David Fish, Troy Voeller, Linda Mamassian, Leo Zaczkowski, Randy Isely, Patricia Flowers, Robert Beese, Joe Parana, Brian Bedord

 David Fish

The student will prepare a PowerPoint presentation on a climate type to be presented to his classmates.

The student must learn how to use PowerPoint software by completing a tutorial using the internet.

Students will have two weeks to prepare their presentation

1 - Students must be able to use the PowerPoint program in order to complete the assignment. If they are not farmiliar now, an excellent tutorial is available at http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/lessons/ 2 - Each student or team (as appropriate to your situation) shall prepare a presentation that includes the following parts: Definition of climate type Map of areas with climate types highlited or indicated Description of the vegetation and native wildlife Graphics (photos etc.) to illustrate the areas represented - at least 5 Graphs to represent the climate type (temperature, precipitation, etc.) - at least 2 Others as appropriate Summary 3 - Students/team shall gather information for their presentation from at least the following sources: Class textbook CD Atlas/Encyclopedia Internet - at least 5 sites Several sites to look at are: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/climatedata.html http://www-pcmdi.llnl.gov/fiorino/wxmap/wx.htm http://ferret.wrc.noaa.gov/fbin/climate_server

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/climateresources.html#SURFACE

http://www.ncar.ucar.edu/info/metapage.html http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu

Others sites as appropriate Other resources as appropriate 4 - Assemble the presentation to be presented in class using the network (if appropriate). Presentation shall be at least 3 minutes long, but no longer than 5 minutes prior to student questions. A summary handout shall be given to all viewing the presentation. A bibliography shall be attached to the summary. 5 - Grades will be based on the following point values: Definition - 1 rubrick points Map - 1 rubrick points Description - 1 rubrick points Graphics - 3 rubrick points Graphs - 3 rubrick points Presentation quality (visual) - 2 rubrick points Presentation quality (presentation) - 2 rubrick points Bibliography - 1 rubrick point Scoring rubrick points: 5 - very well done, exceeds expectations 4 - slightly better than expectations 3 - meets expectations 2 - needs work to meet expectations 1 - well below expectations 0 - missing

This is an extension of a project that I did last year in one of my classes. The use of the internet is an addition. I believe it will be possible to do the project (I am planning on it) I am not sure if it will be an individual or group project because of the time involved - possibly better as a group to share the work. P

What general and specific teaching standards does this extension address? The following are parts of the Pennsylvania Learning Outcomes (currently under revision) that will be met by this activity. COMMUNICATIONS 18. All students use effective research and information management skills, including locating primary and secondary sources of information with traditional and emerging library technologies. 20. All students respond orally and in writing to information and ideas gained by reading narrative and informational texts and use the information and ideas to make decisions and solve problems. 21. All students write for a variety of purposes, including to narrate, inform and persuade, in all subject areas. 22. All students analyze and make critical judgments about all forms of communication, separating fact from opinion, recognizing propaganda, stereotypes and statements of bias, recognizing inconsistencies and judging the validity of evidence. 23. All students exchange information orally, including understanding and giving spoken instructions, asking and answering questions appropriately and promoting effective group communications. 24. All students listen to and understand complex oral messages and identify their purpose, structure and use. 25. All students compose and make oral presentations for each academic area of study that are designed to persuade, inform or describe. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 27. All students understand and describe the components of ecological systems and their functions 28. All students analyze the effects of social systems, behaviors and technologies on ecological systems and environmental quality. MATHEMATICS 33. All students use numbers, number systems and equivalent forms (including numbers, words, objects and graphics) to represent theoretical and practical situations. 34. All students compute, measure and estimate to solve theoretical and practical problems, using appropriate tools, including modern technology such as calculators and computers. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 41. All students demonstrate knowledge of basic concepts and principles of physical, chemical, biological and earth sciences. 42. All students use and master materials, tools and processes of major technologies which are applied in economic and civic life.

This extension will have my students use the internet and other resources to find information about a particular climate. They will use this information to prepare a presentation to share with their classmates using PowerPoint software.

