The Jet Stream and Weather

LESSON CONTENT

• Lesson Plan Template:

  General Lesson Plan

• Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?

  
  
  • Students will know characteristics of the jet stream and be able to determine the effects the jet stream's position has on local weather.

   

• Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?

  
  

  Students should

  • be familiar with the information contained on a map of the United States, such as state names, scales, and cardinal directions.
  • have some knowledge of the Celsius temperature scale.  For example 100 degrees Celsius is boiling point, 0 degrees Celsius is freezing point, and about 27 degrees Celsius is room temperature.
  • have basic knowledge about thunderstorms and weather.
  • understand how to use directional terms (North, South, East, West) when describing a location.

   

• Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?

  
  
  • What is the jet stream?
  • How does the jet stream effect local weather?

   

• Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?

  
  

  Materials: small white boards for each pair of students, colored dry erase markers, white board erasers

  Technology: Computer, LCD projector

  1. Download the NASA Polar Jet Stream Animation
  2. Place students with a peer pair. (Remember to place ELL or ESE students with a peer who is willing and able to work productively with these students)
  3. Give each pair 1 small white board (A sheet of paper may be used if white boards are not available) and 2 different colored dry erase markers, and a paper towel erasers.
  4. Tell students that they are going to be viewing an animation. 
  5. Play the NASA Polar Jet Stream Animation
  6. Now tell students, "You are going to observe the NASA Polar Jet Stream Animation again, this time you and your partner are going to write what you observe, whether it is something happening or a detail. The student pairs must take turns writing their observations on the white board. However, this is a collaborative activity, so it is encouraged that you talk about what you see, then write it down.
  7. Play the NASA Polar Jet Stream Animation again. STOP the animation at 14 seconds. Doing this will freeze the image at a point that shows a dip in the jet stream in the United States.
  8. Teacher role: Walk the room while students are discussing the animation, listening to the conversations and reading the students' responses.  If students are having difficulty use questions such as,
     • "What stands out about this animation?" (Possible responses: The colors or movement)  
     • "How would you describe what you see happening?" (Possible responses: A dark red band is moving around the Earth. Some of the blue colored lines are moving in a circle.)  
     • Display the animation while asking students to share their responses.  
  9. Tell students, "You have been documenting your observations of a NASA made animation of  a type of very high level winds called the Jet Stream." Point to the large read wavy line on the screen. "These high altitude winds blow at very fast speeds and have a huge impact on local weather. Your next task will be to document the characteristics of the Jet Steam using an illustration.

   

• Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?

  
  

  Materials for each pair of students: A copy of the Jet Stream Illustration, a small white board, at least two different colored dry erase markers, and a white board eraser.

  Technology: Either a document camera or LCD and computer.

  1. Place students in pairs. (Recommendation: shoulder partners or students who sit next to each other.)
  2. Give each pair a copy of the Jet Stream Illustration.
  3. Display the Guiding Question, "What Effect Does the Jet Stream Have on Local Weather?"
  4. Instruct students to observe the Jet Stream Illustration and write, on their white board, bulleted details which answer the guiding question, What Effect Does the Jet Stream Have on Local Weather? If you notice the students struggling, you may want to provide the following word list to help guide the students:  North, South, West, East, higher, lower, along, speed, temperature, direction
  5. Teacher role is to walk the room giving feedback such as:
     • "I like that you are using the directional words to support your answers."
     • "It's interesting that you think it may be snowing north of the jet stream."
     • "Your observation that the jet stream flows from west to east is correct."
  6. After 5-10 minutes, ask students to share out their answers.  
  7. As students are responding, indicate on a Jet Stream Illustration (that may be displayed using anLCD or document camera) where the observation occurred. Expected responses: 
     • Temperatures are colder north of the jet stream.
     • Temperatures are warmer south of the jet stream.
     • Storms occur along the jet stream
     • The farther north of the jet stream the colder the temperatures.
     • The farther south of the jet stream the warmer the temperatures.
     • It travels at a speed of about 160 km/hr.
     • It is located 8-15 km above Earth's surface.
     • It is 1,500 to 5,000 kilometers long.
     • It is 1 to 5 kilometers thick.
     • There is an jet flying along the jet stream. Ask student "Why would a jet be included in this illustration?" Answer: Jets can save energy by flying along the west to east path of the jet stream, such as on a flight from the US to Europe. However, the return fly moving into the jet stream winds will require the plane to use more energy or it will take longer to return to the US.
  8. Instruct students to write the guiding question, "What Effect Does the Jet Stream Have on Local Weather?" in their science notebooks and write the answer underneath using what they learned in class. 
  9. Teacher will read responses in order to formatively assess student understanding.

