Science Learning PacketGrade 6:

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Lesson 1

science learning activities for SPS students during the COVID-19 school closure.

Seattle Public Schools is committed to making its online information accessible and usable to all people, regardless of ability or technology. Meeting web accessibility guidelines and standards is an ongoing process that we are consistently working to improve.

While Seattle Public Schools endeavors to only post documents optimized for accessibility, due to the nature and complexity of some documents, an accessible version of the document may not be available. In these limited circumstances, the District will provide equally effective alternate access.

Due to the COVID-19 closure, teachers were asked to provide packets of home activities. This is not intended to take the place of regular classroom instruction but will help supplement student learning and provide opportunities for student learning while they are absent from school. Assignments are not required or graded. Because of the unprecedented nature of this health crisis and the District’s swift closure, some home activities may not be accessible.

If you have difficulty accessing the material or have any questions, please contact your student’s teacher.

1 SPS Science, 3-2020

Grade 6 Science Learning Activity

Ocean, Atmosphere, & Climate Unit

Lessons 1 Instructional Materials

Air Temperature

2 SPS Science, 3-2020

Hello Families,

We hope you and your family are well and safe during this time. During this unprecedented out-of-school

time, the SPS middle school science team will be offering instructional opportunities for students that align

with the district’s adopted middle school science instructional materials. This work is optional and non-

graded.

This investigation packet is the first part in a series of district-aligned lessons about Oceans, Atmosphere, &

Climate, a 6th grade life science unit developed by AmplifyScience. While Amplify Science lessons are

designed to be done in the classroom with peers, there are some activities that students can complete at

home. In this packet you will find activities to accompany lessons 1 and 2 of the unit. Accompanying lesson

videos will be aired on SPS TV and posted the SPS webpage under Grade 7, however this packet can be used

with or without the accompanying video.

The videos can be accessed either online or through Seattle’s Public television programming on SPS TV (local

channel 26), social media (Facebook and Instagram: @SeattlePublicSchools, Twitter: @SeaPubSchools), and

our SPSTV YouTube channel. KOMONews.com will also host on-demand videos under the tab “Lesson Plan”

and broadcast on channel KOMO 4.3. These supplemental learning videos feature short segments supporting a

variety of subjects and grade levels. All videos will be close captioned on YouTube. For more information

regarding the SPS TV broadcast schedule and to find the videos, please visit the following website:

https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/media_operations_center___sps-tv/broadcast_schedule

For students who have access to the internet and the following devices and browsers may wish to log-in to

their AmplifyScience account from home are welcome to do so. See below for guidance on which browser

● Desktops and Laptops (Windows 7+, Mac OS 10.11+) - Suggested browsers: Chrome & Safari

● Chromebooks - Suggested browser: Chrome

● iPads that support iOS11.3+ (iPad5+) - Suggested browser: Safari

Sincerely,

Seattle Public Schools Science Department

3 SPS Science, 3-2020

Lesson 1 Climate and Climate Scientists: You can probably think of a place on Earth that is usually very warm or a place that is usually very cold. Have you ever thought about what determines the air temperature of a place? This is what we will focus on in the Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate unit.

Scientists that study the earth’s climate are called climatologists. They also study recurring conditions that affect weather and people all over the world in significant ways. You will learn about climatologists collect data and what these scientists are looking for when they analyze the data.

Climate: General weather patterns over a long period of time

What do climatologists do? Climatologists study temperature and weather patterns over time.

Instead of trying to explain why the temperature today is different from the temperature

yesterday, a climate scientist might try to explain why the average temperature this year is

warmer or cooler than last year. For example, a climate scientist would investigate a location’s

average temperature over a long time, not the temperature on one particular day.

Climate scientists expect a particular location's climate to stay the same. When they make

observations that are out of the ordinary for a place’s climate, like a particularly high or low

temperature over a period of time for that place, they carefully consider what the data might

mean.

In this lesson, you will meet climate scientists who are researching El Niño, a topic you will be

studying throughout the unit. You will be asked to take on the role of a climate scientist whose

job it is to determine why Christchurch, a city in the country of New Zealand, has a lower air

temperature (the air temperature cooler than usual) during El Niño years and share ideas

about possible causes. If you have access to the Oceans, Atmosphere, Climate video lesson Part

1on SPS TV or on the internet through Amplify, watch the Chasing El Niño video now.

4 SPS Science, 3-2020

Unit Question: During El Nino years, why is Christchurch, New Zealand’s temperature cooler than usual?

Location of

Christchurch, New

Zealand in the

southern Pacific

Ocean

5 SPS Science, 3-2020

What Determines the Air Temperature of a Location? What is Surface Temperature? In this unit we'll be investigating surface temperature, which is the air right above the surface, not the air higher up in the atmosphere. When we talk about Christchurch’s air temperature we are talking about the surface temperature - the air directly above Christchurch. Many things have a surface—tables, chairs, desks, and so forth, but when we refer to Earth’s surface, we’re talking about land and water

Atmosphere: Climatologists use the term atmosphere to describe the mixture of gases or air that surround a planet.

During El Nino years, why is Christchurch, New Zealand’s

temperature cooler than usual?

