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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Lesson 3.1: “The Gulf Stream”

Lesson purpose: to engage students in Active Reading as they learn how prevailing winds affect the direction of ocean currents�

Please refer to this lesson’s Materials & Preparation section in the digital Teacher’s Guide or the print Teacher’s Guide for information about preparing to teach this lesson, including any applicable safety notes. Below are links to resources used in this lesson.

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Simulation

"The Gulf Stream: A Current That Helped Win a War" in the Amplify library

Printable Article: "The Gulf Stream: A Current That Helped Win a War "

Active Reading Guidelines

Annotation Tracker Instructions

Annotation Tracker

Annotations Tracker: Summary Sheet

Example Annotations Tracker

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Investigation Notebook, pages 81–84

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Glossary

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Multi-Language Glossary

Note: These materials are made available exclusively for use by students and teachers for whom the corresponding materials have been purchased or licensed from Amplify. Any alterations you make should only be shared within your own school or district. Any other distribution or reproduction of these materials is forbidden without written permission from Amplify.

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Unit Question

Activity 2

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.1

What determines the air temperature of a location on Earth?

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Activity 2

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.1

Remember that we can think of a location’s air temperature as an effect, and we are trying to figure out the causes.

Let’s review the causes we’ve discovered so far.

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Activity 3

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.1

These factors help explain Christchurch's air temperature in normal years, but they might also bring us closer to understanding why the air there gets cooler during El Niño years.

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Claims

Christchurch, New Zealand’s air temperature is cooler than usual during El Niño years because . . .

Claim 1: The amount of incoming energy from the sun changes.

Claim 2: Something about the surface changes.

Claim 3: Something about the air changes.

Activity 3

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.1

We started this unit by making initial claims about why Christchurch’s air temperature is cooler than usual during El Niño years. Let’s review what we know so far.

ocean current

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Activity 3

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.1

We know that both the air temperature and the ocean surface temperature are cooler during El Niño years, even though the amount of incoming energy from the sun stays the same.

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Chapter 3 Question

Activity 3

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.1

What determines how the ocean currents near Christchurch move?

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Activity 3

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.1

Today, we will investigate this question:

Investigation Question:�What determines the direction of ocean currents?

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Vocabulary

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.1

Activity 4 - Screen 2

winds that move in one direction and are strong enough to push ocean currents

prevailing winds

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“The Gulf Stream”

Open the article

20 MIN

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Activity 2

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Discuss your annotations.

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Sim.

Open the:

20 MIN

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 1.2

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate

Lesson 3.2: What Determines the Direction of Ocean Currents?

Lesson purpose: for students to learn that both prevailing winds and continents affect the movement of ocean currents�

Please refer to this lesson’s Materials & Preparation section in the digital Teacher’s Guide or the print Teacher’s Guide for information about preparing to teach this lesson, including any applicable safety notes. Below are links to resources used in this lesson.

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Modeling Tool activity: 3.2 Homework

"The Gulf Stream: A Current That Helped Win a War" article in the Amplify Library

Printable Article: "The Gulf Stream: A Current That Helped Win a War"

"The Coriolis Effect" article in the Amplify Library

Printable Article: "The Coriolis Effect"

"What Causes Prevailing Winds?" article in the Amplify Library

Printable Article: "What Causes Prevailing Winds?"

Currents Tank Investigation copymaster

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Investigation Notebook, pages 85–93

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Glossary

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Multi-Language Glossary

Note: These materials are made available exclusively for use by students and teachers for whom the corresponding materials have been purchased or licensed from Amplify. Any alterations you make should only be shared within your own school or district. Any other distribution or reproduction of these materials is forbidden without written permission from Amplify.

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 2

In a moment, you will watch a computer animation showing the Gulf Stream and other ocean surface currents.

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 2

We will investigate this question today, so keep it in mind as you watch the video:

Investigation Question:�What determines the direction of ocean currents?

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 2

The colors in the animation represent sea surface temperatures: warmer temperatures are shown in orange and cooler ones in white. You can see the Gulf Stream as a wide orange line.

Gulf Stream

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Activity 2

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Let’s discuss the evidence you found to help answer our Investigation Question.

