
Log in to take advantage of Thinkport’s full benefits

Content Relatives More Info

Lesson Plan


		Lesson Information


		Outcomes and Standards
		Objectives
		Assessment


		Resources
		Materials
		Vocabulary
		Procedures
		Enrichment Options


		Teacher Reflection

Stage 1
Identify Desired Results

Catchy Title: Weather for Health
Theme/Topic of Lesson: Use of Mathematical Concepts to Explore current issues in the environment.
Time Commitment: 90 minutes
Subject Area(s):
Mathematics - Statistics
Science - Environmental
Grade Level(s): 9
Standards Alignment:
Class Challenge Question:

Describe and calculate the measures of central tendency as they relate to natural resources.

Overview:

Students encounter various types of numerical information (represented in multiple ways), much of which is abstract and difficult to comprehend. In this lesson, students will convert given information into bar graphs. In the process, they will not only make sense of the numbers they encounter, but they will gain (or reinforce) their understanding of the purpose of and various representations of bar graphs.
In addition to graphing skills, students will increase their knowledge of weather related matters, in this case temperature changes as it relates to air and air pollution.
This lesson engages students in drawing graphs on paper.
Students should have a basic understanding of mathematics, navigating the Internet is helpful but not required. Teachers should be comfortable facilitating discussion while students are actively engaged in an online interactive.
The lesson culminates in a project in which students demonstrate knowledge of the concepts of mean, median, and mode and will compute and compare them in simple examples to show that they may differ.
The students will use the computer to gather data, organize data and construct graphs. They will also make interpretations of their data, find measures of central tendency and present the information to the class.

Stage 2
Determine Acceptable Evidence

Knowledge of Statistics (4-5)	Maryland Content Standards Students will collect, organize, display, analyze, and interpret data to make decisions and predictions.	Maryland State Indicators 4.5.4 find the mean, median, mode, and range of a data set and explain how these measures are different. (MLO 3.4.)
Environmental Science (6-8)	Maryland Content Standards Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of environmental factors (living and non-living) and analyze their impact from a local to a global perspective.	Maryland State Indicators 6.8.5 analyze how human activities can accelerate or magnify many naturally occurring changes (i.e., erosion, air and water quality, populations). (MLO 6.2.)
Knowledge of Algebra, Patterns and Functions (9-12)	Maryland Content Standards Students will algebraically represent, model, analyze, and solve mathematical and real-world problems involving patterns and functional relationships.	Maryland State Indicators 1.12.1 a. recognize, describe and/or extend patterns and functional relationships that are expressed numerically, algebraically, and/or geometrically (CLG 1.1.1.) describe the relationship of sequences symbolically recognize and extend recursive* and explicit relationships of sequences* describe functions and their properties using function notation b. represent patterns, and/or functional relationships in a table, as a graph, and/or by mathematical expression (CLG 1.1.2.) c. create formulas built on patterns that are algebraic, trigonometric, logarithmic or exponential

Learning Objectives:

The Students will:

- Use numerical information to deepen understanding of the measures of central tendency.
- To familiarize student with bar graphs by having students create them and understand their purpose.
- Students will make predictions of future events based on the outcome of past events.

Assessment

Given sets of data in various formats, students will learn to compute the three types of measure of central tendency: mean, median, and mode and attempt to determine which type of averaging is most useful in each situation. Students will complete a worksheet to practice these skills.

Weather for Health - Mean, Median, Mode

Students will practise answering questions on powerpoint presentations.

Weather for Health Multiple Choice and Weather for Health Questions.

Stage 3
Plan Learning Experiences

Resources

Internet Sites	Forecast 7 day forecast for Latitudes 39.29N and Longitudes 76.61W
	http://www.wrh.noaa.gov.
	Air Quality and Health What does the air quality mean to your health? Use this site to help with your written response.
	http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqikids/air.html

Materials

Per Student
Ruler, Pencil, Colored and Pencils

Scientific calculators.
Weather for Health Questions  (View)
Weather for Health Multiple Choice  (View)
Weather for Health Mean, Median, Mode  (View)
Weather for Health Graphing Rubric  (View)
Weather for Health Maximum and Mininum Daily Tempe  (View)
Weather for Health Maximum Daily Temperatures  (View)
Weather for Health Practice Worksheet - Median  (View)
Weather for Health Practice Worksheet - Mean, Medi  (View)
Weather for Health Practice Worksheet - Mean  (View)
Weather for Health Pre-test  (View)
Weather for Health Post-test  (View)

Vocabulary

Mean - The mean of a list of numbers is also called the average. It is found by adding all the numbers in the list and dividing by the number of numbers in the list.
Median - The median of a list of numbers is found by ordering them from least to greatest. If the list has an odd number of numbers, the middle number in this ordering is the median. If there is an even number of numbers, the median is the sum of the two middle numbers, divided by 2.
Mode - The mode in a list of numbers is the number that occurs most often, if there is one.
Bar Graph - Bar graphs consist of an axis and a series of labeled horizontal or vertical bars that show different values for each bar. A graph that shows different numbers of things that exist at the same time.