 Mathematics With Real-World Data

Grade Level: 9-11 The activity will be used by myself when introducing students to statistical measures and graphs in Algebra II

Students will use data found at the site National Weather Service Summary of the Day to obtain historical data for weather in their region. They will also use the site NWS City Daily Climate Reports (Western U.S.) to obtain current weather statistics for the previous day. (Local newspapers, TV weather forecasts, or other net sites could be substituted if the town is too small to be listed at this site.) Participating in groups, students will rotate through four different stations, one each day, during a week's time. The "current date" for each station will actually be the previous day, so that data such as daily highs are sure to be accurate. The stations will include

1. Mean, median, and mode - results recorded on a "poster" created by the Print Shop software (analyze the weather on the current date for the last 50 years)

2. Box-and Whisker Plots - drawn by hand (using data on the current date for the last 5O years).

3. Bar Graph - created by Microsoft Excel. (using data for the last 10 years).

4. Frequency distributions - to be shown with a line graph using Microsoft Exel (for the last 50 years).

Each station will analyze both daily high temperatures and daily precipitation for the preceding calendar day. For the frequency distributions, class intervals of 5 degrees fahrenheit and 0.1 inches of precipitation will be used. On the last day of the week, the results will be posted on a bulletin board, showing four different "projects" for each day Sunday through Wednesday. Surface weather maps for each day will have also been collected by the teacher and posted. Students will be given a writing assignment which involves interpreting the data for the week's weather and discussing how it compares to "normal" weather for the time of year. Students will also be encouraged to explain any unusual weather by analyzing the surface maps accompanying each day.

• Students could analyze in a future lesson whether or not the frequency distributions which were found were approximate normal distributions.
• Students could do an open-ended project after scatter plots and correlation coefficients have been studied. This project would entail determining the relationship between historical weather data and some other affected set of data (but not weather data itself) either found on the internet or elsewhere. Examples could include crop yields, forest fire occurences, etc... The possibilities are endless.

Learners will:

• view historical weather data for a local weather station
• view current weather data
• Describe historical and current weather data using measures of central tendency, box-and-whisker plots, bar graphs, and frequency distributions
• use Print Shop, Microsoft Excel, and hand-generated graphs to display information
• analyze data and make appropriate conclusions

• Standard 1: Mathematics as Problem Solving

• Standard 2: Mathematics as Communication

• Standard 4: Mathematical Connections

• Standard 10: Statistics

Mrs. Mamassian's Eighth Grade Computer Class

There has been much discussion recently about El Niño.  What causes this change in the weather patterns every few years?  How will it effect weather in various parts of the United States?  How will it effect weather in other parts of the world?

For this activity, you are expected to do online research about El Niño.  You and your partner should select one of the topics below and research it.  When finished, you should prepare a brief PowerPoint presentation, which contains the information you have found and your analysis.  

• What causes of El Niño
• The news media is giving El Niño a lot of publicity this year.  Is this justified, or it it just "hype"?
• What have been the effects of El Niño on US weather in the past?
• How does El Niño affect Atlantic and Pacific storms and hurricanes?
• What kind of financial effects, if any,  can we expect?

