When the project began in 1994, very few teachers were familiar with the Internet and its potential for improving science instruction. Educators in District 11 and throughout the nation are very much concerned with delivering instruction that embodies the science standards at national, state, and local levels. Curricula and student activities that utilize data and information available from meteorological and other Earth systems science disciplines can assist educators in their efforts to deliver successful standards-based instruction. The daily weather activities for students include the following. First, local observations are gathered and recorded.
Pupils then report on a global full-disk satellite image.
This exercise enables students to discover patterns of weather through the analysis of clouds. Other products in use are national and regional surface analyses and satellite imagery, forecast maps, and NWS climatological data bulletins. As a result of the positive outcomes of the WeatherWatch program, CSD 11's school principals, leadership, and teachers decided to explore whether the program's strategies, atmospheric science base, and inquiry practices had the potential to serve as the linchpin of a new and broader curriculum. The challenge was to transition from a project focusing on weather science alone to a new, sequential, district-wide science curriculum, building on the learning, skills, interest, and enthusiasm WeatherWatch engendered but addressing national and state standards. In spring 1997, District 11 established a science curriculum committee, consisting of teachers, principals, district staff, and faculty members of the City College of New York.