Procedures

Motivation.

Before the lesson, assess students' understanding of graphing. The teacher will review the concept of simple bar graphs and how to create one given the set of data from air and air pollution below.
Fossil fuels, such as natural gas, oil, and coal, are products of decayed plants and animals that have been preserved in the earth’s crust over millions of years. Emissions are gases and particles given off when these fuels are burned. These emissions are the main contributors to air pollution.
Use the table below to create a bar graph that displays the main contributors to air pollution.

Source of emissions                               Percent
Transportation equipment                       57
Electric power and heating plants            22
Industrial processes                                15
Solid waste disposal                               02
Miscellaneous                                         05

Set-up Directions:

Each student will need a copy of Weather for Health Mean, Median and Mode. Students will also need access to computers, either individually or in pairs, and colored pencils, crayons or markers for filling in their graphs.

Before beginning the lesson, check the website listed to make sure it is active and that the computers are equipped with the appropriate software to view the video clip.

Optional: If you are not using an internet connection/LCD projection, you may want to print out the instructions for navigating through the website.

Students will then surf the web in search of the true meaning of:

Mean
Median
Mode
Characteristics of graphs
Bar graphs

http://www.mathleague.com/help/data/data.htm#mode.

Give students a few minutes to explore this website, ask them to make brief notes on the definitions and give an example of each if they do not remember. Note: "They should have covered these concepts in middle school."

Students will work on the Weather for Health, Mean, Median and Mode worksheet.

Teacher Presentation.

It is recommended that the teacher demonstrate the following as a whole class, while students are seated at individual computers. If an LCD projector is not available, the teacher can simply have students go through the navigation of the site below while you discuss what they're viewing.

Activity 1 - Maximum and Minimum Temperatures.

In this lesson students will explore the weather website, learn, and collect data on temperatures. As they do this they should also observe the air quality for the day. They will use the data collected to construct a bar graph of maximum and minimum temperatures for 3 cities of their choice one city should be in the east coast, another in the west coast and the other in the mid western area to be found on the site below.

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/

The lesson includes a variety of instructional strategies, including modeling, think-pair-share, online learning, drawing (graphical representations) large-group discussion and hands-on practice in order to meet the needs of diverse learners.
This lesson works best with one or two students to a computer. To ensure that students get the support they need, assign pairs in such a way that those with advanced mathematical and/or graphical skills work with those who may need additional help.

Students will then create a table to values like the Weather for Health Maximum Daily Temperatures example.

Activity 2 - Make a picture with the numbers.
In this activity, after students have gathered information from the weather website they will represent it visually using a bar graph.

Students will create graphical representations based on the instructions below:
Tell students: Now that you have collected your data, you will create a graph to represent that information visually. Since we are showing different numbers of maximum and minimum temperatures collected at the same time, we will use a bar graph.

A rubric for the graph is also provided. Weather for Health Graphing Rubric.

All characteristics of a bar graph must be included, an example is provided.How can it help you make sense of temperature information?

Weather for Health Maximum and Minimum Daily Temperatures.

Activity 3

Each student should include a written response as to which city they would like to live in and why? The response should include:

1. Aspects of temperature: Do they prefer living in places with high temperatures or low temperature variation and why.

2. Health: How would the temperature affect your health in terms of respiratory problems, diseases, number of visits to the doctor.

Summarize your comments about the student written responses and discuss ways that they these responses might be used to inform the public. Then say lets see what the experts have to say by viewing a video clip on air pollution. Before we do this, here is your homework assignment.

Homework Assignment:

Part 1: The pollution from the increasing number of cars and trucks on the road posses an enormous threat to our environment. Students should list some alternatives to driving to school or work.
Part 2: Students are to select a safe area in their community where they can observe cars as they pass. They should be sure that they can see into each car. Do not choose a busy street because you will be unable to check every car. Keep a record for ten minutes of the number of people in each car. Record the data using the format below:

Time Location_________

Car Number Number of passengers
1.
2.
3.
4. etc upto 20.

Using their data, they should answer the following questions.

1. Find the mode of the number of passengers per car. _________________________

2. Find the mean of the number of passengers per car. _________________________

3. Do you believe that your community could benefit from car pooling? Support your answer. _________________________________________________________.

Enrichment Options

Community Connection
Activity 3 - Wrap Up:

Video clip on Air Pollution and Health
Close the class by watching the video clip

http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqikids/air.html

What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of video clip?
Students will go through the Air Pollution clip, and learn

the meaning of air quality,
how to lower the risk of air pollution,
what can you do to lower air pollution and
who are the people sensitive the most to air pollution.
After students have finished, lead a discussion about their observations. Connect this information to what students have already observed about the air quality on the weather website.

Stage 4
Teacher Reflection

As a reflective practitioner, note how this lesson could be adjusted after its initial implementation. How successful were the students? What did the assessment demonstrate about the students' learning? What skills do the students need to revisit? What instructional strategies worked and what made them successful? What will you change the next time you use this lesson? Why?

Author: Mrs Bulindah
Program: EnviroHealth Connections
Author's School System: Baltimore City Public Schools