   

• Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the lesson?

  
  

  Materials: Copies of Jet Stream Weather Report Rubric and U.S. Jet Stream Map for each group, chart paper, marker

  Technology: LCD and computer or Document camera to display the U.S. Jet Stream Map for weather report presentations.

  1. For this activity, divide students into groups of no more than 3 students. Selection of groups should be based on the needs of the students.
  2. Tell students, "Now you have learned about the jet stream, you and your group are going to use this information to write a script and present a weather report based on the location of a jet stream. A U.S. map, that includes a jet stream drawn on it, will be provided to each group. The script and weather report presentation will be based on your selected city's position in relation to the location of the jet stream on the provided map. Students will be expected to design and present a current and near future weather report.
  3. Pass out copies of the Jet Stream Weather Report Rubric. Go over the rubric and its requirements. Allow students to ask questions and clarify any misconceptions. Inform students that they will need to decide if their weather report will include a jet stream that is dipping toward the south or climbs toward the north.  This movement will have an effect on the weather being reported. NOTE: In order to differentiate for students who need support, you may wish to allow students to write their script on cue cards.
  4. Group Work Expectations Chart Procedure:
     
     • Draw on chart paper or display on a document camera the Working in Groups Expectations chart.
     • Ask students the question, "What should the room look like?", then document their answers on the chart. Next, ask them, "What should the room sound like?", and document their answers. See the Working in Groups Expectations Example chart.
     • Now ask students what they believe the consequences should be for not following the expectations. Once the Working in Groups Expectations chart is complete, tell students that these are the class norms for the activity and that you expect them to be followed since they determined the expectations themselves.
     • Formatively assess students for understanding of the expectations by having them raise a "thumbs up" if they agree with the expectations or "thumbs down" if they don't.
  5. Give each group a copy of the U.S. Jet Stream Map. There is a colored copy and a black and white copy. A color copy is recommended, but if you don't have access to a color copier, a black and white copy will be sufficient.
  6. Cut each city from the Jet Stream Weather Report Cities List and place in a cup or other container. Allow students to select a city out of the cup. Tell them that they will have to research the location of their assigned city and document the location on their copy of the U.S. Jet Stream map. NOTE: The teacher may want to clarify at this point that the students' weather decisions should be based on the location of the jet stream on the map they were given, NOT the actual current weather of the city.
  7. Go over the Jet Stream Weather Report Guiding Questions. NOTE: This step is optional and may be used for groups who need support. See the Guiding Questions Example for sample answers.
  8. Teacher may assess student understanding by posing the following example questions while the students are working on their Jet Stream Weather report.
     • "How is your city's weather being effected by the location of the jet stream?" This will be determined by if the location is north or south of the jet stream.
     • "Is precipitation involved?" If temperatures are below 0 degrees Celsius then snow may occur if the city is close to the jet stream. If temperatures are above 0 degrees Celsius, then rain will occur along the jet stream.
  9. Before student make their weather report presentations, access and show a current TV weather report from a news station in your area. The purpose of showing this TV report is to help the students with their presentation skills. Local weather reports may be located online by accessing the local network's web page. Conduct a class discussion with the following questions as a guide:
     • "How does the weather person look?" He/she is looking forward and is dressed nicely. He/she is not leaning against the wall or slouching. 
     • "How does the weather person sound?" He/she is speaking clearly and loud enough to hear. 
     • "What are some tactics the weather person uses to gain and keep the viewer's attention?" He/she points to the area that is the focus of a statement. Arm movements are used to indicate the direction something is moving.

  NOTE: The time allotted for this activity may vary depending on how much time will be spent in class versus at home.

