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Title
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Mission 1 - Lesson 5: Air and Air Pressure
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Type
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Primary: Lesson Plan
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Operation
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Monster Storms
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Mission:
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Mission 1: The Usual Suspects
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Subjects
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Science
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Duration
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00:00:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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9/3/2007
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From: Monster Storms Mission 1: The Usual Suspects |
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Mission 1 - Lesson 5: Air and Air Pressure Identify the components of air and understand how air pressure changes. |
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Prepare |
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Time Required: 60 to 120 minutes
- The Health Connection outlined on page 14 of the teacher’s edition offers excellent opportunity for students to explore the effects of air pressure on human health. You may want to set aside time for students to conduct surveys, do Internet research, and compile their findings.
- Make the color transparences suggested on page 15 of the teacher’s edition from the JASON Mission Center.
- Create a table for students to complete the Math Connection as outlined on page 15 of the teacher’s edition.
- Obtain a glass jar and a plastic lid (such as the lid of a butter container) for a demonstration of air pressure.
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View
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Transparencies to support Mission 1. |
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Motivate |
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- Invite students to share what they learned about possible carbon taxes. Invite students to share opinions on whether or not this concept would make any difference in current warming trends. Encourage students to continue to research this topic for a debate later on in the mission.
- Explain that today’s lesson will focus on how air pressure affects weather conditions.
- Ask students if they have ever experienced their ears popping. Suggestions may include being submerged in the deep end of a pool, driving up a mountain, or being in an airplane. Have them suggest the cause of this experience.
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Teach |
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- Ask students to turn to the article Air and Air Pressure on page 14 of the student edition.
- Follow the discussion questions on page 14 of the teacher’s edition as students read the article. Have them read in pairs and have each pair generate three main ideas that they can share with the class about the article.
- Evaluate their understanding of air pressure based on responses to the guided questions.
- Make sure that students have a general understanding of the concept of a molecule—the smallest particle of a substance that still has the basic properties of that substance.
- Have small groups of students come to the front of the room to model high and low pressure. For high pressure, have 4–8 students come to the front of the room. Ask them to squeeze together as tightly as possible and notice that the pressure they exert on each other is high. Notice that it is also harder to move around. Thus, where the air pressure is high, the weather tends to be stagnant.
- Ask 4–8 students to come to the front of the room and stand far enough apart to move freely. Explain that this is a model of low pressure since there are fewer molecules in a given space. Air can rise, move about freely, and thus create more dramatic weather conditions.
- Show the transparency diagram of air flow within high and low pressure areas. Discuss how this relates to the models they created.
- Show transparencies of high and low pressure areas and discuss how the isobars show areas of consistent pressure. Ask what types of weather conditions they would expect to find along isobars.
- Have students read the article Wind on page 15 of the student edition. Ask them to describe how wind and pressure differences are related.
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View
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Although we can't see it, we are constantly surrounded by an ocean of air. Air is composed of many different molecules and atoms in a gaseous state, all pulled down toward Earth's surface by gravity. Find out about the composition of air and learn about air pressure as you read this mission briefing. |
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Wind is created by air flowing from regions of high pressure to regions of low pressure--but how do these regions form in the first place? This article explains the cause of such air pressure differences, and discusses how the magnitude of these differences affects the strength of the resulting wind. |
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Reflect And Assess |
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- Ask students to describe places on Earth that would have higher pressure than others (e.g., the coastlands tend to have a higher pressure than mountainous areas).
- Describe how air might flow between areas of high and low pressure.
- Have students make a conjecture on what type of pressure, high or low, might be found in monster storms. Ask them to explain the reasons for their response.
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Follow-up |
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- Assign the Health Connection on page 14 of the teacher’s edition. Ask students to make a plan for conducting surveys at home or at school.
- Assign the Math Connection described on page 15 of the teacher’s edition. Distribute copies of the chart for them to complete at home. Do one or two examples together in class.
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