student’s name removed prior to use in the study. All of the
work being collected will be stored in a locked cabinet until my thesis is finished. In
addition, your child’s identity will not be attached to any data in my thesis paper or in any
images used in the thesis presentation. Your child’s privacy will be protected to the
maximum extent allowable by law.

Participation in the study is completely voluntary. Students who do not participate in the
study will not be penalized in any way. Students who do not participate in the study will
still be expected to participate in class and complete assignments. Students who
participate in the study will not be given extra work to complete. You may request that
your child’s information not be included in this study at any time and your request will be
honored. Participation in this study may contribute to determining the best way to
present weather concepts to high school students.

If you are willing to allow your child to participate in the study, please complete the
attached form and return it to me by Friday Sept. 19, 2008. Please seal it in the provided
envelope with your child’s name on the outside of the envelope. The envelopes will be
stored in a locked cabinet and opened after the unit is completed. Any work from a
student who is not to be included in the study will be shredded.

If you have any questions about the study, please contact me by email at
kiffron78@hotmgil.com or by phone at (563) 386-5500. Questions about the study may
also be directed to Dr. Merle Heidemann at the DSME by e-mail at heidemflmsu.edu
by phone at (517) 432-2152, or by mail at 118 North Kedzie, East Lansing, Michigan
48824. If you have any questions or concern regarding your rights as a study participant,
or are dissatisfied at any time with any aspect of this study, you may contact-
anonymously, if you wish- Peter Vasilenko, Ph.D., Director of the Human Subject
Protection Programs at Michigan State University, by phone at (517) 355-2180, by e-mail
at irb@msu.edu, by fax at (517) 432-4503, or by mail at 202 Olds Hall, East Lansing, MI
48824.

Thank you,

Mrs. Kim Saffron
Science Teacher

45

Improving Student Comprehension of Weather through Hands-on Activities
CONSENT FORM

1 voluntarily agree to allow to participate
in this study. (print student name)

 

Please check all that apply:
Data Use

I give Mrs. Saffron permission to use data generated from my child’s work in
science class to be used in the thesis project. All data from my child will
remain confidential.

I do not wish to have my child’s work used in this thesis project. I
acknowledge that my child’s work will be graded in the same manner
regardless of participation in the study.

Photograph Use

I give Mrs. Saffron permission to use pictures of my child during her work on
this thesis project. My child will not be identified in these pictures.

I do not wish to have my child’s picture used at any time during this thesis
project.

 

 

(Parent/Guardian signature) (date)

I voluntarily agree to participate in this thesis project.

 

 

(Student signature) (date)

46

APPENDIX B--SURVEYS

47

PRE-UNIT SURVEY

Directions: Answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

1. What is your favorite subject in school? Why?

2. What is your least favorite subject in school? Why?

3. What do you plan on doing after high school? (college, vocational school, work)

4. What types of classroom activities help you learn?

5. What do you find most difficult when Ieaming science?

6. What do you enjoy the most when Ieaming science?

7. Do you enjoy hands-on activities in science class?

48

POST-UNIT SURVEY

Directions: Answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

1. In general, what do you think about how the weather unit was taught?

2. Did the weather unit change your perceptions of science class? How?

3. Did you think that the hands-on activities helped to increase your understanding

of weather?

4. What was your favorite activity? Least favorite? Why?

49

POST-ACTIVITY SURVEY

Name Activity

 

Directions: Answer the following questions as completely as possible. Your feedback is
much appreciated.

. Objective of the activity:
1. Assuming you put forth effort, please circle how you felt the activity helped you to
learn the objective for this unit.
Did not help, I’m still confused Helped a little, I’m still unclear on a some things

Helped a lot, I get it! Helped a lot, I’m still unclear on a few things

2. What did you like about the activity? Why?

3. What did you dislike about the activity? Why?

4. Any other questions or comments you may have?

50

 

APPENDIX C—ASSESSMENTS

51

UNIT PRETEST/POSTTEST

Name Date

 

 

How much do you know?
Directions: Answer the following questions as completely as possible.
1. What are the visible and invisible components of our atmosphere?
Visible-
Invisible-

2. Explain the cause of atmospheric pressure.

3. What makes each main layer of our atmosphere unique? (Write your answer on
the line next to each layer of the atmosphere.)