Investigation Question:�What determines the direction of ocean currents?

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Activity 3 - Screen 1

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Scientists use models to learn about things they can’t observe directly. Today, we will use the Currents Tank Model to gather evidence about how prevailing winds affect ocean currents.

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Currents Tank Model

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

The water represents the ocean.�
The sides of the tank represent continents.�
Blowing through the straw represents prevailing winds.�
The pepper makes it easier to observe the direction of the currents since it will move with the water.

Prevailing winds

Continent

Ocean

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

I’ll demonstrate how to blow through the straw to make the surface of the water move.

Bending the straw helps to direct the air over the water.

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Investigation Notebook pgs 89–90

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

You will work in groups to conduct three missions in the Currents Tank Model.

You’ll use these sheets to record your predictions and your results.

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Currents Tank Investigation

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

Step 1�Discuss and record your predictions. Draw arrows to show how you will direct the wind and how you think the current will move.

Step 2�Collect materials: 1 tank with about 1 inch of water and 4 straws.

Step 3�Complete the missions, one at a time. Take turns blowing wind through the straws.

Step 4�Record your results after each mission.

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Investigation Notebook pgs 89–90

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

Discuss and record your predictions for each mission in the Currents Tank Model.

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Currents Tank Missions

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Investigation Notebook pgs 89–90

Activity 3 - Screen 1

Take turns blowing wind through your straw at an angle to the surface of the water. Blow in only one direction. Observe what happens and record your results.

Mission 1�Find a way to make the current move in one direction, like a gyre.

Mission 2�Find a way to make the current move in a direction that is different from Mission 1.

Mission 3�Find a way to make the current move faster than it moved in the previous missions.

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

You’ve read about and investigated how currents move. �Now you’ll apply what you’ve learned to a new question: How do prevailing winds affect ocean currents?

Prevailing winds cause ocean currents to move in the same direction as the winds . . .

�

Claim 1: in all places in the ocean.

Claim 2: in some places in the ocean.

Claim 3: nowhere in the ocean.

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Investigation Notebook pg 91

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

Discuss the claims and talk about which one the evidence supports. Then, work independently to choose a claim and write an explanation.

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

Let’s discuss the results of our poll.

How do prevailing winds affect ocean currents? What evidence helped you choose the claim you did?

🍐 This is a Pear Deck Text Slide

🍐 To edit the type of question, go back to the "Ask Students a Question" in the Pear Deck sidebar.

👉Teacher action:

Press the graph icon and project the poll results, or refer to the tally on the board. Lead a class discussion of the evidence.�

🙋Students may respond:

The evidence supports Claim 2: Prevailing winds cause ocean currents to move in the same direction as the winds in some places in the ocean. The sides of the tank affected the direction of the current. When the current hit the sides of the tank, it changed direction, traveling in a different way than the wind was blowing. This means that ocean currents travel in the same direction in some places in the ocean, but when they hit a continent, they can turn and travel in a different direction.

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

Prevailing winds set ocean currents in motion.

Currents are pushed in the same direction as the wind until they reach the edge of a continent, which causes the currents to change direction and move along the continent.

Let’s look for examples of this on a map.

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Key Concept

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

6.

Prevailing winds and the position of continents determine the direction of ocean currents.

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Activity 4 - Screen 1

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

For this activity, you will:

model the effect of prevailing winds on ocean currents.
choose one of two articles to read about prevailing winds.

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3.2 Homework modeling tool

Open the:

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

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Goal: Show what determines the direction of ocean currents.

Do:

Note the direction of prevailing winds.
Model some currents that would be affected by the winds and the continents. Show where the currents begin.
Complete the information about your currents with Energy Transfer arrows.
Add thermometers that show water and air temperature.

Tips:

Drag currents from the bottom of the map. Place them, then adjust the path. The star is the current beginning.
Model as many currents as you like.

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"What Causes Prevailing Winds?"

Open the article

20 MIN

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"The Coriolis Effect"

Open the article

20 MIN

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What are prevailing winds?

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In the article you read, what affects the patterns of prevailing winds, and how does it do so?

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Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate: Lesson 3.2

End of Lesson

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