The Surface and Upper Air Charts and Forces That Influence the Winds sections of Chapter 8 and 5.1 Lesson: Wx Basics explain the various forces that act on air to produce the observed wind, how the forces act, and the resulting effect on airflow, are different near the surface than they are aloft.
After carefully reviewing the above readings and lesson material, you will be ready to engage in this activity!
Initial Post
For your initial post, “go with the flow” by playing the role of a meteorology professor who is preparing a series of short mini-lessons on interpreting the surface and 500 millibars (mb) weather maps, and how the forces acting on air and the resulting atmospheric circulation are visualized on these maps.
For Part 1 of your initial post: follow the specific instructions in M5 Surface and 500 mb Map Discussion (DOCX). Download M5 Surface and 500 mb Map Discussion (DOCX).Choose and post only ONE of the completed mini-lessons to the discussion board as your initial post. Title your post with the title of your chosen lesson as indicated in the file.
For Part 2 of your initial post: based on the knowledge you’ve acquired in this module regarding atmospheric forces and how they are visualized on weather maps, formulate a few statements that address questions you anticipate your students might have at the completion of your mini-lesson, and/or what additional information or resources you may need to provide your students to clarify their understanding. Post these statements below your lesson for Part 1.
In the lessons, you will be referencing the following specific 500 mb and surface maps (also included in the instructions file):
Image from: NOAA Daily Weather MapLinks to an external site.
Image from: NOAA Surface Analysis ArchiveLinks to an external site.
For your initial post only: Before making your initial post to the discussion forum, submit a file containing only part 2 of your initial post in the 5.3 Wx Talk: Initial Post Originality Check on the next page of the module for a check of the originality of your work for part 2 of the initial post. Then, return to this discussion forum and submit both parts 1 and 2 of your initial post.
Response Post
Initial posts are due by the fourth day of the module week. Reply posts are due by the final day of the module, but you’re encouraged to post responses earlier in the module week. Review your instructor’s late policy regarding discussion activities.
By the end of the module, reply to a classmate’s post on a different lesson topic than the one you chose. Your response should add substantively to the discussion by either:
Adding additional or clarifying factual information that addresses the lesson topic points, playing the role of a teacher who is developing similar lessons.
Posing a relevant question, playing the role of a student trying to understand the concepts being presented in the lesson.