Use the links below as a starting point in your search

• 1997 El Niño / Southern Oscillation - intended to provide near real-time reports primarily on marine and terrestrial events that may be linked to the development of the 1997 El Niño, which appears to be unfolding as one of the most severe in history.
• El Nino Theme Page: Accessing Distributed Information Related to El Nino - El Nino related products, including the most recent observational data, forecasts, scientific analyses and historical perspectives.
• El Niño - ongoing in-depth report about what El Niño is and how it affects the environment, people, and the world, by the Environmental News Network.
• El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - the latest on El Niño, La Niña, and El Viejo. Forecasts, status, climate effects, impacts, research, news, definitions, and more from the NOAA Office of Global Programs.
• El Niño and the Southern Oscillation - by Kimberly Amaral.
• El Niño Grande - selected news stories and graphics from the San Francisco Chronicle & Examiner.
• Experimental El Niño Forecast - by the Experimental Climate Prediction Center at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
• FEMA: El Niño Loss Reduction Section - information on flood insurance, mitigation, cutting losses, news releases and links to other El Niño sites.
• Preparing for El Niño - links to forecasts, preparation tips, and satellite imagery provided by the Association of Bay Area Governments.
• San Francisco Bay Area El Niño - from the National Weather Service.
• U.S. National Meteorological Center's El Niño Advisory
• What is an El Nino? - from the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmostpheric Administration of the U.S.
• What is the El Nino Southern Oscillation? - by John L. Daly.
• Wrath of El Niño - an Online NewsHour Forum in which Bob Livezey of the National Weather Service''s Climate Prediction Center answers questions.
• Index - El Niño Links - includes full text articles online and bibliographies.

This final extension will deal with causes of weather patterns. My final thought was one of heat or the lack of it to start pattern movement. True, this is simplistic, but without heat or a medium for it to move its Pluto. We shall revisit El Nino Consequences of 82-83 to expand the heat concept as related to patterns caused by or at least assigned to El Nino.

My classes are lucky to use the net. We have two phone lines to our school. Our main phone line and our fax line. We have four computers connected to these to two lines. A usual net operation is as follows: See if the math teacher is using the line? See if the office is using the line? See if the English teacher is using the line? No. Great! Connect. We got cut off. The line became unstable.

Maybe, just maybe things will get better. 

This activity will involve collecting data from the El Nino of 1982-1983. Students will have the option of choosing two major objectives (to allow for learning differences). Web sites and information will be given to complete the selected tasks. This exercise should allow the students to do searches, save materials, make bookmarks, copy and paste animate and predict. 

The computer we shall use is in the science room. A busy place as 7-12 science is worked at there, but we shall manage.

Background readings: Earth Science, unit three-metrology-pages 163-225, Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich 

Web sites: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/onlineprod/drought/xmgr.html

http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu/weather/weather.html

http://www.nws.noaa.gov 

This exercise should help the student to:

• Find and use web sites.
• Use bookmarks.
• Copy and paste.
• Describe radar and satellite images.
• Plot locations.
• Map temperatures and precipitations patterns.
• Utilize software programs and search engines.
• Draw conclusions.
• Predict outcomes. 

Evaluations:

• Assessment of descriptions, explanations, predications, the use of given information and materials generated.

 Teaching Standards (Graduation Standards-Minnesota):

• Earth and space systems-understand concepts, theories and principles of Earth and space systems through investigation and analysis.
• Technical systems-apply knowledge, skills and tools of technological systems to extend human capabilites while preserving ecological functions. 

Objectives: Choose two 

Describe the influence of El Nino on:

• Tropical rain patterns
• Atmospheric wind patterns
• Jet stream and monsoon patterns 

Explain abnormal weather patterns observed in:

• South Africa, Australia, Southern Peru and Mexico ( drought)
• United States, Bolivia, Northern Peru (flooding)
• North American Continent (pressure ridge warming) 

Predict:

• What El Nino will do this year. 

Plot:

• Sea surface temperatures and economic impacts of El Nino. 

Learner outcomes:

• Describe radar and satellite images
• Plot locations of jet stream
• Plot locations of monsoons
• Map temperatures and precipitation patterns
• Utilize Netscape and software programs
• Utilize web sites
• Predict outcomes 

Evaluation:

• Assessment of descriptions, explanations, predications, plottings, use of the web sites and software packages, materials generated. 

 Randy Isely

After viewing the Meteorology section of the WW2010 University of Illinois weather web page http://atmos.uiuc.edu/

the student will write a news article describing the weather event that might have been witnessed in ancient Greece.

This extension will be used at the end of a cross-curricular unit based on Ancient Greece. The unit will include mythology. After completing this extension the students should be familiar with clouds and precipitation and able to use their new knowledge to write an article and then a news article based on the information obtained by successfully completing the extension.

