Lesson Three
What Causes Irregular Temperature Patterns?
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The study of hot-cold temperature differences in the United States is intended to broaden the students understanding of patterns in climate and weather. While examining the Weather and Climate database (from lesson 2), students will recognize a pattern of the high and low temperatures of cities along the same latitude, with a few variances. This lesson is intended to focus on the cause of those anomalies.
Objectives
Students will:
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.
Test
Provide students with a map, and several sets of data (be sure to include examples that show inconsistencies in the climate norms as a result of latitude or nearness to large bodies of water).
Have students locate the areas, and write their interpretation as to the cause of temperature inconsistencies in those locations, according to either of the following principles:
Students should write their explanation as to why they interpreted the example the way they did.
Additional activities
Back to The Climate and Weather Unit