➢ Claim 1: The amount of incoming energy from the sun changes

➢ Claim 2: Something about Earth’s surface (land or water) changes

➢ Claim 3: Something about the air changes

Which claim do you think best answers the question about why the temperature in

Christchurch, New Zealand is cooler than usual? Tell us why you agree with this claim.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6 SPS Science, 3-2020

Exploring Temperature and Energy in the Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate Simulation Since Christchurch, New Zealand’s temperature changes during El Niño years, you will first need to figure out what can cause a temperature change. You will use the computer Simulation to determine how to change air temperature. If you have access to internet and can log-in to your Amplify Science account, please open the OAC SIM now.

7 SPS Science, 3-2020

Collecting evidence from the sim to answer our unit question 1. In what ways can you make the air temperature change in the Sim?

• I would (add / remove) energy to make the temperature increase. (circle one)

2. In what ways can you make the air temperature decrease?

• I would (add / remove) energy to make the temperature decrease? (circle one)

3. Where does the energy in the air and water come from?

ENERGY: the ability to make things move or change

TEMPERATURE: a measure of how hot or cold something is; a measure of the average

kinetic energy of the molecules of a thing

Reading: “Effects of El Niñ o Around the World”

Read Chapter 1: Different Places, Different Effects as an introduction to El Niño. Then choose a

second of the next three chapters to read to learn about the effects of El Niño in a specific

location. Annotate the article using the Active Reading strategies that work best for you and

then answer the questions.

Optional challenge: When you are finished, choose another chapter to learn about the effects

of El Niño in a different location.

Active Reading Strategies

Use red pencil (or other color: ) to underline evidence Use green pencil (or other color: ) to circle unit glossary words and unfamiliar words Write definitions above circled words Write in the margins to identify questions, impactful ideas, and “a-ha!” moments

8 SPS Science, 3-2020

Chapter 1: Different Places, Different Effects

Different places on Earth have their own weather

patterns that depend on things like local geography

and distance from the equator. These weather

patterns are known as regional climates, and they

don’t change very much from year to year . . .

ordinarily. However, an El Niño year is anything but

ordinary! The climate pattern called El Niño happens

every 2 to 7 years, bringing important changes in

temperature, precipitation, and more. El Niño

affects the whole planet, but it has different effects

on different locations. Choose one of the chapters

that follow to learn more about the effects of El

Niño on the regional climate in a particular place on

the globe.

The climate pattern called El Niño causes wet weather in some places and extreme drought in others.

9 SPS Science, 3-2020

Chapter 2: Drought in Pakistan

Late summer and early fall are usually wet times in the country of Pakistan. Normally, the

monsoon season in August and September brings heavy rainstorms. Monsoon season supplies

about half of Pakistan’s rain for a typical year—about 25 centimeters (16 inches) in just two

months. These storms keep temperatures from getting too hot. However, the climate pattern

called El Niño weakens the monsoon season in Pakistan, causing dry, hot weather instead of

cool rain. This unusual weather causes a variety of health problems for people there and keeps

crops from being watered. Without water to grow food, many people’s health problems get

worse because they don’t get the nutrition they need to get well.

In Pakistan, the El Niño climate pattern causes hot, dry weather instead of monsoon storms.

10 SPS Science, 3-2020

Chapter 3: Landslides in Los Angeles

Normally, Southern California is a pretty

dry place: the city of Los Angeles only gets

about 38 centimeters (15 inches) of rain

each year. During El Niño years, however,

Los Angeles can get much more rain than

usual. For such a dry place, the extra rain

brought by El Niño may sound like a good

thing—but it can be dangerous. Large

amounts of rain falling on dry, hilly ground

without many plants to keep the dirt in

place can lead to landslides. In Los Angeles,

some people build homes at the tops of

hills. These hilltop homes can be destroyed

when the dirt underneath them gets too

wet and slides downhill. Landslides can also

block or destroy roads, injuring people in

their paths and causing millions of dollars

in damage.

Extra rain in Los Angeles might sound like a good thing, but it can cause landslides that destroy homes and block roads.

11 SPS Science, 3-2020

Chapter 4: Malaria in Colombia

In the South American country of Colombia, El Niño causes serious droughts. These

droughts can affect farmers in the area, but they have an even bigger effect on public health

there. During El Niño years, Colombia has a 17% increase in cases of a serious disease called

malaria. When rivers and streams begin to dry up in a drought, the remaining water forms

many shallow pools that are good places for mosquitoes to live and breed. Mosquitoes carry

malaria, transmitting it to people by biting them. More places for mosquitoes to breed means

there are more mosquitoes around to transmit malaria to nearby humans. Mosquitoes

typically breed faster in warm weather, so rising temperatures may also work to increase the

rates of malaria in Colombia during El Niño years.

When rivers and streams begin to dry up, they form pools where mosquitoes live and breed. These mosquitoes can carry malaria and transmit it to people living nearby.

12 SPS Science, 3-2020

Reading Reflection: : “Effects of El Niñ o Around the World”

1. Which article did you read? (circle one)

o “Drought in Pakistan”

o “Landslide in Los Angeles”

o “Malaria in Colombia”

2. Why do you think it is important for climate scientists to study El Niño?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________