Unit Overview
Will there be more frequent and more intense severe storms in the future?
In this unit, students figure out the processes that cause weather phenomena, and they make qualitative claims about how climate change can affect storm frequency and intensity. To do this, they use a variety of physical and computer models related to these weather phenomena to explore the cause and effect relationships among variables such as temperature, water vapor, and air pressure; analyze and interpret national and global weather and climate data to find spatial and temporal patterns; construct explanations about what causes these types of storms; and engage in argument based on evidence from models and the data about what might happen in the future.
Performance Expectations:
HS-ESS1-7, HS-ESS2-8, HS-ESS3-5
Unit Storyline
Unit Opening
Will there be more frequent and more intense severe storms in the future?
Moon Phases and Tides (Optional)
What is air like in the atmosphere? Is it the same everywhere in the atmosphere?
Blizzards
How do severe winter storms form? What causes wind and precipitation?
The Paths of Severe Storms
Why do all the storms we see move in the same way? Where are they coming from, and why are they going in that direction?
Hurricanes
How do hurricanes form? Why do hurricanes exhibit patterns in the time of year they occur?
Unit Closing
How do hurricanes form? Why do hurricanes exhibit patterns in the time of year they occur?
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Assessment
Formative and Summative Assessment
In addition to the unit Performance Task, this unit includes a mid-unit formative task and an end-of-unit transfer task, both designed to serve as individual assessments that are part of a broader assessment system. The Performance Task Organizer and End of Unit Transfer Task complement each other, and by using a combination of each, teachers will assess each PE covered by each unit.
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Essential Documents
A collection of printable materials required for activities, rubrics, and work samples for the unit.