Making Topographical Maps

Transcription

1 Making Topographical Maps to minute sessions ACTIVITY OVERVIEW I N V E S T I G AT I O N To provide students with a better understanding of topographical maps and how to interpret them, this is a hands-on activity in which students construct a topographical map of a land formation. In the next activity students will apply their map reading skills to compare topographical maps of Boomtown at different times in the town's history. KEY CONCEPTS AND PROCESS SKILLS (with correlation to NSE 5 8 Content Standards) 1. There are many types of maps. (Inquiry: 1) 2. Topographical maps provide information about the topography, or shape, of the land. (Inquiry: 1) 3. An understanding of map keys is important for reading maps. (Inquiry: 1) KEY VOCABULARY contour interval contour line key landform scale topography topographical map C-11

2 Activity 25 Making Topographical Maps MATERIALS AND ADVANCE PREPARATION For the teacher 1 color transparency, Street Map of Boomtown Today (black) 1 color transparency, Topographical Map of Boomtown Today (black) * 1 overhead projector For each group of four students 1 landform model 1 transparent plastic lid 1 dry erase marker 1 15-mL bottle of food coloring * 1 large container of cold water (1.5 liter per group) * paper towels (optional) *Not supplied in kit Each group of four students will need approximately 1.5 liters of water. Make sure the water is room temperature or cooler. Warm or hot water will condense on the bottom of the transparent plastic lid and will make viewing the landform difficult. The kit contains two sets of color transparencies to be used as overlays in this and subsequent activities. One contains street maps of Boomtown and the other contains topographical maps of Boomtown. They are color coded as follows: 100 years ago = green 20 years ago = red today = black TEACHING SUMMARY Getting Started 1. Introduce topographical maps. Doing the Activity 2. Students create a topographical map of a land formation. Follow-Up 3. Discuss the features of the topographical maps in the activity. C-12

3 Making Topographical Maps Activity 25 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS GETTING STARTED 1. Introduce topographical maps. Have students revisit the street map of Boomtown today shown on Student Sheet This map is part of the set of color transparencies of street maps of Boomtown today (black), 20 years ago (red), and 100 years ago (green). Project the transparency, Street Map of Boomtown Today, as the map is discussed. Ask students to describe the features visible on the map. These include streets, a river, bridge, buildings, and park land. These are features typically found on street maps. After analyzing the street map, project Topographical Map of Boomtown Today, the black transparency from the set of topographical maps of Boomtown in the kit. Tell students that this is a map of the same area. Do a quick survey to see if students are familiar with this type of map. A few may be, but most probably are not. Explain that this type of map is used to show the shape, or topography, of the land. It is called a topographical map. Explain that lines are drawn to connect all the areas that are the same height relative to sea level. They are contour lines, and the height difference between contour lines is called the contour interval. The contour interval is set when the map is made and is consistent for all lines on the map. Show how the labeled heights on the contour lines are relative to sea level by pointing out the line farthest to the right on the Boomtown map (in this case, at the beach and marked 0 ). The term elevation can be used here, but it is not needed to complete the activity. things than a street map. For example, a topographical map is more useful than a street map in determining the shape of the land, but less useful for driving to a destination. Discuss specific differences between the maps and identify the circumstances under which each map would be most useful. DOING THE ACTIVIT Y 2. Students create a topographical map of a land formation. Show students the model landform and ask them to describe it. They may describe it as having a hill or mountain, a valley or canyon, and a low, flat plain or plateau. Let them know they will be constructing a map of this model landform. Have students begin the activity. Tell them to be careful not to get the lid wet as it will destroy their drawing of the contour lines. Advise students to pour water in the box until it just reaches each step, as described in the procedure. In Step 8, students need to observe the peak of the hill carefully as they pour water in the box in order to accurately estimate the height and location of the peak. Student maps should look similar to the one below. You may wish to make a transparency of one group s results or place the plastic lid on the overhead projector. Use it to point out the higher hill on the left, the plateau on the right, and the valley between them. Identify that the spread out lines on the east side indicate a gentler slope than the steeper west side of the hill. Sample Student Topographical Map Use the topographical map of Boomtown to have students determine that the contour interval is 25 meters for this particular map. The contour interval is written on the contour lines (without units), but is also stated in the map s key. The key shows the direction of north and the scale for the map. Have students compare the key for both the street map and the topographical map and note that though they both use the same scale, the key to the topographical map also states the contour interval. After students are more familiar with the maps, discuss how a topographical map shows different C-13

