# Presentation: 469706

## Elementary GLOBEA K-3 Science Unit from GLOBE

**Elementary GLOBE**A K-3 Science Unit from GLOBE

## Goals of Elementary GLOBE 

- Provide science content while introducing Earth as a System
- Connect literacy, math, and art skills with science content
- Prepare students for participation in GLOBE
- Include age appropriate Learning Activities
- Feasible way to implement science in the classroom

**Notes:**
Background information in books and activities gives teachers knowledge of science subjects
Activities: literacy (reading, writing, vocabulary, communication methods/skills), math, art connections
Inquiry based
Scientific Process & Protocols – these Readers are a stepping stone to K-3 participation in GLOBE protocols and research

## Development Process

- Brainstorm with elementary science education experts (GLOBE staff, partners, teachers, scientists)
- Development of draft storyboard
- Development of associated learning activities
- Initial review
- Field test in classrooms
- Additional review and revisions
- Final review by appropriate GLOBE PIs
- Ready for dissemination

**Notes:**
Background information in books and activities gives teachers knowledge of science subjects
Activities: literacy (reading, writing, vocabulary, communication methods/skills), math, art connections
Inquiry based
Scientific Process & Protocols – these Readers are a stepping stone to K-3 participation in GLOBE protocols and research

## Earth as a System Unit Five books and Learning Activities aligned with Current GLOBE Investigation Areas

-  General overview of Earth System Science (under development)
-  Atmosphere* - Do You Know That Clouds Have Names? *(draft)
-  Soils* - The Scoop on Soils *(draft)
-  Phenology - (under development)
-  Hydrology - (under development)

## Slide 5

**Notes:**
Cover page of GLOBE Reader
Summary of book:

This book explains 10 different types of clouds and contrails by relating them to normal everyday objects.

## Slide 6

**Notes:**
Page spread of Cirrus Clouds (page 15/16)

Read text:
Do you know what kinds of clouds are higher than any other type?  Cirrus clouds are way up high.
They are feathery, like the soft downy feathers baby chicks have, or like horse’s tails floating in the sky.

Teachers note at the bottom gives more information on what cirrus clouds are made of/how they are formed, what type of weather this cloud might forecast, and additional tips on how to identify them.

## Slide 7

**Notes:**
Page spread of Contrails (page 22/23)

Read text:
Do you know that when airplanes fly they often leave behind a trail of moisture?  This is called a contrail.  Some contrails stay in the sky for a long time after the airplane is gone.  These contrails can become human-made cirrus clouds.  
(Remember cirrus clouds?  Here’s a hint: they are high in the sky and look like wispy horsetails.)

Teachers notes give again that same information as well as two helpful URLs for info/research on contrails.

## Three Cloud Learning Activities

*Cloud Fun*
*To Spread or Not to Spread*
*Cloudscape*

**Notes:**
Learning Activity: To Spread or Not To Spread

Purpose of this activity

Remember all these activities and books are still under review – all your thoughts and suggestions are important to us!

## Slide 9

## Purpose

***Purpose***
- • To help students identify some of the characteristics of clouds
- • To enable students to observe clouds, describe them in a common vocabulary, and compare their descriptions with the official cloud names
***Overview***Using information from the Elementary GLOBE Reader Do You Know that Clouds Have Names? and their own observations, students construct a sky scene with trees and buildings as reference points on the ground and cloud types ordered by altitude in the sky. Students will describe clouds using their own vocabulary and will then correlate their descriptions with the standard classifications of cloud types used by GLOBE.
***Student Outcomes***Students will be able to identify cloud types using standard cloud classification names. They will know that the names used for the clouds are based on three factors: their shape, the altitude at which they occur, and whether they are producing precipitation.
***Earth and Space Science***
- Weather can be described by qualitative observations
- Weather changes from day to day and over the seasons
- Clouds form by condensation of water vapor in the atmosphere
- Clouds affect weather and climate
***Geography***
- The nature and extent of cloud cover affects the characteristics of Earth’s physical geographic system