(Student is to be a newspaper reporter.) It has just been reported that on of the ancient gods of a distance planet has been seen somewhere in the Western Hemisphere. It is your job to interview him. Each of the following questions will answer one of the 5 questions contained in a good news report. They can be answered by exploring the University of Illinois' weather web site.

When: Crepuscular means "relating to _____"

What: A bright outline behind the growing edge of a cumulus tower.

How: A supercell is a thunder storm with a deep _________updraft.

Who: What is the name of a smooth cloud found attached to a cumulus tower?

Where: Common sources of moisture for the United States are the warm moist air masses flowing northward from the _____________.

ANSWERS can be found at the following sites:

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/

Having a small class of special needs students, this extension will allow them the opportunity to review various cloud formations, precipitaion basics, newspaper writing, and mythology logic.

Based on the Arkansas Science Curriculum Framework, the students will follow written instructions by virtue of successfully completing the extension. They will better understand cultures other than their own. They will communicate successfully with others through a written news article. The students will be able to understand the connection between science, language, and social studies. The students will be able to explore factors which effect weather conditions.

The Internet portion of this activity should prove to be very successful because it allows for and even encourages what the students will view as "surfing" eventhough all the information is within one website. The website has many good weather graphics, several animated, the students should enjoys this. Being able to connect this activity with ancient civilizations will be a nice way to reinforce a portion of a weather unit.

 1. This extension should help students learn to:

• use the Internet for educational purposes.
• locate places on the Internet using URL's and set bookmarks.
• save images from off the Internet and convert them to TIFF.
• copy and paste information into a ClarisWorks document.
• use NIH Image to animate a stack of weather maps.
• record data
• analyze data and make conclusions concerning:
• relationship between precipitation and fronts.
• relationship between weather in front of and behind a front.
• relationship between barometric pressure and highs and lows.
• relationship between wind speed and spacing of isobars.
• general movement of fronts across the U.S.

 2. Background reading from their textbook: Exploring EarthScience, by Anthea Maton and others (Englewood Cliffs, NewJersey: Prentice Hall, 1995), pages 485-508. Reading provides information concerning heating the earth, air pressure, winds, and moisture in the air. 

3. Create a folder on the desktop entitled United States Weather. Create two folders inside this one entitled U.S. Maps and U.S. City Current Info. 

4. Have a United States map handy with cities clearly visible. 

5. Class will be instructed how to open Netscape Navigator and use URL's. First URL is: http://www.weather.com/weather/maps/current/curwx_440x275.html. This is a weather map of the United States showing highs, lows, isobars, fronts, and precipitation. Image will be saved by clicking on image and highlighting Save this image as. Save it in the U.S. Maps folder by time and date (Map 14:00 10/26). Study map symbols and information presented. Class should discuss what they are observing. Pick at least 6 different cities each with one of these characteristics: location where the H is on the map, location where the L is on the map, location to the right of the front, location to the left of the front, location where isobars are close together, and location where isobars are far apart.

 6. Go to: http://www.weather/us/cities/. Put in name of city to get the current weather information. Highlight information on time, date, wind direction, wind speed, relative humidity, and barometric pressure. Copy to clipboard. Open ClarisWorks and paste in the ClarisWorks document. Go back to cities and repeat procedure for each of the cities identified above. Paste all of them into the same document. Save in U.S. City Current Info folder by time and date (Forecast 14:00 10/26).

 7. Close Netscape Navigator. Students need to convert map image to a TIFF. Open Graphic Converter 2.9.1 (shareware). Go to File-Open. Open: United States Weather folder and U.S. Maps folder. Save as TIFF. Print image to color printer. Make a color overhead transparency. Close U.S. Maps folder. Open: U.S. City Current Info folder and print copy of the current information that goes along with the image that was just printed.

 8. Students may now look at the transparency and compare the data at the various locations with the weather map. They need to look for relationships of the nature listed at the beginning of this extension and write down some hypotheses. Students should also try to substantiate their hypotheses stating why they made the hypotheses they did. Subsequent days will allow students the opportunity to evaluate their hypotheses.

