Geographical Differences
What questions need to be asked to obtain information on how conditions of two cities on the same latitude are different and cause the average high temperatures to vary?
Teacher notes: Give students time with the maps and data to generate a list of questions to ask in order to find more information. It is important to think through the list of questions first.
How are Salt Lake City, Utah and Naples, Italy geographically different?
What causes Salt Lake City, Utah to be hotter in the summer than Naples, Italy?
Why are the temperatures in coastal cities cooler?
What could affect the distribution of heat on the planet?
Why is the average summer temperature colder or warmer in Salt Lake or Naples?
After students collect the information, I provide them time to formulate answers to the questions. Then, we use class discussion to make certain everyone has access to correct information.
Using the list of questions, students find information for the causes of temperatures in inland cities to be higher than coastal cities.
Teacher notes: After students find the information and develop a simple explanation, provide students with the following pairs of cities to check to see if their explanation continues to hold true.
Seattle, Washington - Vienna, Austria
Santa Barbara, California - Xi'an, China
Take the information and construct an explanation supported by evidence for causes of average summer temperatures in Salt Lake being warmer than in Naples.
Teacher notes: The explanation students write can follow the claims-evidence-reasoning format. The claim is which city (coastal or inland) has the warmer temperature in the summer. For evidence, students should have data from the three pairs of cities for support, and reasoning should be found in the readings associated with students first question answers.
If you use this as an assessment, then provide students with time to do peer editing and revision
Look for another pair of cities on the same latitude (can be northern or southern hemisphere). One city should be located on the interior of a land mass while the other city should be on a coastline of a large body of water.
List the two cities
Provide their locations on a map snippet
Give average temperature data for June, July, and August
Teacher note: the purpose of the extend phase if for students to apply, extend, and elaborate student's developing ideas of new contexts. Provide an opportunity for students to develop deeper and broader understanding. Facilitate transfer of concepts and abilities to related, but new situations (this last one is probably the most important. A lot of mistakes regarding lesson design happen in the extend phase. The new situation is often not related).
Formative Assessment option (Formative Assessment Probe (Keeley): Does the Ocean Influence Our Weather or Climate?
I adapted the lesson from the Gather Reason Communicate format. Reference for lesson ( Kelsey Foster, Mapleton Elementary, Nebo School District) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D8LlbMSVjsfC2eI6ljHhIKRgYo1UrByHLEg6QOe1-t4/edit