M

T

 

4. Describe how visible light and infrared energy warm Earth.

Visible light-

Infrared energy-

5. List and describe three kinds of energy transfer.

a. --

 

 

 

52

6. As a water molecule, you find yourself in a puddle in the local grocery store
parking lot. Explain how you got there and where you might go next. (Write
your answer in five sentences, please.)

7. Explain what would happen to a sample of air whose relative humidity is 95% if
the temperature decreased.

8. Describe the conditions that are necessary for clouds to form.

9. What are four instruments scientists use to measure lower-atmospheric
conditions?

1. 3.
2. 4.
10. What is an air mass and how does it form?

An air mass is.....

An air mass forms. .

11. Compare the characteristic weather patterns associated with a high-pressure
system to a low-pressure system.

12. What do closely spaced isobars on a weather map indicate about the wind?

53

APPENDIX D—ACTIVITIES

54

Name

 

Is Air a Fluid?

Prelab Questions:
1. What are some physical properties of a fluid?

2. Do you think air is a fluid? How could it be demonstrated?

Materials (for each group of 2-4 students):

Baking soda

Vinegar

500 ml beaker or glass jar of similar size

candle (small such as a votive candle)

matches

strip of poster board or cardboard about 12” x 3” (old file folders work well)

Procedure:
1. Fold the poster board or cardboard lengthwise.

2. Place the candle on a countertop and light the candle.
3. Put about a tablespoon of baking soda in the beaker.
4. Pour about ‘A cup of vinegar in the beaker with the baking soda.

5. When the fizzing slows down, hold the poster board at an angle so that one end is
near the candle flame and the other end is slightly higher.

6. Pour the gas produced in the beaker down the poster board.

Observations:
1. What happened when you mixed the vinegar and baking soda together in the
beaker or glass jar? Any idea why you saw a change?
a. What happened?

b. Explanation.

55

2. What happened to the candle when you “poured” the gas produced in the beaker
or glass jar into the funnel? Any idea why you saw a change?

a. What happened?

b. Explanation.

3. Extension: Can you think of any real world applications with what you just
demonstrated?

Adapted from: Windows to the Universe team (2008). [s Air a F luid?. Retrieved March
22, 2010, from http://www.windows.ucar.edu

56

Crushing Can Demonstration—Teacher Page

Objective:
To examine the influence of pressure differences

Materials:

Aluminum pop can, hot plate or hot stove, large beaker or bowl of cold water, beaker
tongs or hot pad holder, safety goggles

Procedure:

1. Fill large beaker or bowl half full with ice-cold water.

2. Pour enough water into the pop can to cover the bottom (15-20 mL)
3. Heat the pop can with water on a hot plate.

4. When you see the water in the can begin to boil and see steam coming from the top,
quickly pick up the pop can with tongs and turn it upside down into the cold water.

Conclusion:

The atmosphere exerts pressure in all directions. The can was crushed due to a greater
pressure outside the can than inside the can.

Great link for the classroom—Includes a real life example and picture of this principle.
http://www3.delta.edu/slime/cgncrus_h.html

Adapted from http://www.atmos.wgshington.edu/200201/1 01/demos/dem05.htm

57

Name

 

Can Demonstration—Student Worksheet

1. (Prior to the demonstration) Describe the can in general considering the particle theory

of matter.

2. Is air considered matter? Why or why not?

3. Predict what effect the heat energy will have on the particles of air within the can.

What will happen when the can is immersed in the ice water?

58

Mapping the Atmosphere
Materials: graph paper, rulers, colored pencils/crayons

Procedure: Read and follow the directions below to complete a diagram of the layers of
the Earth’s atmosphere.

1. Each horizontal line on the grid represents 10 km. On the left side of your grid,
label every 20 km from 0 km to 400 km.

2. Use different colors to identify the boundaries of the troposphere, stratosphere,
mesosphere, and thermosphere. Shade in the area on the grid.

3. Use pictures to put items a thorough i in the correct atmospheric layer.

a. airplane f. magnetosphere
b. aurora g. space satellites
c. meteor showers h. clouds
(1. living things i. ozone layer
e. ionosphere j. exosphere
Rubric:
Numbered axis correctly .5 pt.
Labeled axis .5 pt.
Marked each layer correctly 4 pts.
Color each layer 2 pts.
Draw a to i on grid (in correct layer) 10 pts.
Neatness 3 pts.

Total possible points 20

Enrichment Questions (answer on back of graph):
1. In what layers of the atmosphere do the temperatures increase with height?
2. What happens to pressure as altitude increases?

