Weather Patterns
Lesson 3.1: Investigating Wind
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Investigation Notebook pg 82
Activity 1
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
© The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Investigation Notebook pg 82
Activity 1
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Let’s discuss your ideas about wind and how you think wind could be related to severe rainstorms.
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Activity 1
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Claim 1 and Claim 2 both helped us explain why the rainstorms in Galetown have become more severe. Next, we’ll focus on Claim 3.
Let’s look at new data.
What caused Galetown to have more severe rainstorms?
Claim 1: The lake that was built near Galetown caused it to have more severe rainstorms.
Claim 2: Warmer weather caused Galetown to have more severe rainstorms.
Claim 3: Stronger winds caused Galetown to have more severe rainstorms.
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© The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Chapter 3 Question
Activity 1
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Why did the most recent storm in Galetown have the greatest amount of rain?
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Activity 2 - Screen 1
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Today, you will use a syringe as a model to explore what wind is and what causes it.
You will work in pairs to discuss and record your observations.
barrel
plunger
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Wind Exploration
Investigation Notebook pg 83
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 2 - Screen 1
Step 3
Push down on the plunger as far as you can. Then remove your finger from the end.� �What happens to the air inside the barrel?
Step 1
Step 2
Push down on the plunger to push out the air in the barrel.
What do you notice? �What do you feel?
Block the tip of the syringe with your finger. Push down on the plunger. ��What do you notice?
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When you blocked the tip with your finger, what did you feel?
What happened when you removed your finger?
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Activity 2 - Screen 2
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
What do you think air is?
How do you know?
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 2 - Screen 2
How could you use your syringe to get evidence that air is made up of matter?
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 2 - Screen 2
When air is trapped in the barrel, the molecules that make up air are moving around in the barrel and pushing against the plunger. This prevents you from pushing the plunger farther into the barrel.
When you take your finger off, you can feel those molecules move out of the barrel.
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 2 - Screen 2
Have you heard of the term air pressure?
What are your ideas about what it means?
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 2 - Screen 2
Pressure relates to how much something pushes on something else.
The molecules that make up air can apply pressure on things. They applied pressure on the plunger.
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 2 - Screen 2
How did the pressure change when you pushed down on the plunger with your finger blocking the end of the syringe?
Which way did the air flow when you removed your finger?
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 2 - Screen 2
In our atmosphere, the air pressure is caused by the weight of all of the air molecules pushing against the surface of Earth. In some areas, the air pressure is high, and in others, it’s low.
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Vocabulary
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 2 - Screen 2
the movement of air in a particular direction
wind
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Activity 3
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Next, we’ll watch a video that shows a model of what happens when wind comes to the same place from different directions at the same time.
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© The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Activity 3
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
What did you observe happening in the video?
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Activity 3
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
The video showed a model of wind. Here’s what each part of the model represented:
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Activity 3
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Wind moves from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure.
First we saw one fan, which represented one area of high and low pressure causing wind.
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Activity 3
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
The model used three fans to represent wind coming from different directions.
What do you think causes wind to come in from different directions on Earth?
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Activity 3
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
The model with three fans represented an area of low pressure completely surrounded by high pressure; this created wind coming from all directions and caused the parcel to rise.
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Activity 3 - Screen 1
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Next, you will use the Sim in a new mode: Regional Weather 2.
First you’ll work in pairs to try to model making wind in the new mode.
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 1
This mode of the Sim has a new feature: it allows you to adjust the air pressure of the parcel and the surrounding air.
You can set it to low, medium, or high.
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Investigation Notebook pg 84
Activity 3 - Screen 1
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 1
What did you notice as you explored Regional Weather 2 mode?
What did you do to model making wind?
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 1
Pressure Around Parcel affects the entire area surrounding the parcel.
When you change the pressure in the Sim, how does the air move?
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Key Concept
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 1
9.
Air moving from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure is wind.
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 2
Now that we know what wind is, we’ll use the Sim to investigate this question:
Investigation Question:�How can wind affect the cooling of an air parcel?
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 2
In partners, you will use the Sim to create two air parcels: one with wind and one with no wind.
You’ll keep the levels of sunlight and water the same in each test.
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Investigation Notebook pg 84
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 2
Create two air parcels in the Sim: one with wind and one with no wind.
Record your data, and respond to the questions.
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Use your data table to describe how wind can affect the cooling of an air parcel.
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 2
How can wind affect the cooling of an air parcel and the amount of rain?
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Key Concept
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
Activity 3 - Screen 2
10.
Air parcels can be pushed up into the troposphere by wind (moving air).
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Activity 4
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
So far, you have been learning about one type of rainstorm.
For this activity, you will read and annotate an article about other types of rain.
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Types of Rain
Open the article:
Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
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What type of rain do you think you normally experience?
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What is orographic rain and how does it happen?
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What is frontal rain?
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Weather Patterns: Lesson 3.1
End of Lesson
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