Are you teaching air masses and weather fronts soon? Well, this so happens to be a topic that I think is SO much fun to teach. There is a lot you can do with it, and it’s so relatable! As I type this, there is a nice cold front headed this way that is going to bring lots of rain and cooler weather. It’s currently winter and feels like spring. I have a love/hate relationship with this cold front that’s on the way, but I know it will feel like winter again soon.
So, to get off my tangent, there are so many exciting things that you can share with your students whenever you are teaching about the types of air masses and weather fronts.
Time to bring the WOW Factor! In this post, I will share activities that you can do to introduce your students to this topic and get them excited about learning more. Then, I will tell you about an interactive lesson that you can do with your students, or they can work on individually on, that will help them learn all about air masses and weather fronts while reducing cognitive load. Finally, I will share some widen activities to help students learn beyond the requirements of the state while having fun!
Introducing Air Masses and Weather Fronts with WONDER
Although I’m super excited about this topic, I know that not all students are jumping first to learn about it. So, that’s where WONDER strategies come into play. Your goal is to get your students intrinsically motivated to learn more about this topic. Here are two ideas that you can try in your classroom.
Weather Front Demo
Who doesn’t love a science experiment? There is a boy that I teach at church that says he doesn’t love science! I know right?! Trust me, I’m working on him. Well, anyway, although it’s not his favorite subject, he says that he does love experiments.
To get your students wondering about air masses and weather fronts, you can do a demo for your students!
This is a fun air masses and fronts lab demo that any student will love!
You’ll need:
- cold water that is dyed blue
- warm water that is dyed red
- a clear container
- something to separate hot and cold water before combining
Essentially, you’ll have hot and cold water that is separated in a container. You will let them combine and watch what happens!
The warm water will rise, and the cold water will sink!
Showing is better than telling. Here are some links of this model to give you some ideas on how you can best do this in your classroom!
Hot and Cold Fronts in Water Tank
Watch a Forecast
One of the most important things that you should do as a science teacher is to make the content as relatable as possible for students to help them answer that question… “Why is this important for me to learn?”
Before diving into the content of air masses and fronts, give your students the task to go home and watch a weather report.
They can watch it on TV, their phone, their computer, etc. You can find the weather in multiple ways.
Have students document:
- terms they hear
- symbols they see
- the weather around their area
- air pressure
- isobar observations
- anything else that they would like to add (or you)
The next day, come together with all of your students and have them to share out their findings. What are some trends? What do they notice? You can have a great conversation, and they will have already learned so much!
If they cannot find the local weather report, you can always have them to check out the current US surface map. There are a lot of things that they can document from the image.
Air Masses and Weather Fronts Lesson to Overcome Overwhelm
I am a true believer in the research that suggests that when you are given too much information at once (too much on cognitive load), you will end up not learning anything.
Interactive lessons were designed to reduce student cognitive load so that students will better retain information and have fun while doing it!
This particular air masses and fronts interactive lesson is no exception. It helps you to skip the air masses and fronts review worksheet by including the lesson and practice into one!
How are air masses and fronts related? This lesson covers both air masses and fronts and discusses how they are related, the 5 types of air masses, characteristics of both air masses and fronts, air mass symbols, weather associated with each air mass, 4 types of fronts, weather associated with each front, high and low pressure, reading weather maps, and so much more!
As I said, this isn’t your average air masses and fronts PPT. This includes embedded activities to help students process information as they go. Some of these activities include answering questions in the text box, drag-and-drop activities, a pre-assessment, a weather front sort, and more!
You can find this in the shop.
Looking to teach your lesson a little differently? You can also check out the Air Masses and Fronts Gallery Walk.
Air Masses and Weather Front Activity to WIDEN Knowledge
At this point, your students have probably learned a lot about this topic, but it doesn’t have to end here. This is where you allow your students to be creative while extending their knowledge. Here are two fun ideas that you can try with your students. I love to see how creative our students can be!
Create a Front – STEM Activity
Yes, you saw right, your students can create a front!
You want your students to create a model of a weather front of their choice (or your choosing) including cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts.
You want them to model:
- the air masses in the front
- weather associated with the front
- pressure associated with the front
- and whatever else you want to add.
Provide them with a bunch of STEM-type materials (boxes, toilet paper rolls, construction paper, etc.) and let them shine!
You can always ask for materials from staff, students, and parents in advance.
Greenscreen Activity – Weather Report
Here’s your students’ chance to become a meteorologist for the day. In this project, students will record a weather report using a greenscreen.
They can do this in 3 easy steps:
- Choose weather maps: They can create weather maps or choose current ones that are online. Make sure they cite their source! Their forecast can include: forecasts for at least 3 days, precipitation, temperature, barometric pressure, weather fronts, types of air masses involved, and anything you’d like them to add.
- Script: Their presentation can be within 2-3 minutes. They should speak loudly and clearly! They should also include: greeting, who they are reporting with, what their audience can expect from precipitation, wind, etc., and what kind of weather the audience should expect of the next few days.
- Record, Create, and Share. You can use any app, but DoInk is nice!
Students can be graded on: elements included, reasoning for forecast, creativity, teamwork, and presentation.
Help your students master science content!
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