3. Most aerosol sprays are banned in the United States. Which layer of the
atmosphere does this ban protect? Explain your answer.

4. You are scheduled for a flight and a mild thunderstorm is approaching. Would
this affect your flight? Explain your answer

5. During a jet flight over the North Pole and toward a region in the middle latitudes,
a pilot adjusts the altimeter. Why is this adjustment necessary?

59

Conduction & Convection Demonstration
Teacher Page

Modeling Conduction
Conduction is the transfer of energy as heat from one substance to another by direct
contact.

Materials:
Bunsen burner, 6-10 small wax birthday candles, metal strip, ring stand (2)

Prgparation and Procedure:

1. Prior to the demonstration, individually melt a small amount of wax on the bottom of
each birthday candle. Place the bottom of the candle on the metal strip and allow it to
adhere to the metal strip. Place candles about a centimeter from one another.

2. Position a Bunsen burner on the countertop between two ring stands.
3. Turn the metal strip with the birthday candles upside down and place between the two
ring stands to hold the strip in place. The metal strip should be an inch or so above the

Bunsen burner flame. Make sure to place the Bunsen burner closer to one end of the
metal strip so that as the metal heats, the candles fall off in a row.

ModelingConvection
Convection is the movement of matter due to differences in density that are caused by
temperature variations; can result in the transfer of energy as heat.

Materials:
Tissue paper and matches

WARNING: Tissue paper burns very quickly. Make sure to have a large area to perform
this demonstration and remove all flammables.

1. Light the comer of a 8 x 11 sheet of tissue paper and toss it in the air in front of you.

2. Observe the movement of the tissue paper ashes and smoke.

60

Water Cycle Classroom Activity

Objectives: Students will describe the movement of water within the water cycle and
identify the states of water as it moves through the water cycle.

Materials:

Student activity sheet

9 large pieces of paper

Copies of water cycle table (optional)

Markers/colored pencils

Water station dice (print at http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/watercyclegame)

Procedure:

I.

Divided students into nine groups and disperse throughout the class to each of the
nine stations: Clouds, Plants, Animals, Rivers, Oceans, Lakes, Ground Water,
Soil, and Glaciers. There should be a die for each station, a large piece of paper,
and markers.

Explain to students that they will be representing a water molecule moving
through the hydrologic cycle. Students should take turns rolling the die and
moving to the next appropriate station based on what the die says. If it says
“Stay,” they roll the die again.

For each station visited, students should record the station name and state of
matter they are in (solid, liquid, gas) on their activity sheet. They should also
draw a picture on the water station poster that represents what they look like or
what the water molecule may be doing at that particular station. They should also
write a brief description of their drawing on their activity sheet.

Remind students not to move on to a new station until all steps explained in #3 are
completed.

Repeat steps 2-3 until everyone’s data table is complete.

Adapted from “The Incredible Journey”, Project WET Curriculum & Activity Guide.
Pages 161-165. 2005.

61

Name

 

Water Cycle Activity

What places can water go as it moves through and around the Earth?

Directions: As you roll the die and move around the room, keep track of where you
have been by writing down the stations, state of matter for that station, and an
explanation of your drawing.

Data Table
Water Station State of Matter Explanation of
Drawing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

62

Analysis:

1. As you moved around the room, did you ever return to a station you had previously
been at? If so, which station?

2. Give some reasons why water might move in the following ways:

a. From soil to plants

b. From clouds to lake

c. From animal to clouds

d. From animal to soil

e. From river to ocean

3. Were there any water stations you remained at for 3 or more rolls? If so,
which station? Why do you think water would remain in this stage of the cycle for so
long?

4. As a water molecule, you wake up in a puddle in the school parking lot.
Explain how you got there and where you might go next. (Write your answer in five
sentences please.)

63

Name

 

Energy Absorption & Reflection

Objectives:
1. To determine what types of material will keep the interior of a house the coolest.

2. Explain which properties of that material determine whether it is a conductor or
insulator.

Materials:
You will need four different pieces of material for this activity. The four different
colored pieces of cardboard count as individual materials.

(All material pieces should be 4 cm x 4 cm x 1 cm)
Cardboard, (4 pieces)

Paint, black, white, and light blue tempera

Metal, sandpaper, rubber (beige or tan), wood

4 Thermometers

watch

Ask a Question & Form 4a Hypothesis:
1. Which material do you think would keep the interior of a house the coolest?