 9. Steps 5-8 need to be repeated two more times on the next two consecutive days. (I will do it in each of my three classes so I will have nine different images for the students to animate.)

 10. On the fourth day I will have the students animate the U.S. Maps they saved. Open: NIH Image 1.61. Open: U.S. Maps folder. Select the Open option in the dialog box and select Open All. Select Windows to Stack in the Stack menu. Select Animate from the Stack menu. The numbers 1-9 at the top of the keyboard control the speed of the animation. Students need to write down the direction the fronts seem to travel across the United States. I will not have the students save the animation because the other classes will need to go through the same procedure to animate the map images.

 11. Students will write a paragraph summarizing the results they obtained from studying the information gathered in this extension.

Pretend that you will be traveling to a distant city to visit your best friend. In order to plan your activities for the week you will need to have a good idea what to expect in terms of the weather.

The purpose of this activity is to gather data on weather conditions in a distant location and to interpret the causes behind the conditions which are occurring at the moment. In order to fully understand what is happening you will need to gather information on weather conditions over a wide area. After you have adequately explained the current local conditions it is you task to predict the expected developments over the next week. Back up your conclusions with data you have obtained from satellite pictures and wide area weather charts.

1. What is the weather like in ______________ at this time?

Date ________ Time__________

Temperature

Wind direction

Wind Velocity

Percentage of cloud cover

Type of clouds

Precipitation

Relative humidity

2. What forces are acting to produce this type of weather ?

Data Collection: (certain web sites are suggested as starters)

Satellite Images: http://wxp.atms.purdue.edu/satellite/index.html

Locate pressure systems: http://www.weather.com/twc/homepalge.twc

Identify fronts: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

Locate the Jet Stream: http://www.capitalnet.com/~rjewell/weather.html

What is the weather history for the preceding week? http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet/

Interpretation of Data:

(apply what you know about the interaction of air masses, the forces that drive the wind and factors that induce precipitation)

Longer Range prediction:

Consider the factors that influence climate for this location. Prevailing winds, nearness to large bodies of water or distance from the same, latitude, elevation, relationship to mountain ranges and storm tracks. Observe developing conditions over a wide area (1000's of miles) and make an educated guess what can be expected for this location.

The idea behind this exercise is to challenge you to give it your best effort. Experienced meteorologists have difficulty predicting weather accurately due to the many variables. Gather the data and apply your understanding of weather science and some common sense.

Robert Beese Standards Discussion, Unit 2

Date: Oct. 26, 1997

"Discuss what teaching standards (NSTA,NCTM etc.) the exercises in this unit address"

The following are portions of the document: Montana's Framework for Improving Math and Science Education. The Document is 60 pages long and can be found at metnet.mt.gov under the Educational Conferences/Science Conference areas. The document is in "pdf" format which requires Adobe Acrobat to read it. I did not have this program so I found it under "Useful Software" which is a freebie also on Metnet.

As described in the following preface, these standards represent the input of many people involved in Science and Math Education from around the State and are a reflection of NSTA standards and trends.

I selected the portion of the standards which focus on the experience of the student in the classroom. From my review of the activities on atmospheric topics in the Network Montana Project many of the proposed standards are satisfied. The following goals are most directly achieved through the activities:

"Students...develop the discipline for making mathematically and scientifically informed decisions"

For example: The activity, Analyzing Weather Data, the students need to gather data and create charts and graphs.

"Students...experience the scientific and mathematical phenomena in the world around them through frequent hands-on-activities"

For example: Tracking a Winter Storm Across the USA is an activity which occurs in "real time". Students get to collect data, interpret, current satellite images and make their own predictions. You can bet that that evening they will be watching the national news to see what might be developing.

"Students...routinely use basic facts, skills and technologies as tools for inquiry and application"

All the activities listed in the Network Montana Project satisfy this objective. An understanding of the dynamic characteristics of weather systems is an obvious result of working through these projects.

