Module 1 PROCEDURE


Part I: What Do We Know About Wind? Classroom - 10 minutes


1. Access Prior Knowledge (APK) Place the word “wind” on the board. Ask students, “What do we know about wind?” Brainstorm in pairs. Ask, “Why is wind important to us? What are the different uses of wind in our world today.” Have groups share out their answers with the class.


2. Ask students when they have witnessed the effects of wind. List concrete examples on the board; For example - wind blowing leaves. Looking at these examples. Does it take the same strength of wind to move leaves in a tree as it does to demolish a house? Ask students, “Is it important for you to be aware of the wind’s strength in your everyday life? Why? Where would you locate the strength of the wind for the day?” (newspaper, internet, or TV).


3. Now that you have listed examples of wind and we understand why it is important to know the wind’s strength for the day, let’s define wind. Ask students to define wind and list answers on the board. Guide students by asking, “Who talks about wind and what do they say?” After a few minutes of questioning lead students to the definition that wind is the horizontal movement of air; it is a current of air that moves along or parallel to the ground, moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Surface wind is measured by anemometers or its effect on objects, such as trees. Take this opportunity to discuss careers within wind and weather such as meteorologists, and climatologists.


4. Leaving the word “wind” on the board with the definition, now ask students how you can measure something you cannot see? Collect responses on the board. Ask students, “How do we measure wind?”. Lead students to explain how wind is reported on their local news or in the newspaper. Wind is measured by speed and direction.


5. Show students the weather report from the daily paper or the National Weather Service via the internet. Sailors should always check the weather before spending a day on the water. A good rule of thumb for new sailors is to stay on the docks if the wind is 20mph or over.


6. Take the daily weather report of X mph at X direction and write it on the board.


7. Ask students what the unit of measure is in wind speed. They should identify mph as miles per hour. In the United States we use mph as our standard in wind speed.


Part II: Identify Wind Clues Outdoor Classroom - 10 minutes


1. Take students to the docks or beach area to look at boats and sailing location. Ask students to identify the source of power on the safety boat. Ask students to identify the source of power on a sailboat (wind). Take a look at boats on a mooring. Are they all facing the same direction? Why?


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