4 Activity 25 Making Topographical Maps This icon indicates questions for formative assessment. See Teacher Resources III: Assessment for more information. FOLLOW-UP 3. Discuss the features of the topographical maps in the activity. Ask students to respond to the Analysis Questions and then review them in class. Questions 3 and 4 are an opportunity to assess whether students are able to read a topographical map. Assessing student ability here is very important, because good map reading skills are essential in the next activity. Return to the transparency, Topographical Map of Boomtown Today, and ask the students to review their results by comparing the map they drew to the map on the transparency. Ask them if they think the landform they mapped is part of Boomtown or not. On close inspection, students will see their map is similar to a portion of the Boomtown topographical map. In fact, the valley in the student map is the same landform as the Rolling River. The student maps made in this activity show the topography of the farthest west portion of the Rolling River and its immediate area, as shown on the map. To the south of the valley is Green Hill, and part of the Riverside Forest is shown to the north. Help students see this by drawing a dashed line that approximates the edges of their smaller topographical map onto the transparency of the topographical map. Conclude the activity by having students take a minute to read the topographical map of Boomtown on the transparency and then compare the land shape and height of Green Hill, Delta Wetlands, and Seaside Cliff. You may also want to superimpose the transparency, Street Map of Boomtown Today, on it and allow students to discuss how the topography of Boomtown has influenced the development of building in the town. SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS a. the contour interval for your topographical map? Since each contour line represents 1 cm, this would be 1 x 25 m, or 25 m per contour interval. b. an estimated height of the top of the hill? The hill is covered just as the water is filled to the sixth line, so this represents about 150 m. 2. a. What does your topographical map show you about the land? Students maps show a hill and a flat plain with a valley in between. The map also shows how steep the surface is for these landforms. b. What does your topographical map not show you about the land? It doesn t show any changes smaller than the contour interval (25 m), so details are missing. It also doesn t show anything about the composition of the surface. 3. Compare the following diagrams that were drawn with the same contour interval and scale. a. Which one shows a fairly flat area? X b. Which one shows a hill or valley with a gentle slope? Z c. Which one shows a steep hillside? Y 4. Look at the diagram below and answer the following questions: a. what kind of landform is this? A valley b. Which of the locations marked on the map is the steepest? N c. Which of the locations marked on the map is the flattest? L 1. A contour interval is the change in elevation between adjacent lines. If each water line in your landform model represents 25 meters, what is C-14

5 Boomtown s Topography to 1 50-minute session ACTIVITY OVERVIEW P R O B L E M S O LV I N G Students compare the street maps and topographical maps of Boomtown in the present with topographical maps of Boomtown from 20 and 100 years ago. They identify changes that have taken place in the landforms at the building locations. They consider how evidence from the contour maps might suggest potential problems for the three possible building locations in Boomtown. KEY CONCEPTS AND PROCESS SKILLS (with correlation to NSE 5 8 Content Standards) 1. There are many types of maps. (Inquiry: 1) 2. Topographical maps provide information about the topography, or shape, of the land. (Inquiry: 1) 3. Examination of topographical maps from different time periods can provide evidence about changes in the shape of the land. (Inquiry: 1) KEY VOCABULARY contour interval contour line key landform scale stability topography topographical maps C-15

6 Activity 26 Boomtown s Topography MATERIALS AND ADVANCE PREPARATION For the teacher 1 color transparency, Street Map of Boomtown 100 Years Ago (green) 1 color transparency, Street Map of Boomtown 20 Years Ago (red) 1 color transparency, Street Map of Boomtown Today (black) 1 color transparency, Topographical Map of Boomtown 100 Years Ago (green) 1 color transparency, Topographical Map of Boomtown 20 Years Ago (red) 1 color transparency, Topographical Map of Boomtown Today (black) * 1 overhead projector For each pair of students 1 Student Sheet 26.1a, Street Map of Boomtown 100 Years Ago 1 Student Sheet 26.1b, Topographical Map of Boomtown 100 Years Ago 1 Student Sheet 26.2a, Street Map of Boomtown 20 Years Ago 1 Student Sheet 26.2b, Topographical Map of Boomtown 20 Years Ago 1 Student Sheet 26.3a, Street Map of Boomtown Today 1 Student Sheet 26.3b, Topographical Map of Boomtown Today *Not supplied in kit TEACHING SUMMARY Getting Started 1. Introduce the street and topographical maps of Boomtown. Doing the Activity 2. Students analyze the maps and observe changes in Boomtown s topography. Follow-Up 3. Review students ideas about the stability of Boomtown's three possible building locations. C-16

