Monster Storm Explorations
The new curriculum is divided into "Explorations" this year, instead of Units. This year's
explorations are:
- Exploring Weather - What are the driving forces?
- Air and Water - Analyzing the meteorological mix
- Chasing Tornadoes - On the run in Tornado alley
- Tracking Hurricanes - Journey into the maelstrom
- Perparation and Reovery - Living with Monster Storms
There are five activities (one for each exploration) and half a dozen "Connections & Features"
to investigate/consider, ranging from History & Math, to Weird & Wacky Science!
Exploring Weather
One of the hardest concepts to grasp is how the sun's energy gets to us here on Earth. Most
students might not give it a second thought about "how" as they feel the sun's warmth on their faces
and just know that it gets here! Waves of energy are not seen, so have your students think
of a rock dropped in the water and how the waves of water propagate out from the center. The
same thing is happening with heat energy from the sun, but in all directions! A good question to
ask your students is "How does the Sun's rotation effect how it radiates energy out?" (is the
radiation the same in all directions or is it concentrated in the solar equatorial plain?
Air and Water
Just like the Carbon Cycle and Water Cycle in previous JASON expeditions, the whole Water Cycle is critical
to weather in this JASON. Your students too, will need to think of air as not being "nothing" or "empty"
but as molecules of Nitrogen, Oxygen & other gases. What about Water in the air? If you can
boil some water in your classroom, and watch the steam rise and dissipate, ask your students where does the
water go? Its the best example of how a gas spreads itself out into equilibrium. Once they
understand that air is FILLED with this unseen molecules, they will better be able to understand how those
molecules can collide with something and exert "pressure"!
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Mysteries of Earth & Mars Unit Help
Check out the online version of Activity 1-1, rocket building! Can't have your students
build their own rockets? That's okay...we built some for them! Have your students
print off the data sheet, make their own hypotheses, record results and explain what happened!
Click Here
REMINDER: The expedition broadcast dates are January 30 - February 4, 2006.
Unit 1: Physical Science National Science Education Standards
Examines the physical properties of space science as well as the engineering challenges of robotic exploration. Topics include:
- Characteristic properties and chemical changes of water: freezing point, boiling point, solubility, density, chemical reactions
- Motions and Forces: Newton’s Laws, gravity
- Transfer of Energy: potential and kinetic energy
- Science and Technology: technological design
- B.1 Properties and Changes in Matter
- B.2 Motion and Forces
- B.3 Transfer of Energy
- D.1 Water Cycle
- D.3 Earth in the Solar System
- E.1 Abilities of Technological Design
Unit 2: Earth and Space Science National Science Education Standards
Examines comparative planetology, the geological features and processes on Earth and Mars. Topics include:
- Physical Geology: landforms, rocks, minerals, and soil
- Geological Processes: tectonics, volcanism, cratering, erosion, and measuring geological time
- Electromagnetism: waves, infrared radiation, and spectroscopy
- Solar System: planets and meteors
- A.1 Abilities Necessary to do Scientific Inquiry
- A.2 Process of Scientific Inquiry
- B.1 Properties and Changes in Matter
- D.1 Structure of the Earth System
- D.2 Earth’s History
Unit 3: Life Science National Science Education Standards
Examines requirements for life, astrobiology (the search for life throughout the solar system) and extremophiles (organisms adapted to extreme environments).
Topics include:
- Requirements for Life: energy, nutrients, water
- Living Systems: structure and function in living systems, cells, microbes
- Diversity & Adaptation of Organisms: extreme environments, extremophiles
- Earth’s History: fossils, biosignatures
- A Science as Inquiry
- B.1 Properties and Changes in Matter
- C.1 Structure and Function of Living Systems
- C.3 Regulation and Behavior
- C.4 Population and Ecosystems
- C.5 Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms
- D Earth and Space Science
- E Science and Technology
- G History and Nature of Science
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