2. What characteristics of the material caused you to choose it? (composition, color,
texture, transparency, mass, volume, specific heat)

Test Your Hypothesis

3. Determine which material absorbs the most energy and which material keeps the
surface below them the coolest. Write down how you would test this and have
your teacher approve your design.

4. Record your data in the table below.

 

Surface Temperature Difference in
temperature below surface Temperature
Material Color (°C) (°C) (°C)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Analyzing Results
1. Make a bar graph using your data. Put materials you tested on the x-axis and range of

temperatures on the y-axis.
2. Which material:
a. had the highest temperature on the surface?
b. had the highest temperature below the surface?

c. had the lowest temperature below the surface?

(I. had the lowest temperature on the surface?

3. Do you think the color of the materials affected whether they absorbed or reflected
solar energy? Why or why not?

Drawing Conclusions

4. Using your results, which material would you use for the roof of your house? Was
your hypothesis supported by your results?

65

5. What properties does the material have that would make it useful for roofing your
house?

6. Do you think the material you chose would keep the inside of a house warm in colder
weather? Why?

7. If you were to do this experiment again, what would you change in your experimental
design? Why would you make these changes?

ExtrafiCredit
8. What parts of the Earth’s surface absorb or reflect solar energy? Which areas of
Earth’s surface absorb the least energy? Explain your answers.

Adapted from Holt’s Earth Science (©2008 pages 570-571)

66

Name

 

Determining Relative Humidity
Objective:
Using a sling psychrometer (made up of two thermometers) and relative humidity chart,
you will determine the air’s relative humidity.

Materials:
2 thermometers, small piece of cloth, rubber band, container of room temperature water.

Procedure:

1. Dampen the cloth in the water and wring it out. You don’t want it to be soaking.

2. Rubber band the wet cloth to the bulb of one of the thermometers. This is your “wet-
bulb” thermometer.

Put the two thermometers back to back and attach them to the handle.

Swing the thermometers back and forth for a minute.

Record the temperature on the wet-bulb and dry-bulb thermometers.

Subtract the wet-bulb temperature from the dry-bulb temperature and record the
temperature difference.

Use a Relative Humidity table to determine the relative humidity of the classroom.
Look at the left-handed column labeled “Dry-Bulb Temperature.” Find your recorded
dry-bulb temperature. Next find your recorded difference in temperature across the
top row of the table. Where this row and column meet, is your relative humidity
expressed as a percentage.

9‘95“?"

>‘

Data:

Dry Bulb Temperature =

 

Wet Bulb Temperature =

 

Temperature Difference:

 

Conclusion:

1. What is the relative humidity in your area today?

 

2. Drawing Conclusions: Is the air in your classroom close to or far from the dew point?
Explain your answer?

3. Applying Conclusions: If you wet the back of your band, would the water
evaporate and cool your skin?

Adapted from Holt’s Earth Science (© 2008 Pages 596-597)

67

Name

 

Building a 3-D Surface Weather Map

Materials: (for Each Group of Students)

Surface weather map (can print at www.hpc.ncep.noz_ra.gov/dailywxmap/indexhtml)
Foam core board (30” x 40”) or precut pieces of foam board

Exacto knife or scissors

Safely goggles

Glue

Procedure:
1. Glue copies of the weather map on your pieces of foam board. All maps should
be the same size.

2. One of the maps will be your base map.

3. On the second map, find the lowest pressure on the map (it likely has a L for low
pressure). Cut along the isobar (line of equal air pressure) that circles the low
pressure. You will now have a hole(s) in your map. Put this map on top of your
base map.

4. On the third map, find the isobar representing the next lowest surface pressure (it
will be the next isobar outwards from the center of the low pressure). Alter
cutting you should have an even bigger hole in your map. Stack this map on top
of the other two. You may begin gluing your maps together if you would like.

5. Continue with this procedure until your three-dimensional map is complete.

Adapted from A New Perspective on Surface Weather Maps by Steve Meyer. Science
Activities 42 n04. 2006.

68

 

Directions: Refer to your weather map when answering the following questions.

Questions:
High SurfaLce Pressure

1. Where is surface pressure greatest on this map?

2. What does it mean when there is high pressure over a particular area?
(Hint: Think about the amount of air molecules.)