***Scientific Inquiry Abilities***
- Identify answerable questions
- Use Cloud Chart to identify cloud type
- Develop descriptions and explanations using evidence
- Communicate procedures and explanations
***Time***Two 30-minute class periods, or 60 minutes total, will be needed to complete this activity.
***Level***Primary (most appropriate for gr. K-3)
***Materials and Tools***
- GLOBE Cloud Chart
- Elementary GLOBE Reader Do You Know That Clouds Have Names?
- Cloudscape Student Activity Sheet
- Blue poster board or rolled paper for a bulletin board
- Cotton pillow batting (buy the kind that is sold by the yard), wax paper, torn white sheets, sheer white fabric
- Yellow and white strips of paper (big enough to write labels for clouds)
- Crayons or markers (especially washable black and gray markers), white chalk
- Glue sticks

**Notes:**
Background information in books and activities gives teachers knowledge of science subjects
Activities: literacy (reading, writing, vocabulary, communication methods/skills), math, art connections
Inquiry based
Scientific Process & Protocols – these Readers are a stepping stone to K-3 participation in GLOBE protocols and research

## Slide 11

**Notes:**
Student Activity Sheet for Cloudscape

## Cloud Fun

- Help students identify cumulus clouds
- Help students make connections between clouds and weather

**Notes:**
Short-lived contrails look like short white lines following along behind the plane, disappearing almost as fast as the airplane goes across the sky. The air that the airplane is passing through is somewhat moist, and there is only a small amount of water vapor available to form a contrail. The ice particles that do form quickly evaporate again.

Persistent non-spreading contrails look like long white lines that remain visible after the airplane has disappeared. This shows that the air where the airplane is flying has more moisture available than for short-lived contrails. Persistent contrails can be further divided into two classes: those that spread and those that don’t. Persistent contrails look like long, narrow white pencil-lines across the sky.

Persistent spreading contrails initially look like long white lines. Then they look like they are turning into cirrocumulus or cirrus clouds. This is the type most likely to affect climate because they cover a larger area and last longer than short-lived or persistent contrails.

## To Spread or Not to Spread

- Help students identify the three different types of contrails
- Help students understand that contrails are human made and sometimes become clouds in the sky

**Notes:**
When painting – fill the paintbrush with a good amount of paint and then just carry the brush along the paper, don’t press too hard in the beginning.

## Cloudscape 	

- Help students identify some characteristics of different clouds
- Enable students to observe clouds, describe them with a common vocabulary, and compare their descriptions with the official cloud names

**Notes:**
Explain what they would do in this section: 
Set up observation sheet by drawing a small horizon (this provides a perspective for cloud/contrail height)
On a day where there are contrails, go outside and observe the sky; have the students draw what they saw and record the time.  Take the students back outside 5-15 minutes later and make follow-up observations.  Draw what they see and record the time.

## Slide 15

## Slide 16

**Notes:**
Cover page of The Scoop on Soils

Summary of book:

## Slide 17

## Slide 18

**Notes:**
Page spread from The Scoop on Soils

Read Text:

## Three Soil Learning Activities	

**Three Soil Learning Activities****	**

*Getting to Know Soil*
*Soil Treasure Hunt*
*We All Need Soil*

**Notes:**
Step 3 – compare metric ruler and containers for measuring water (inches, cm/mm)
Step 4 – explain how a rain gauge works

## Getting to Know Soil

- Provide students with the opportunity to ask questions and make observations about soil
- Introduce students to the properties of soil and to the concept of soil profiles and horizons

**Notes:**
The beakers that you all are using have volume markers on them – but ideally you would not want any markings on them.

On your activity sheet, each of the diagrams has a measuring marker and each line represents 10 mm.

## Soil Treasure Hunt

- Help students learn what things are commonly found in the soil and how those things impact how the soil looks and feels
- Introduce students to the concept of decomposition

**Notes:**
The beakers that you all are using have volume markers on them – but ideally you would not want any markings on them.

On your activity sheet, each of the diagrams has a measuring marker and each line represents 10 mm.

