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It is important to choose a good spot for the class to take the measurements. All measurements should be taken in a consistent location. If your class is interested in comparing measurements in different parts of the school, the curriculum can be adapted for teams to split up and test different parts of the school, or for different classes to compare data. Doing so can enable students to develop and test hypotheses regarding how air pollution and weather conditions vary by location and time of day. This does however require more time and organization on the part of the teacher.
• Atmosphere
• Troposphere
• Stratosphere
• Mesosphere
• Thermosphere
• Exosphere
• Ultraviolet Radiation
• Surface Temperature
• Air Temperature
• Fahrenheit
• Celsius
• Urban Heat Island
• Wind
• Sea Breeze
• GLOBE measurement protocols: www.globe.gov
• More information about urban heat islands can be found online in The Encyclopedia of Earth (http://www.eoearth.org/article/Heat_island).
• A thermal image of Houston from a NASA sensor, showing warmer and cooler parts of the city: www.harc.edu/Projects/CoolHouston/HeatIsland/
• Computer/projection screen
• Access to Brainpop.com
• Hygrometer (1 per class)
• Infrared Thermometer (1 per class)
• Ozone Test Strips (1 per class)
• Ozone Scanner (1 per class)
• Wind Vane (1 per class)
• Thermal Glove (1 per class)
• GLOBE Measurement Data Sheets (1 per student)
| Instructor Activity | Student Activity |
| Measurements. Take your students outside and conduct the GLOBE protocols listed above. Students should set up the ozone strip, take the air and surface temperatures, observe the sky for clouds, and measure humidity and wind direction. This first time, take the measurements one at a time to make sure that the students are using the tools correctly and are getting accurate results. | Students help choose where measurements will be taken, especially for the multiple surfaces that will be measured for surface temperature. They take measurements and record their results on their data sheets. |
| Discussion. Discuss what is found in each of the five layers of the atmosphere – example: where the weather, ozone layer, and space shuttles can be found. | Students listen, ask questions, and fill out picture (p.2) |
| Discussion. Discuss the meaning of temperature, and how urban heat islands show that cities can affect their own temperature. Make sure that students can distinguish between surface and air temperature. | Students answer questions in journals: (top of p.3) |
| Optional Video. Brainpop.com: “Temperature.” Complete online quiz as a class. | Students watch video and participate in quiz (Note: quizzes are online, not in worksheets). |
| Discussion about wind. What have their experiences been with wind? Explain the sea breeze as an example of how differences in temperature drive the winds. | Students answer questions in journals (bottom p.3). |
| Optional Video. Brainpop.com: “Wind.” Complete online quiz as a class. | Students watch video and participate in online quiz. |
| Student work time. | Complete worksheets (p.4). |
| Measurements. Take your class outside, and scan the ozone strip. Also, have students retake the surface and air temperature and humidity measurements so that they can be averaged with those from the beginning of the class. | Students take measurements and write down their results on their data sheets. |
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