Combined with a systematic way to manage existing and newly found information, the NMP ESS's instructional activities provide a cogent mechanism for Internet applications in the classroom curriculum. Consistent with national reform movements in mathematics and science education, the NMP curriculum activities provide new mediums for the flexible thought processes that literate citizens of the Information Age will need to be effective parts of the workforce and the electorate. Learners explore current radar, satellite, and weather symbol maps to formulate ideas about what the symbols and maps represent. Learners record weather data and reflect on how weather impacts daily life. By gathering data from around the country, learners create graphs that demonstrate relationships among influential weather variables.
Learners build awareness of how weather changes and then make their own predictions.
These are related books and extension activities for novice-level Internauts. Using Internet resources and collected data, students compare current radar and satellite images, plot weather systems, map precipitation, and create movies from a series of images. Learners view recent earthquake damage, study current epicenter locations, predict likelihood of occurrence, and learn safety procedures. Comparing and contrasting before and after volcano images, learners study lava flows and describe locations of currently erupting volcanoes. By creating exploratory models, learners identify the names and motions of major lithospheric plates.