## We All Need Soil

- Introduce students to the importance of soil and why it needs to be studied
- Help students understand how much soil is available on Earth for human use
- Help students understand the connection between soil and the living things that use soil

**Notes:**
The beakers that you all are using have volume markers on them – but ideally you would not want any markings on them.

On your activity sheet, each of the diagrams has a measuring marker and each line represents 10 mm.

## Slide 23

## Next Steps	

- Develop Implementation tips
- Continue efforts on Elementary GLOBE Readers in  progress
- Five book Earth System Science Unit ready for distribution Spring/Summer 2006
-     www.globe.gov/elementaryglobe

**Notes:**
The Soil Explorers; Seasonal Changes of Trees; Hiding the Sky, GPS/Mapping

## Thank you!	

- Contact:
- Becca Hatheway
- hatheway@globe.gov

**Notes:**
The Soil Explorers; Seasonal Changes of Trees; Hiding the Sky, GPS/Mapping

## Clouds:
Teacher might want to use the book after doing some kind of engagement activity.
Challenge for students to estimate heights in meters (examples might be misleading)
Teacher will have to help students learn new vocabulary to learn science terms.
Consistent with the references to clouds.
Will other images of clouds from other biomes around the world be included?
Could the online version be translation friendly?

- Teacher might want to use the book after doing some kind of engagement activity.
- Challenge for students to estimate heights in meters (examples might be misleading)
- Teacher will have to help students learn new vocabulary to learn science terms.
- Consistent with the references to clouds.
- Will other images of clouds from other biomes around the world be included?
- Could the online version be translation friendly?

## The Latin roots might help translate the adjectives used as descriptors.
Add Linn Chambers web site to the contrails page of the book.
The graphic on latitudes for cloud height is helpful.

- Add Linn Chambers web site to the contrails page of the book.
- The graphic on latitudes for cloud height is helpful.

**Notes:**
The Soil Explorers; Seasonal Changes of Trees; Hiding the Sky, GPS/Mapping

## The Scoop on Soils:
Start with an engaging activity before the book to help understand the soil profile.
Introduce different substances or soils that feel differently would be useful to convince them that different soils feel differently.
What does “gritty” mean?
Picture of the soil profile looks too nice and kids might do this more informally with a ruler.

- Start with an engaging activity before the book to help understand the soil profile.
- Introduce different substances or soils that feel differently would be useful to convince them that different soils feel differently.
- What does “gritty” mean?
- Picture of the soil profile looks too nice and kids might do this more informally with a ruler.

**Notes:**
The Soil Explorers; Seasonal Changes of Trees; Hiding the Sky, GPS/Mapping

## Introduction could be shorter.
Explain the difference between the hole that Scoop digs and an actual soil profile.
Translations for silt, sand, clay.
Order of the text and illustration might be reversed.
A white page or place for students to write in the book might be fun.
The illustration of the critters might be confusing.

- Explain the difference between the hole that Scoop digs and an actual soil profile.
- Translations for silt, sand, clay.
- Order of the text and illustration might be reversed.
- A white page or place for students to write in the book might be fun.
- The illustration of the critters might be confusing.

**Notes:**
The Soil Explorers; Seasonal Changes of Trees; Hiding the Sky, GPS/Mapping

## Zoom into the hole for detail so the kids can see inside rather than so many pictures of the hole in a landscape.
Introduce the phrase soil profile and some type of clue to orient the students to the top and bottom of the profile.
Include student questions...why are there differences between the holes Scoop dug or ask what do you think you will find in the hole?

- Introduce the phrase soil profile and some type of clue to orient the students to the top and bottom of the profile.
- Include student questions...why are there differences between the holes Scoop dug or ask what do you think you will find in the hole?

**Notes:**
The Soil Explorers; Seasonal Changes of Trees; Hiding the Sky, GPS/Mapping

## Granular structure in the meadow chart is too technical for the grade level.
Forest chart is not consistent with the other chart.

- Forest chart is not consistent with the other chart.

**Notes:**
The Soil Explorers; Seasonal Changes of Trees; Hiding the Sky, GPS/Mapping