3. Describe the vertical movement of air in the center of a high pressure system.

4. What kind of weather do we normally expect if pressure is high? Why?
(Hint: Think about how clouds form.)

5. Describe the horizontal movement of air around a high pressure system.

Low Surface Pressure

6. Where is surface pressure the least on this map?

7. What does it mean when there is low pressure over a particular area?
(Hint: Think about the amount of air molecules.)

8. Describe the vertical movement of air in the center of a low pressure system.

9. What kind of weather do we normally expect if pressure is low? Why?
(Hint: Think about how clouds form.)

10. Describe the horizontal movement of air around a low pressure system.

Winds
11. a. Where are the fastest wind speeds found on your map?

b. Why are they found there?

69

APPENDIX E—OMITTED ACTIVITIES

70

Cloud Formation Classroom Activity

Objective: Role play how clouds are formed.

Materials:
Balloons (half as many as there are students), Garbage bags (1 for every 5 students)

The Activity:

1.

Ask students times when they have observed condensation. What do they think
water condensed in the upper atmosphere would look like? Explain that they are
going to participate in an activity that demonstrates how water droplets form in
the upper atmosphere. Explain that as molecules move around the atmosphere,
they may collide with one another keeping their energy. If they do not collide,
they slow down.

Have students count off by fives. Pick a number to be the “condensation nuclei.”
Give them a garbage bag. Everyone else is an “air molecule.”

Spread out everyone in the room. Air molecules should be at arm’s length. They
must keep one foot in place at all times, but can pivot about that foot. (In reality,
air molecules move around freely, bumping into one another. However, for this
activity movements will be limited.)

Explain the rules to the students:

When the teacher claps hands = increase space between others by taking two steps
away from each other. (Explain that the clapping represents air rising further into
the atmosphere. At higher altitudes there is less pressure, and molecules move
further apart. Therefore, the molecules are not pressed together making it harder
for them to transfer heat energy to each other.

Students should try to keep balloons from touching the ground. Each time they
hit a balloon, they should say “energy!” (This represents kinetic energr being
transferred between air and water molecules, keeping heat levels constant.)

Condensation nuclei should gather fallen balloons in their bags. (Energy has been
lost from the water molecule.) When two or more balloons are collected it
becomes a water droplet.

Begin the activity clapping your hands about every minute. When most balloons

are collected, stop the activity and ask students what all the water droplets
represent (a cloud). Explain that the water droplets are too heavy to float in air.

71

6. Designate one side of the room as Earth’s surface; have water droplets represent
precipitation falling to the ground by moving to that wall. Have everyone else
make the sound of thunder by stomping their feet. You can also flash the lights to
represent lightning.

7. To check for understanding, have students diagram the formation of a cloud.

72

Name

 

Building a Hot Air Balloon
Hot air is not as dense as cool air. Convection is the transfer of heat by the movement or
flow of a substance fi'om one position to another. In this activity you will build and
release a hot air balloon to observe the process of convection.
Materials:
Tissue paper (16 sheets, 24” x 30” or 20” x 24”, various colors)
Balloon cutting pattern
Scissors
Rubber cement
Fishing line for tether (50 ft. roll)
Pipe cleaners (2)

Propane stove and chimney apparatus (2 coffee cans put together works great!)
Flight data sheet

Buildig Your BJalloon
Using the tissue balloon pattern instructions, draw and cutout a pattern and set it aside.
Pattern and directions can be found online at http://eo.ucgr.edu/webweather/tongct6.htrnl

Obsemtions

‘ How did your air balloon turn out? Did it have a successful flight?

0 If your balloon flew, why did it eventually come down?

0 If your balloon didn’t fly well, what do you think went wrong?

0 How could you make your balloon better next time?

0 Which time of day would this activity work better? Explain.

0 What did you like about this activity? Why?

0 What did you dislike about this activity? Why?

Adapted from http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/tornact6.html

73

Name

 

Clouds In A Bottle

Materials:

Clean 2-liter bottle

1 Fizz keeper (can be found at the grocery store)
small amount of water

matches

Procedure:
1. Place a small amount of water in the bottom of the bottle. Approximately ‘A of an
inch should be enough.

2. Light a match and drop the match into the bottle. The match should go out.
Quickly place the Fizz keeper on the bottle.

3. Pump the Fizz keeper about 80 times. Release the Fizz keeper and clouds should
form within the bottle.

Qgestions:
1. After you pumped the Fizz keeper and opened the bottle, what happened when you
opened the bottle with the water and match in it?

2. Why was the match needed for the cloud to form?

3. Did the cloud form when you applied pressure or when you released pressure? Did the
cloud form when temperatures rose or fell? Why?

