Tracy's+Showcase

**Earth's Atmospheric Properties and Processes** This unit covers half of the Earth’s atmosphere and weather standard 6-4. This particular unit covers SC standard. Comparing the composition of the Earth’s atmospheric layers (including the gases and differences in temperature and pressure within the layers); SC standard. Summarizing the interrelationships among the dynamic processes of the water cycle (including precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, surface-water flow, and groundwater flow). Explain how solar energy affects Earth’s atmosphere and surface (land and water). Explain how convection affects weather patterns and climate. Explain the influence of global winds and the jet stream on weather and climate.  This units activity’s include the choice of 9 labs, 3 Gizmos, 3 illustrative tasks, video notes, 2 question and answer searches, 2 foldables, 3 application and analysis interpretations, PACT and Critical Thinking questions. These activities follow an interactive promethean flipchart that introduces all the standards above. These are all student centered activities that help the students construct the standards through multiple learning style choices. Those students that have difficulty with student centered learning get guidance from me through each activity. Assessment is ongoing and daily. Independent consultations, oral defense, summative and formative assessments are utilized.


 * Essential Question || What would happen if Earth had no atmosphere?   ||
 * Unit Questions || How does Earth's atmosphere affect Earth?, Why do high altitude mountain climbers have difficulty breathing, and people who live in high altitudes do not?, What 21st century tools help us predict what is happening in our atmosphere?   ||
 * Content Questions || What mixture of gases makes up the Earth’s atmosphere today?, How does the space shuttle maneuver in the exosphere?, Where is air pressure greater, in the exosphere or in the troposphere?, How does the Sun warm our skin?, Explain the water cycle process?, What are the doldrums?, How does a sea breeze form?    ||

[|My School Web Site] On the links page you will find access to my class wiki and class blog pages!

Unit Plan:

