Today we are going to explore weather and weather charting. We will first fill in a KWL chart together as a class. A KWL chart helps us to check our understanding along the way. The K stands for KNOW – what we THINK we know. Sometimes we think we know something, but we find out that we were not correct. The W stands for what we WANT to know. This is the place for our questions or wonderings. The L stands for LEARN. This section will be filled in as we have learned something. To begin with, we will fill in the K and the W as a class. Last week, you did this in your science notebook. You can use your science notebook to help make the class chart.
Click to visit the Weather Underground site for a weather calendar for January.
You can also take a look at other months and other locations to see what the weather is like in different areas around the world.
Take a look at the calendar and share the things that you notice about it. What does it include? What do you have questions about?
We will use this calendar to record the data that we have so far for January. First, we need to make sure we understand the symbols.
What is the difference between Partly Cloudy, Mostly Cloudy, and Cloudy?
They are all cloudy – so how do you know the difference?
To draw the symbols, use:
partly cloudy = 1 cloud and the sun
mostly cloudy = 2 clouds and a sun
cloudy = 1 cloud
Below is what the Weather Underground January calendar shows as of Monday, January 14th. Does it match with what the weather actually was at the beginning of the week? Did we get rain on Monday and Tuesday? Is it raining today? What do you think about the rest of the month? Why are January 28th-January 31st blank? (I copied this on Monday, January 14th at 6:00am)
Ever notice how all of the winter photos we see show snow?
Is that true here in San Diego? What has been your experience with snow?
What is typical winter weather in San Diego?
Why do we not get snow?
What kind of clothes would you need for a typical San Diego winter?
What forces are used to make a roller coaster work?
We will be building some marble roller coasters to find out!
Supplies:
2 pieces of insulator pipe (black foam) – possibly additional pieces in the future
1 marble
1 cup to catch the marble
masking tape
Design and Engineering:
Draw a model of a roller coaster design.
Which would you like better? A thrilling roller coaster? or a more calm roller coaster?
What is the difference between the two?
What different elements to roller coasters often have? (The way the track is laid out.)
Exploration One:
Try out the materials
Use a cup at the end of your roller coaster to catch the marble
How can you make the marble go slow?
How can you make the marble go faster?
What can you do to make the marble go over a hill?
Group Discussion
What is making the marble move?
What did you have to do to get the marble to go over the hill?
What might have stopped it from going over the hill?
Now that you have explored the track, try adding a roller coaster THRILL!
A thrill is something that some people find exciting and sometimes a little scary.
What type of thrilling elements can you think of in a roller coaster?
Exploration Two:
Build a roller coaster with one hill and one loop.
Instructions:
Your marble must not fall off until it gets to the end of the track.
Your marble must land in the cup at the end of the run.
You may only use the materials provided.
You may tape your run to furniture.
You may test your design as you go to see if it works.
Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t work.
Group Discussion:
What did you have to do to make the marble go over the hill and one loop?
What was successful?
What was NOT successful?
My roller coaster worked when I ________________________.
My roller coaster did not work when I ____________________.
Exploration Three:
Build a thrilling roller coaster of your design
Instructions:
Build a roller coaster of your own design.
Your marble must not fall off until it gets to the end of the track.
Your marble must land in the cup at the end of the run.
You may only use the materials provided.
You may tape your run to furniture.
You may test your design as you go to see if it works.
Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t work.
My marble had enough ____________ to _____________.
My marble did not have enough ______________ to __________.
My marble goes down the hill because ____________________.
My marble is able to/not able to go up the hill or through the loop because ________________.
Vocabulary
Force ‐ A push or a pull that acts on an object
Gravity ‐ The natural force that pulls objects toward each other. On Earth, all objects are pulled towards the center of Earth.
Energy – The ability to do work. How things change or move
Potential Energy – Stored energy of an object because of its position
Momentum – The strength of a moving object
Kinetic Energy – The energy of motion
Speed – How far an object moves in a given time
Collision – When two objects bump into each other
Engineer – A person who uses math, science, and their creativity to design something to solve a problem
Design – The plan for making something, the process of figuring out how to construct something
Common Mistakes in Building Roller Coasters
Bad connections. Tape needs to be smoothly applied.
Not enough energy. Marbles have a limited amount of energy, so plan your roller coaster by how much energy the marble has.
Don’t try to make the roller coaster so thrilling it does not work.
Too much momentum. Remember, momentum is the force that keep the marble going in the direction it’s currently moving. Sudden turns or drops that do not account for the marble’s momentum may result in the marble flying off of the track.
Not enough testing. Always test before adding onto the roller coaster. If the marble is falling off of the track halfway through, then everything that is built after that point won’t matter until the problem is fixed. Experiment, observe, and make corrections!
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