4. Once you have a cloud in our bottle, make it disappear. Describe how you did this.

Adapted from: Windows to the Universe team (2008). Three Clouds Activity. Retrieved
March 22, 2010, from http://www.windows.ucar.edu

74

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Factors Affecting Gasses and Their Interactions

ose:
To investigate the qualitative and quantitative relationships between factors affecting the
behavior of gasses.

Background Information:

There are four factors that describe the condition of a gas- pressure, temperature, volume
and number of particles. Using air as a representative gas, you will make observations
about the relationships between these factors.

Materials:

Pressure pumper and 2 liter bottle.
Thermometer

Electronic balance

Variable volume indicator (stoppered syringe)
Sensitive pressure sensors (your sense of touch)

Procedure:
1. Set the volume of the syringe at 7.0 cc (mL) using the tip of the plunger as the
indicator. Record this volume.

2. A. Gently squeeze the bottle approx. 1/3 of the way together. Do not crease the
thermometer strip or the bottle. Tightly seal the cap and record the temperature.
B. Pump the pumper until the bottle ilfl returns to its original volume (10-20
pumps) and record the temperature. Record the syringe volume again.
C. Open the cap and listen for any escaping gas. Record results.

3. A. Make sure the syringe volume is at 7 .0 cc. Record the mass of the bottle and
initial temperature. Note the firmness of the sidewall of the bottle.
B. Pump 50 strokes on the pumper. Record the volume of the syringe and note
the firmness of the bottle.
C. Repeat step 3B. for a total of 400 strokes.
D. Record the final temperature. Record the final mass of the bottle.

4. Carefully release the pressure by loosening the cap and observe the syringe volume
and temperature. Wait 30 seconds and record the syringe volume and temperature.

Data:

1. Initial syringe volume:

 

75

2. A. Initial temperature:
B. Final temperature:
Final syringe volume:
C. Released gas? Y or N.
3. A. Initial bottle mass:

Initial temperature:
Firmness:

B. andC.:

Pump Strokes Sm’nge Volume F irmness
50

100
150
200
250
300
350
400

D. Final bottle mass:
Final temperature:

 

4. Post bottle temperature:
Post syringe volume:

 

76

Questions:

Part 1.
Refer to Step 2:
1. Did the temperature remain constant?

2. As you put air into the bottle, what happened to the volume of the bottle?

3. The pressure inside and outside of the bottle was the same when you started (equal to
atmospheric pressure). Based on your observations, did the pressure increase inside the
bottle?

Refer to Steps 3 grid 4:
4. As you pumped more air into the bottle what did you notice about the firmness of the
bottle?

What can you conclude about the pressure inside the bottle?

5. As more air was pumped into the bottle, what happened to the temperature?

When pressure was released, what happened to the temperature?

6. What was the difference in the mass of the bottle?

7. We will assume that the temperature of the syringe and the bottle were the same.
Remember that the syringe contained a gas. As the pressure on the syringe changed, what
was the effect on the volume of the syringe?

Part II.

1. Graph pressure as "pumper strokes" versus syringe volume. Draw a best fit curve.
A. As the volume decreases by 1/4 , how did the pressure change?
B. As the volume decreased by 1/3 , how did the pressure change?

C. As the volume decreased by 1/2 , how did the pressure change?

77

Conclusions:
Write your conclusions as complete sentences.

1. Does air have mass?

How do you know?

As you were pumping, were you really adding more air particles? Y or N?

2. At a constant temperature and pressure, how does the number of gas particles affect
the volume of a gas?

Is this a direct or inverse relationship?

 

3. At a constant volume, what can you conclude about how the number the number of
particles affects pressure of a gas?

Is this a direct or inverse relationship?

 

4. At a constant volume, what is the relationship between temperature and pressure of a
gas?

Is this a direct or inverse relationship?

 

5. At a constant temperature, what is the relationship between the volume of a gas
(syringe gas volume) and the pressure exerted on it?

Is this a direct or inverse relationship?

78

Graphic Organizers

Global Wind Comparison Table

1. Fold a sheet of 8 x 11 paper to create a table with five columns and three rows.

2. Label the columns with “Trade Winds,” “Westerlies,” “Polar easterlies,” and “Jet
streams.”

3. Label the rows with “Latitude,” and “Direction.”

4. Fill in the table with details about each type of wind.

Types of Clouds Comparison Table
1. Fold a sheet of 8 x 11 paper to create a table with four columns and three rows.
2. Label the columns with “Stratus clouds,” “Cumulus clouds,” and “Cirrus clouds.”
3. Label the rows with “Altitude” and “Shape.”

