Teamwork
Climate and Weather Unit
Lesson Two
Is Temperature Effected By How Close You Are To The Equator?
- Grade Level: Upper elementary and middle school
- Subject Area: Science
Brief Description
Students will collaborate with other schools to gather temperature data from a large number of locations. The goal is to see how the average daily temperature of a location is effected by how close you are to the equator.
Objectives
Students will:
- Determine data needed.
- Choose participating schools to represent the data needed.
- Work collaboratively on-line with other schools to gather and interpret weather data.
- Infer the relationships between latitude and temperature.
- Predict the temperature range for a given location, based on the latitude principle.
Materials and Resources
- World map.
- Science Journals.
In developing our lessons and activities, we made some
assumptions about the hardware
and software that would be available in the classroom for teachers who visit the
LETSNet Website. We assume that teachers using our Internet-based lessons or
activities have a computer
(PC or Macintosh) with the necessary hardware components (mouse, keyboard, and
monitor) as well as software (operating system, TCP/IP software, networking or
dial-up
software, e-mail and a World Wide Web client program, preferably Netscape, but
perhaps
Mosaic or Lynx). In the section below, we specify any "special"
hardware
or software
requirements for a lesson or activity (in addition to those described above)
and the level of Internet access required to do the activity.
- Special
hardware requirements: Either an LCD projector or a TV Monitor hooked-up to the computer.
This will allow the whole class to see the results as they sort and organize the data.
- Special software requirements: Any operating system that includes a database/spreadsheet
program with the ability to sort large amounts of data and present a report.
- Internet access: Medium-speed (28,000 BPS via modem) or higher.
Activity Description
The process of manipulating the data to solve the problem is very important!
Allow the students to figure out how to sort data, and to choose the appropriate information needed,
etc.
Internet Resources
Telecommunications
- ThinkQuest
Meeting Places
[http://io.advanced.org/thinkquest/mtg_places.html]
The ThinkQuest¬ team has put together several 'meeting places' for the contest
participants to meet other participants to form Teams and share ideas.
- Teacher Link
[http://www.cccnet.com/teacher/]
The Teacher Link is an international community of teachers on-line. To register as a
Teacher Link member, simply fill out the Teacher Link Membership Form. Once registered,
you can share ideas and gain valuable insights into educational practice from others.
Teacher Link members may also participate in SuccessMaker Online projects.
- (Intercultural E-Mail Classroom
Connections
[http://www.stolaf.edu/network/iecc/]
The IECC (Intercultural E-Mail Classroom
Connections) mailing lists are provided by St. Olaf
College as a free service to help teachers and classes
link with partners in other countries and cultures for
e-mail classroom pen-pal and project exchanges.
- Netpal Listserv
[http://whale.simmons.edu/archives/netpal/0000.html]
This listserv
will allow classrooms to locate other classrooms who wish to
collaborate and communicate via telecommunications.
- Classroom Connect's Teacher Contact Database
[http://www.classroom.net/contact/]
When you'd like to find other educators to do online projects with, keypal exchanges, etc., simply come here and
search through Classroom Connect's Teacher Contact Database.
- Global SchoolNet Foundation
[http://www.gsh.org/gsh/class/projsrch.htm]
The Global Schoolhouse Projects Registry database provides a comprehensive source for
Internet-based classroom projects. Anyone who visits the Global Schoolhouse can access the
registry and it is an ideal way to get the word out by registering your project.
Global SchoolNet FoundationÍs internet Project Registry is for busy teachers searching for
appropriate on-line projects to integrate into their required coursework.
- Project Center
[http://www.hmco.com/hmco/school/projects/index.html]
This site, produced by Project Watch, is a good source to locate classroom projects involving
the Internet. The site is updated every week. Many of the projects included in Project Watch
come from Kidsphere or Classroom Connect mailing lists.
- Web66 International WWW School Registry
[http://Web66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html]
Web66 maintains the Internet's oldest and most comprehensive list of K12 WWW
servers.
CU-SeeMe Partners
- Global SchoolNet Foundation
[http://www.gsn.org/gsn/cu/cuseeme.k12list.html]
Global SchoolNet Foundation maintains a directory of K12 schools with the capability for using
CU-SeeMe.
- National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Scientist-on-Tap
[http://www.gsn.org/gsn/proj/sot.home.html]
Scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Oceanographic Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) demonstrate the power of distance learning, by interacting with
students around world, from the comfort of their own offices!
- Ask An Expert Page
[http://njnie.dl.stevens-tech.edu/curriculum/aska.html]
New Jersey Networking Infrastructure in Education lists experts on-line by subject.
Back to The Climate and Weather Unit
LETSNet is © Michigan State University College
of Education and Ameritech