"Classrooms... are places of inquiry where each individual's participation and contributions are valued" and recognized"

In many of the activities students share their data with other classrooms in locations across the country and they will have the opportunity to present information to their own classrooms.

"Classrooms... are open to a variety of learning styles such as hands-on, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning and problem solving activities"

Students who may not be as successful with traditional lecture and notetaking situations will find these activities more engaging and meaningful. Gathering data, studying maps, looking over satellite images etc., naturally leads to the question why, what's going on here? what will happen next?

"Classrooms... are linked electronically and otherwise) to other classrooms, the community and the world"

This helps students in isolated areas like Montana, North Dakota or third world countries feel like they are a part of the "Big Picture". Some might laugh but this is a real problem for young people. They feel isolated and deprived and can't wait to get out there and experience the rest of the world. One result of this phenomena is that some of our best and brightest move off to the cities or warmer climes. After a season or two they can't wait to get back to the Big Sky Splendor, if they could only find a job!

The bottom line is student involvement, student centered education. Our challenge is to provide environments where students have the opportunity to strike out on their own answering questions, experiencing discovery and learning first hand. Initially, I think that students need structure. As they become confident working independently with various types of resources and media they are more likely to catch the creative spark and discover relevancy in their educational pursuits.

The development of this Vision Framework spanned more than two years and involved literally hundreds of science and mathematics educators, as well as business partners and parents. Initially, the idea to write a vision statement for the continued improvement of mathematics and science education in Montana was presented at the annual Teachers of Teachers of Mathematics/ Montana Science Advisory Council (TOTOM)/(MSAC) Conference in 1993. Work to develop a clearly articulated shared vision that is based on Montana beliefs and values began at that conference and was carried out by the Montana Mathematics and Science Society (MMASS). Gerry Wheeler, who was Director of the Science/Math Resource Center at Montana State University at that time, led the group through two days of discussion directed at building common ground for the development of this framework.

Since many educators, parents, business people, and community members were involved in the development of the Montana School Accreditation Standards through a process named Project Excellence, these state-level standards, along with the Montana Teacher Education standards, provided much of the basis for initial discussions. These standards led to consideration of the National Council of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards, Professional Development Standards, and Assessment Standards, the National Science Standards published by the National Research Council, the Standards for Introductory College Mathematics Before Calculus by the American Mathematics Association of Two Year Colleges, and the Standards for Staff Development by the National Staff Development Council, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Since many Montanans were involved in the development of the national mathematics and science standards, there is a natural alignment between the Montana-developed standards contained in this document and the national standards. In addition, with a large and growing Native American population the Educating American Indian/Alaska Native Elementary and Secondary Students: Guidelines for Mathematics, Science and Technology Programs by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society served as a guide for discussion of the needs of American Indian children in Montana. Three statewide Community Dialogues, made possible by a satellite broadcast linked to seven two-way compressed video sites, were held during the 1993-94 school year. More than 300 teachers, administrators, local school board members, business people, parents, and students contributed to these discussions. A discussion group was convened at Montana State University--Bozeman in the spring of 1995 to determine the major concepts to be included in the vision statement. Those concepts were presented at the 1995 Annual TOTOM/MSAC meeting and interested education professionals formed focus groups to hold further discussions and provide input to the writing team. In January 1996, the MMASS Board endorsed the first official draft of this Framework and distributed copies to over 2,000 Montanans involved in science and mathematics education requesting comments and suggestions. These suggestions have been incorporated into the final draft of this Framework which was approved by the MMASS Board in July 1996.

With each of the Common Beliefs, Montana's Framework includes standards that essentially characterize the components of a responsive system of science and mathematics education. The following section outlines these standards.

 develop the discipline for making mathematically and scientifically informed decisions;

 study significant mathematics and science within integrated contexts relevant to their communities;

 experience the scientific and mathematical phenomena in the world around them through frequent hands-on activities;

 routinely use basic facts, skills and technologies as tools for inquiry and application;

 learn to work in inquiry teams to solve challenging problems; and

 have regular and constructive interactions with and assessments by teachers, school administrators, and community members.