   

• Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?

  
  
  1. Display the guiding question, "What Effect Does the Jet Stream Have on Local Weather?" and post the following guiding vocabulary on the board: North, South, East, West, Temperature, Direction, Degrees Celsius, Thunderstorms, Snow, Moves, Flows.
  2. Have the groups of students stand up.
  3. Set a timer for 2 minutes or access one at Online Timers (You may extend this time if needed.)
  4. Have one student volunteer to go first.
  5. Tell students, "During the past few days you have learned about the Jet stream.  You have watched an animation, documented observations on a map and produced a weather report. All of these activities were completed so that you are able to answer the guiding question, "What Effect Does the Jet Stream Have on Local Weather?" You and your partner are going to take turns verbally telling the others the answer to the guiding question. When answering you must give examples and use descriptive words. A word list is posted on the board to help you stay focused. I will be walking around the room listening, so I expect to hear some thorough answers."
  6. When you say, "START" the first student should begin telling his/her partner the answer to the guiding question.
  7. Teacher role is to walk the room and indicate when students state a detail correctly. For example: "You are correct that ________________________."

   

• Summative Assessment

  
  
  1. Students will be placed in groups of 3 in order to produce a weather report using a specific city and its location along a possible jet stream.
  2. The Jet Stream Weather Report Rubric is provided to communicate with students the expectations of the assignment and for them to use as a guide. The assignment requires each group  to present a weather report based on the location of a selected city from the Cities List, and its position in regards to the Jet stream as it is documented on the provided U.S. Jet Streams Map.
  3. Student groups must also include a prediction of the future weather of their selected city. They must decide if the jet stream on their map continues its southward plunge or choose for the jet stream to move toward the north.

   

• Formative Assessment

  
  
  1. Student responses and questions during the group discussion of the Jet Stream animation from NASA.  
  2. White board documented observations related to the U.S. Jet Stream Map. Expected responses: temperatures north of the jet stream are colder, temperature south of the jet stream are warmer, moves from West to East, 1,500 to 5,000 kilometers long, 1 to 5 kilometers thick, storms form along the jet stream, moves 160 km/hr, at an altitude of 8-15 km.
  3. Completion of the Working in Groups Expectations chart, along with monitoring understanding using a method such as a "thumbs up" if they understand the expectations and a "thumbs down" if they do not.
  4. Answers to the Jet Stream Weather Report Guiding Questions if this strategy is used as a modification during the Jet Stream Weather Report Activity.
  5. Responses to the teacher's questioning while facilitating the white board observations of the jet stream. Example: "What is the relationship between the jet stream and temperature?" "What difference does proximity to the jet stream have on local weather?"
  6. Guided practice: Answers to the Guiding Question, "How does the jet stream effect local weather?"
  7. Questioning while working on the Jet Stream Weather report.
     • "How is your city's weather being effected by the location of the jet stream?" This will be determined by if the location is north or south of the jet stream. 
     • "Is precipitation involved?" If temperatures are below 0 degrees Celsius then snow may occur if the city is close to the jet stream. If temperatures are above 0 degrees Celsius, then rain will occur along the jet stream.

   

• Feedback to Students

  
  
  1. During the Guided Practice animation, NASA Polar Jet Stream Animation, the teacher's role is to walk the room giving feedback that indicates that they are documenting the correct information from the animation. For example they should have references to the colors and movement indicated.
  2. During the Teaching Phase using the Jet Stream Illustration, feedback may include:
     • "Your observation that the jet stream flows from west to east is correct."
     • "It's interesting that you think it may being snowing north of the jet stream."
     • "I like that you are using the directional words to support your answers."
     • Directing students to the information box on the NASA Polar Jet Stream Animation page.
  3. During Independent Practice. The teacher's role is to walk the room observing the group interactions and the product being produced. Some suggested feedback: "This group is really working well together."
     • "It is apparent that you are all working collaboratively."
     • "I like that you are pointing out the location of your city on the map."
     • "It is obvious that this group is using the rubric."
     • Reading the responses to the Guiding Questions and providing feedback for answers. See the Guiding Questions Example.