4. Fill in the table with the altitude and shape of each cloud.

Severe Weather Venn Diagram
1. On a 8 x 11 sheet of paper, draw three overlapping circles.
2. Label the circles with “Hurricanes,” “Cyclones,” and “Anticyclones.”

3. Fill in the diagram with characteristics that each weather event shares with the other
weather events.

Adapted from Holt’s Earth Science (© 2008 Pages 563, 585, 609)

79

Name

 

Outside Weather Observations

Collection Data

 

Week 1 Week 2

 

Temperature

 

Humidity

 

Dew point

 

Barometric
pressure

 

Barometric
Trend

 

Wind Speed
&Direction

 

Cloud
Cover

 

Types of
Clouds

 

Present
weather

 

 

Weather
Predictions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barometric trend
(1 = rising; I= falling; N=steady)

Cloud cover
(C = clear; CL = cloudy; PC = partly cloudy; O = overcast)

Types of clouds
(S= stratus; CU = cumulus; CI = Cirrus)

80

 

 

 

Name

 

Weather Forecasting

ose:
Using a series of daily weather maps, you will track the movements of weather systems
over a period of five days. Using your data, you will predict future weather conditions.

Materials:
Colored pencils
Colored daily weather maps for five consecutive days

Blank map of the US. (located at http://eduple_rce.com/ss/maps/pdglus nl.pdf)
Weather observation sheet

Procedure:
1. For each day, collect local weather data (through personal observation and newspaper
or intemet). Cut or print out each day’s weather map and indicate the date on the bottom
left comer.

2. Record any outside weather observations and printed data in the weather observation
worksheet.

3. Using a copy of the United States, put an L at any locations where low-pressure
centers are shown on the daily weather map. Circle the Ls with a colored pencil, and
label each circle with the date.

4. Put an H on your map at the locations of any high-pressure centers. Circle the Hs with
a second colored pencil, and label each circle with the date.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 using weather maps for the next four consecutive days. Continue
using the same copy of the US. in order to show how each pressure system moves each
day. Make sure you use the same colors on your map each day.

6. Draw arrows to connect the daily positions of each high-pressure center and of each
low-pressure center.

7. Using the formula below, calculate the average velocity (in km/day) of each high and
low pressure center.

Average velocity = Total distance traveled
Number of days

81

Analysis & Conclusion:

1. What direction did the pressure centers over the United States move?

2. What was the average rate of movement (in km/day) of the low- and high-pressure
centers? Show your work and make sure to include units!

3. Where do you think the low- and high-pressure centers will be located on the sixth
day?

4. Referring to your series of daily weather maps, what do you think the weather in your
hometown will be for the sixth day? Write a forecast, and fill in the data table with your
predictions of weather conditions.

Evaluating your predictions:
1. Was your prediction about the locations of the low- and high-pressure centers accurate

for the sixth day? Why or why not?

2. Comparing your weather prediction to actual weather data, were you correct? What
may have caused your predictions to be incorrect?

3. What are the general weather conditions associated with regions of low and high
atmospheric pressure?

Adapted fi'om Holt’s Earth Science (@2008 Pages 858-861)

82

Name

 

Factors That Affect Climate

2m 2086:

To determine whether land or water absorbs heat faster.
To explain how the properties of water and land affect climate.

Materials:
2 small plastic bowls, heat lamp, small plastic ruler, soil, water, 2 thermometers

Backggound Information:
Many factors affect climate including the distribution of land and water. Land and water

absorb and release heat energy differently therefore they affect the atmosphere
differently. In turn, differences between land and water affect climate.

Ask a Question & Form 2; Hypothesis:
1. How do the properties of land and water affect climate?

Test Your Hypothesis:
2. Fill one bowl with soil and the other with water. Make sure you have the same amount
of each substance in each bowl. Place them next to each other on a flat surface.

3. Place a thermometer in the soil and alter a minute, record the temperature.

4. Place the other thermometer in the container of water. Each thermometer bulb should
be no more than 0.5 cm below the surface of the water or soil.

5. Place the heat lamp 25 cm above both containers.

6. Record the temperature of each sample at l, 3, 5, and 10 minute intervals in the table
below:

 

Data Table
Time (minutes) Temperature of soil (°C) Temperature of water

(°C)

 

 

1
3
5
1o

5 (after light off)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Turn off the light. After 5 minutes record the temperature of the soil and water.