Indian people want their children to value their culture and traditions, but they also want their children to have basic academic competencies and subject matter knowledge. Among the critical issues for American Indians is how to reconcile Indian spiritual values and formal education. The College Board/AISES, 198912

 reflect the skillful management of a dedicated teacher, the joint effort and assessments of teacher/administrator teams and the watchful participation of community members, scientists, mathematicians, and parents;

 are places of inquiry where each individual's participation and contributions are valued and recognized;

 are open to a variety of learning styles such as hands-on, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, and problem-solving activities;

 are linked (electronically and otherwise) to other classrooms, the community and the world;

 offer opportunities for learning activities and educational service in the community and region; and

 are centers of embedded professional development where teachers engage in a reflective practice to improve their knowledge of students, pedagogy, mathematics, and science.

 skilled manager of the content curriculum and resources of the classroom including time, content delivery, technology and community educational opportunities;

 coordinator for the participation of teacher/administrator teams, community members, mathematicians and scientists in the teaching and assessment of students;

 facilitator of high student achievement and accountability who provides frequent, meaningful assessments;

 mentor who ensures the inclusion of all students in a holistic approach that respects diversity and the spiritual relationship of students to their environment, to their learning peers, and to the objectives of their studies;

 communicator who is locally involved making the goals and strategies of mathematics and science clear to parents, peers and community, and reciprocally making science and mathematics pedagogy compatible with students' backgrounds and community needs;

 partner/collaborator with others engaging in ongoing curriculum innovation and research while taking advantage of flexible scheduling and community/business collaboration opportunities;

 lifelong learner who constantly develops understanding of relevant scientific applications within an integrated knowledge base and who models the skills of scientific and mathematical inquiry in the classroom; and

 professional who participates in inquiry groups, workshops and conferences, and who engages in advanced coursework or teacher leadership activities.

 accepting, as policy, the challenge to provide, for all students, a high quality mathematics and science curriculum that is developmentally appropriate, respects diversity, encourages integrative ways of thinking, and meets community goals and concerns;

 tracking the short and long-term outcomes of the science and mathematics curriculum using various kinds of performance assessments;

 providing strong leadership and positive public relations by administration and teachers to obtain continuing support and involvement by all staff, school board members, parents, and the community in the effort of continuous improvement;

 providing for continuous staff development and administrative training aligned with strategic plans and backed by budget line items;

Grade Level: 4-8 The activity may be guided by the teacher as a group presentation for younger children (grades 2-3) or performed independently by higher grades.

Students access the file:///A:\parana\liveweather.html document. Following the links, a current sattelite image of the US is studied to determine and record which states are experiencing cloudy/stormy conditions. Students find a link to a live camera view from a city which shows cloudy/stormy conditions. Current weather data from the city is accessed and recorded. Follow up activities are suggested.

Student Outcomes

Learners will:

• view a current image from a geostaionary sattelite
• use political maps to locate and view live camera cities with cloud cover
• obtain current weather conditions for the city with a live camera
• complete one of the suggested follow up activities

• Leaning Standard for Mathematics Science and Technology

• Leaning Standard for Social Studies
• Standard 3: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of geography -local, national and global- ...
• Leaning Standard for English Language Arts

This activity has been used with grades four, five and six. We found it helpful for students to sketch cloud cover on an outline map of the US, then use the online political map to label the states with cover. It was very interesting to see the wide range in drawing abilities. Some students' drawings were very accurate, while others were unable to read the delineations of cloud cover from their own drawings.

Since there are live camera sites for most states, most students were able to access a live shot of a cloudy location. Particulaly interesting were states that had partial cloud cover. A student expecting to see clouds in Alabama accessed the Huntsville Cam which showed clear skies. Accessing the Montgomery Cam showed expected clouds. This prompted revisiting the political map to determine the locations of the cities, and their relation to the sattelite image.

 Clouds and Weather

Unit 2 Extension