This units activity’s include the choice of 9 labs, 3 Gizmos, 3 illustrative tasks, video notes, 2 question and answer searches, 2 foldables, 3 application and analysis interpretations, PACT and Critical Thinking questions. These activities follow an interactive promethean flipchart that introduces all the standards above. These are all student centered activities that help the students construct the standards through multiple learning style choices. Those students that have difficulty with student centered learning get guidance from me through each activity. Assessment is ongoing and daily. Independent consultations, oral defense, summative and formative assessments are utilized. ||    ||    ||
 * ** Unit Author **   ||
 * First and Last Name  ||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Tracy Beach   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"> School District     || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">  Greenville     ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">School Name  || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">  League   Academy     ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"> School   City  , State   || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">  Greenville   , SC     ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Unit Overview   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Unit Title   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Earth's atmospheric properties and processes  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Unit Summary   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">This unit covers half of the Earth’s atmosphere and weather standard 6-4. This particular unit covers SC standard. Comparing the composition of the Earth’s atmospheric layers (including the gases and differences in temperature and pressure within the layers); SC standard. Summarizing the interrelationships among the dynamic processes of the water cycle (including precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, surface-water flow, and groundwater flow). Explain how solar energy affects Earth’s atmosphere and surface (land and water). Explain how convection affects weather patterns and climate. Explain the influence of global winds and the jet stream on weather and climate.
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Subject Area   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Atmospheric properties and processes.  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">  Grade Level       ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">6th  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Approximate Time Needed   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">13-14 school days.  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Unit Foundation ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Targeted Content Standards and Benchmarks ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">This unit covers half of the Earth’s atmosphere and weather standard This particular unit covers SC standard Comparing the composition of the Earth’s atmospheric layers (including the gases and differences in temperature and pressure within the layers); SC standard Summarizing the interrelationships among the dynamic processes of the water cycle (including precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, surface-water flow, and groundwater flow); Explain how solar energy affects Earth’s atmosphere and surface (land and water); Explain how convection affects weather patterns and climate; Explain the influence of global winds and the jet stream on weather and climate.  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Compare the composition and structure of Earth’s atmosphere layers; detect similarities and differences between layers; identify common gases or the layer where weather occurs; recall where the ozone layer is located; classify by sequencing the layers; summarize the interrelationships among the processes of the water cycle; generalize the major points about the parts of the water cycle; identify parts of the water cycle; compare parts of the water cycle; illustrate parts of the water cycle; explain how solar energy affects Earth’s atmosphere and surface; construct a cause and effect model of solar energy’s impact on Earth’s atmosphere, land and water; summarize the greenhouse effect; identify factors in the atmosphere that would either reflect or absorb solar energy; explain how convection affects weather patterns and climate; cause and effect model of convection’s impact on Earth’s convection regions; interpret diagrams related to convection, compare convection regions to the global wind belts; explain the influence of global winds and the jet strem on the Earth; interpret diagrams related to global winds and jet streams; identify the wind belts; recall curving of global winds and the Coriolis effect.  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Curriculum-Framing Questions   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   ||||   <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Essential Question ||||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">What would happen if Earth had no atmosphere?   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   ||||   <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Unit Questions ||||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">How does Earth's atmosphere affect Earth?, Why do high altitude mountain climbers have difficulty breathing, and people who live in high altitudes do not?, What 21st century tools help us predict what is happening in our atmosphere?   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   ||||   <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Content Questions ||||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">What mixture of gases makes up the Earth’s atmosphere today?, How does the space shuttle maneuver in the exosphere?, Where is air pressure greater, in the exosphere or in the troposphere?, How does the Sun warm our skin?, Explain the water cycle process?, What are the doldrums?, How does a sea breeze form?   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Assessment Plan ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Assessment Timeline   ||
 * ||  |||| <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    |||| <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    |||| <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Before project work begins ||||    <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Students work on projects and complete tasks  ||||    <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">After project work is completed  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   |||| <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    |||| <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">    ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">·     <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">  Interactive Flipchart and ActiVotes. Embedded activities within the Flipchart as well question and inquiry throughout     ||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">·      <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">  to help me determine what the students know. Personal Agenda explanations and assistance with planning. Informaiton on the types of assignments.     ||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">·      <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">  Personal Agenda includes labs, assignments, activities and project in which I assess daily on task lists in which students recieve points,     ||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">·      <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">  immediate feedback, scaffolding, can orally defend, clarify misconceptions, receive peer mentorship, individual, partner and group work.     ||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">·       <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">All labs, activities, assignments and project have assessments. There is also a Key terms test and Unit test.   ||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">·       <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">These consist of formative, summative, oral defense, refelections, interpretations, illustrations, and publications.   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Assessment Summary   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Interactive flipchart with activotes. Activotes will let me see where the students are weak in their knowledge and understanding. Many strategies embedded in the interactive flipchart to help students recall past knowledge and tie in new. Introduce what to expect on Personal Agenda activities, labs, and assignments for student future planning. Project will be introduced to the project at the beginning of the unit, told about how many points and available on a wiki site. Students can also access a blog to communicate with one another on ideas and suggestions. Personal Agenda and task list is a great self monitoring tool. I can check them daily and ensure the students are staying on task as well as keep checklist of my own to determine which students need closer monitoring and direction from me. Ongoing assessments, summative and formative assessments such as key terms, 20 questions and answers, and unit test.  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Unit Details ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Prerequisite Skills   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Conceptual knowledge student must have to begin this unit is that air is part of our atmosphere, temperature changes, our sun provides energy and that water is part of a cycle. Technical skills to begin this unit would be taking temperature with a thermometer, reading a thermometer, creating a data table, constructing a graph from data on a data table, and presentations in the form of a newsletter, brochure, power point, wiki, blog, flipschart or other option they may have had experience with.  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Instructional Procedures   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Perosnal Agenda for unit is given after iteractive flipchart introducing unit standards and direct instruction. Student must complete the 20 questions before they receive their unit and point for 20 initial questions unit test study guide. This lasts two to three days. From that point on the student plans which tasks including the project they will begin with and start collecting project data. Key terms tests, video notes and unit test have prescheduled dates which the students record on their unit personal agenda.  ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   ||||   <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Resource Student ||||||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Accomodations for resource students include notes given for unit test study guide, test with fewer choices and key terms given that will be on the key terms test. Oral defense is helpful when students have a hard time rsponding to analysis and critical thinking questions. Many prefer to be given assignments from the agenda when they have a hard time choosing tasks, labs or assignments.   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   ||||   <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Nonnative English Speaker ||||||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Some assignments are provided in spanish. All are allowed to tke work to ESOL teacher for help. When possible they are paired with another peer that is fluent in both languages. Students are allowed to turn certain work in their language. Brain Pop is a wonderful tool that provides lessons in their native language and interactive quizzes I can check in english. Test choices are limited and they are givn a study guide at least 2 weeks prior to unit test. Key terms can also be written intheir native language.   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   ||||   <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Gifted Student ||||||  <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Choices stimulate the gifted students and they are challenged by many of the assignments. If the agenda is completed before the unit ends they can go back and do anythingon the agenda they did not do before.   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">   Materials and Resources Required For Unit   ||
 * ===<span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"> === ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Printed Materials || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Textbook, reference material from library, magazines, orange book guide to procedures, all provided in the class and available for checkout. Every studenet has a textbook at home and in the classroom.   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Supplies || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">thermometers, graph paper, meter sticks, scissors, paper, string, air pumps, small matresses, beakers, water, 4 types of sunscreen, 3.5 liter jar, gloves, matches, ice, plastic cups, tape, sand, plastic tubs, saran wrap, reflcting lamp, milk.   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Internet Resources || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/layers.html&edu=mid, http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/atmos/atmos_intro.htm, http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/, http://www.national-aquarium.co.uk/interactive/water.asp, [|http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/cldtyp/home.rxml], http://www.weather.com/   ||
 * <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Other Resources || <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Multiple labs listed above, hopefully a meteorologist.   ||

