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Lesson Title: Moisture and Clouds
Weather
Grade Levels: 4-6
Connection To Curriculum:
Science and Mathematics
Teacher Prep Time: 1 hour
Lesson Time Needed: 3 hours
Complexity: Moderate
Keywords: atmosphere layers, cloud
types, humidity, water cycle, moisture,
MY NASA DATA, precipitation, rainfall,
water vapor, climate, climate zones
Materials:
N/A
Description
This lesson has two activities that help students develop a basic understanding of the relationship between cloud type and the form of precipitation and the relationship between the amount of water in the atmosphere available for precipitation and the actual precipitation observed by satellite.
Objectives
Students will:
• Use MY NASA DATA to obtain precipitation and cloud type data.
• Create graphs of data within MY NASA DATA.
• Compare different cloud types.
• Compare precipitation and cloud type data.
• Qualitatively describe graphs of precipitation and cloud type data.
• Examine global moisture and precipitation.
• Examine seasonal changes in precipitation.
• Practice finding data using Internet resources.
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Lesson Guide Moisture and Clouds Lesson [109KB PDF file] |
Professional Development Training Module for This Lesson
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› My NASA Data Clouds training module → Note: Module may take a few minutes to load. 
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› My NASA Data Precipitation training module → Note: Module may take a few minutes to load.
Download Video
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› Help me! I can't see the training module. |
Lesson Activities and Sequence
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Does Cloud Type Affect Rainfall?
The purpose of this activity is to explore the relationship between the amount of water in the atmosphere available for precipitation and the actual precipitation observed by satellite.
Keywords: precipitation, water cycle, atmosphere layer, MY NASA DATA, humidity, moisture, real data, vapor - How Much Water is Available in the Atmosphere for Precipitation?
The purpose of this activity is to have students explore the relationship between the amount of water in the atmosphere available for precipitation and the actual precipitation observed by satellite.
Keywords: satellites, real data, MY NASA DATA, inquiry, atmosphere, precipitation, water cycle, humidity, moisture, vapor
National Standards:
National Science Education Standards, NSTA
Science as Inquiry
• Understanding of scientific concepts.
• An appreciation of “how we know” what we know in science.
Earth and Space Science
• Properties of earth materials.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, NCTM
Geometry
• Graph points on the coordinate plane to solve real-world and mathematical problems.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
• Analyze patterns and relationships.
National Geographic Society
The World in Spatial Terms
• How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools and technologies to acquire, process and report information from a spatial perspective.
• How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places and environments on the Earth's surface.
Science as Inquiry
• Understanding of scientific concepts.
• An appreciation of “how we know” what we know in science.
Earth and Space Science
• Properties of earth materials.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, NCTM
Geometry
• Graph points on the coordinate plane to solve real-world and mathematical problems.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
• Analyze patterns and relationships.
National Geographic Society
The World in Spatial Terms
• How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools and technologies to acquire, process and report information from a spatial perspective.
• How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places and environments on the Earth's surface.