Summer Research Program for Science Teachers
Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics
August 2005
How do fronts affect our weather?
Do Now: What characteristics does a mT air mass have? Explain why these characteristics are present.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
v Explain what a front is
v Describe the different types of fronts
v Identify and interpret front symbols with and without reference tables
v Identify fronts using cross section of troposphere diagrams
v Explain why certain weather conditions are associated with fronts
Outline:
Ø A front is a boundary between air masses
Ø There are 4 types of fronts: warm, cold, stationary, and occluded
Ø The first 3 occur when a warm air mass meets a cold air mass
Ø The front is warm if the warm air mass pushes into and over the cold air mass
§ Show warm front animation with projector
§ Q: Why does the warm air mass go over the cold one?
Ø The front is cold if the cold air mass pushes into and under the warm air mass
§ Show cold front animation
§ Q: What do you think is happening at a stationary front?
Ø Occluded fronts occur when a warm front and a cold front collide
§ Show occluded front animation
Ø The most common weather associated with fronts is precipitation
§ Why would a front cause precipitation?
§ Show animation of warm air rising, cooling, condensing
Assessment:
Ø Find the symbols for these fronts in your reference table
§ Q: Which front symbol is this? (show image of front on map)
§ Q: Which compass direction is this front moving? (animate map after answer)
Ø Show map of a front heading towards a city
§ How do you think the weather in (city X) is going to change over the next 24 hours? Why will these changes occur?
National Standards:
v TEACHING STANDARD D: Make the available science tools, materials, media, and technological resources accessible to students
v TEACHING STANDARD B: [focus] the attention of students on how they know what they know and how their knowledge connects to larger ideas… promote many different forms of communication (for example, spoken, written, pictorial, graphic, mathematical, and electronic)