83

mlyze the Results:
1. Which substance absorbed more heat energy?

2. Which substance lost heat energy faster when the light was turned off?

3. Based on your results, what conclusions can you draw about how land and water on
Earth are heated by the sun?

4. Do you think being located near a body of water would affect the temperature of the
region? Why or why not? How would you be able to test your hypothesis?

Extra Credit
5. If you were to change the angle of your light source, do you think your results would
change? Why or why not?

Adapted from Holt’s Earth Science (@2008 Pages 652-653)

84

APPENDIX F—STUDENT DATA

85

Table 3—Student Points Earned on Pretest and Posttest Questions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3
1 020000000300010104000001
2
1 000100000000000000000201
1
1.. 000000000003000103000011
0
1 120014020404001104000001
9 110004000033001111000000
8 001100010100000000000000
7 220104020033001102000001
6 000000000011000000000000
S 020000000200000000000000
4. 021100000033000000000001
3 001122000000001112000000
2 110100000300110000000011
1 000001110025000000000001
e momomomomomomomomomomomo
am PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
S 0 1 2
1 2 3 4. 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 1
Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

86

Table 4—Student Pretest, Posttest, and Final Exam Scores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Pretest Score Posttest Score Percent F inal Exam Score
(%) (%) Difference (%)

1 9.8 25.8 16 41.7
2 9.8 22.6 12.8 44.4
3 16.1 19.4 3.3 52.8
4 12.9 22.6 9.7 66.7
5 0 12.9 12.9 36.1
6 3.2 3.2 0 33.3
7 19.4 51.6 32.2 75

8 3.2 9.7 6.5 50

9 19.4 32.3 12.9 58.3
10 9.7 71.0 61.3 77.8
11 3.2 25.8 22.6 69.4
12 0 12.9 12.9 30.6
13 0 38.7 38.7 66.7
Ave. 8.2 26.8 18.6 54.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 5 —Student Scores for Classroom Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Can Layers of Is Air a Lab Water R.H. 3-D
Demo Atmosphere Fluid? Pg.570 Cycle Activity map
Activity
5 20 5 20 20 20 20
1 3 0 4 l7 9 0 0
2 5 20 4 5 l4 l6 l7
3 5 20 5 15 20 15 17
4 5 20 4 20 5 17 18
5 4 20 4 18 18 3 l7
6 4 0 4 20 20 17 17
7 5 0 4 20 l8 l8 0
8 5 20 0 0 15 l3 l8
9 5 20 4 20 20 15 19
10 5 20 4 20 18 18 17
11 3 20 5 12 18 18 18
12 5 0 3 15 16 0 0
13 0 0 5 20 20 18 19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

87

BIBLIOGRAPHY

88

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Educational Leadership. Nov (1999): 66-69

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Bransford, et. al How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. The National
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Carbone, Gregory J. and Helen C. Power. “Interactive Exercises for an Introductory
Weather and Climate Coarse.” Journal of Geoggphy 104 nol Ja/F (2004): 3-7

Hart, Leslie A. Human Brain and Human Learning. Kent, Washington: Books for
Educators, Inc.,1999

Jensen, Eric. Teaching with the Brpin in Ming. Association for Supervision and
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Lindner, James R., Kim B. Dooley, and Jennifer R. Williams. “Teaching, Coaching,
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Agg'cultural Education Magazine 76 n02 S/O (2003): 26-27

Meyer, Steve. “A New Perspective on Surface Weather Maps.” Scienge Activities 42
1104 Winter (2006): 3-9

Papadimitriou, Vasiliki and Paraskevi Londridou. “A Cross-Age Study of Pupils'
Conceptions Concerning the Movement of Air Masses in the Troposhere.” Science
_and Technology Education: Preparing Future Citizens. 2001

 

Shore, Kenneth. “Motivating Unmotivated Students.” Principal 81 n02 N (2001): 16-20

Smilkstein, Rita. “A Natural Teaching Method Based on Learning Theory.” Gamut
(1991): 12-15, 36

Viens, Julie. “Understanding Multiple Intelligences: The Theory Behind the Practice.”
Focus on Basics ; v3 n1-4 (1999): 6-9

Vavilis, Bob and Sheri L. Vavilis. “ Why Are We Learning This? What Is This Stuff

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89

Williams, Larry D. “Making Learning Fun and Enjoyable for All Students.” _T_h§
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90

 

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