Summative Assesment:(There is a Spanish version and an accommodating version on the 078intel folder under assessments)

Atmospheric Properties and Processes

Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1. is the transfer of energy in the form of rays or waves.
 * A. || Conduction || C. || Radiation ||
 * B. || Convection || D. || Condensation ||

2. is the transfer of heat by the flow of a heated material.
 * A. || Radiation || C. || Convection ||
 * B. || Conduction || D. || Condensation ||

3. Sea and land breezes are caused because.
 * A. || the land heats and cools more slowly than the water ||
 * B. || the land heats and cools more quickly than the water ||
 * C. || air moves more easily over water than over land ||
 * D. || air moves more easily over land than over water ||

4. In general, atmospheric pressure is greatest near Earth's surface and as you move upward away from sea level.
 * A. || decreases || C. || stays the same ||
 * B. || increases || D. || doubles ||

5. The is the source of all energy in our atmosphere.
 * A. || Sun || C. || Moon ||
 * B. || water cycle || D. || Coriolis effect ||

6. There is little wind in the doldrums because the air.
 * A. || is moving down ||
 * B. || expands, creating a zone of low pressure ||
 * C. || moves westward ||
 * D. || is motionless ||

7. The blends into outer space.
 * A. || troposphere || C. || mesosphere ||
 * B. || stratosphere || D. || exosphere ||

8. The is caused by the Earth's rotation.
 * A. || jet stream || C. || sea breeze ||
 * B. || Coriolis effect || D. || land breeze ||

9. Temperatures in the thermosphere and exosphere are.
 * A. || hot and cold || C. || very cold ||
 * B. || constantly changing || D. || very warm ||

10. There are molecules of air at high elevations, so air pressure is less.
 * A. || fewer || C. || more ||
 * B. || the same number of || D. || no ||

11. The transfer of energy that occurs when molecules bump into one another is called.
 * A. || radiation || C. || convection ||
 * B. || conduction || D. || condensation ||

12. The is the layer of the atmosphere nearest to Earth's surface.
 * A. || exosphere || C. || stratosphere ||
 * B. || troposphere || D. || ionosphere ||

13. Reflection and absorption by the atmosphere prevent some from reaching Earth's surface.
 * A. || ozone || C. || nitrogen ||
 * B. || radiation || D. || oxygen ||

14. Cold air has more molecules occupying a cubic centimeter of space than warm air; therefore, it has pressure.
 * A. || higher || C. || the same ||
 * B. || lower || D. || half the ||

15. When cool, dense air from over the water flows inland, it's called a.
 * A. || land breeze || C. || jet stream ||
 * B. || polar easterly || D. || sea breeze ||

16. The contains the highest concentration of ozone.
 * A. || troposphere || C. || stratosphere ||
 * B. || mesosphere || D. || exosphere ||

17. If the ozone layer disappeared, life on Earth would be exposed to concentrations of ultraviolet radiation.
 * A. || lower || C. || no change in ||
 * B. || higher || D. || none of the above ||

18. The process of water vapor changing to a liquid is called.
 * A. || evaporation || C. || condensation ||
 * B. || precipitation || D. || convection ||

19. Air pressure is greatest because there are more molecules of air pushing down from above.
 * A. || at the top of the mountain || C. || in the troposphere ||
 * B. || at sea level || D. || in the exosphere ||

20. Electrically charged particles are found primarily in the.
 * A. || troposphere || C. || ionosphere ||
 * B. || exosphere || D. || stratosphere ||

Matching Match each item with the correct statement below. 21. makes up from zero to four percent of the atmosphere 22. the transfer of energy by rays or waves 23. makes up 21 percent of the atmosphere 24. the transfer of energy that occurs when molecules bump one another 25. the most common gas in the atmosphere Completion Complete each statement. 26. As you go higher in the troposphere, the temperature __.__ __ Figure 15-1 (Not shown) 27. In Figure 15-1, cool air is more dense and forces up ___ __air. 28. Figure 15-1 is an example of heat transfer by ___ __.
 * A. || conduction || E. || ozone ||
 * B. || convection || F. || radiation ||
 * C. || nitrogen || G. || water vapor ||
 * D. || oxygen || H. || argon ||

29. The breeze in Figure 15-1 occurs because ___ __heats and cools more quickly than.

30. Figure 15-1 shows how a(n) ___ breeze works. Student Sample is a flipchart:



Student Support Resources: (Please include my web site as above)

Class Wiki Site

[|Class Blog Site]

Agenda:



Assessments:



[|Comments about this Showcase!] (just click and blog!)

Great job! Ann [|beach feedback form.doc] Nice job! Angela



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