7 Boomtown s Topography Activity 26 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS GETTING STARTED 1. Introduce the street and topographical maps of Boomtown. Distribute Student Sheet 26.3a, Street Map of Boomtown Today, and Student Sheet 26.3b, Topographical Map of Boomtown Today. Compare the topographical map to the street map of Boomtown, which students have seen in the previous activity. Remind students that topography is the shape of the land and that a topographical map represents the landforms. Review with students the results of the last activity, in which they made a topographical map of the western portion of Boomtown. As a class, identify the topographical features of Boomtown. Make sure students can identify the characteristics of the three building sites before beginning the next activity. Let students know that one of the major factors in deciding whether an area is suitable for building is to look at the stability of the land. If an area has had unchanging topography for an extended time, it is considered more stable and a more desirable building site than an area that has changed. DOING THE ACTIVIT Y 2. Students analyze the maps and observe changes in Boomtown s topography. Review the introduction and Challenge and then distribute Student Sheet 26.1a, Street Map of Boomtown 100 Years Ago, and Student Sheet 26.1b, Topographical Map of Boomtown 100 Years Ago, Student Sheet 26.2a, Street Map of Boomtown 20 Years Ago, and Student Sheet 26.2b, Topographical Map of Boomtown 20 Years Ago. Point out to students that each student sheet has two parts a and b. Part a is always a street map and Part b is always a topographical map. Have students complete the Procedure and answer the Analysis Questions. It may help students to see the differences in the maps if they place the student sheets they want to compare on top of each other and hold them up to the light. This may make it easier for students to see the changes in Boomtown s landforms. Students should find that some areas of Boomtown have changed more than others in the last 20 years. Specifically, the area of housing development on the southeastern slope of Green Hill is the location of significant change. On close inspection, students should be able to see that the change occurred within the last twenty years when the development on the hill appeared on the street map. Those same areas of Green Hill had been relatively stable from one hundred years ago until that time. A sample student table is shown on the next page. Students may not recognize the changes at Green Hill as a result of erosion, or those at Delta Marsh as a result of deposition, because these concepts have not yet been introduced at this point in the unit. Students will be formally introduced to the earth processes of erosion and deposition in the next few activities. The observations from this activity foreshadow these concepts. At this point in the unit, students should focus on making observations rather than explanations. This activity allows students to apply the observation skills they developed in the first activity in this unit. Ask students, Which observations, the ones from the topographical maps or the ones from the photos in the first activity, provide more convincing evidence about the best site to build on? Discuss the differences between what the photos and the maps showed, and explain why the topographical maps provide more compelling evidence about the effects of building than the photographs. The students may respond that these maps provide more information over a larger area than the photos. The topographical maps also show the areas at three specific time periods rather than within two general timeframes. In addition, students may remember that the photographs were not specific to Boomtown. C-17

8 Activity 26 Boomtown s Topography Sample Observations: Boomtown Through Time Location 100 years ago 20 years ago Today Marsh The river mouth has two small streams feeding into the ocean (tributaries). No buildings or roads on the marsh. The tributaries are longer. Some streets and houses have been built. The shoreline and 25m line have moved farther to the east than 100 years ago. No construction or roads on the marsh. There is a third tributary and they are all longer. The shoreline has a bulge to the east that is bigger than it was 20 or 100 years ago. The 25 m contour line has moved farther east. Movement of delta in last 20 years is about the same as in previous 80 years. Some construction near the marsh. Hillside No construction on the hill. South and east sides are less steep than today. Some houses built up to 50 m at the south and east base of the hill. No construction on north and west sides. South and east sides are much less steep than today but about the same as 100 years ago. New road and development up to 100 m. No construction on north and west sides. The 50, 75, and 100 m contour lines have moved. South and east sides are steeper than 20 years ago. No construction on the cliff. No construction on the cliff. No building on the cliff. Cliff 25 and 50 m lines are west of their location 20 years ago and today. Road to Town Beach has moved. 25 and 50 m lines are slightly west of today s location. Road to Town Beach has been widened. 25 and 50 m lines are farther east than 20 or 100 years ago. Movement of cliff has been steady over the last 100 years. FOLLOW-UP 3. Review students ideas about the stability of Boomtown's three possible building locations. When reviewing student answers to the Analysis Questions, it may be helpful to superimpose the color transparencies of the topographical maps on the overhead projector. These topographical maps allow students to make a judgment about how stable the possible locations have been over the last hundred years. They should conclude that, overall, Seaside Cliff has been the most stable, followed by Green Hill (stable on the north and west, unstable on the south and east) and the Delta Marsh. Ask students to look at the changes of Boomtown in the context of different periods of time. Ask students, Were there more changes from 100 years ago to 20 years ago or from 20 years ago to today? There was significantly more change in the last 20 years than in the previous 80 years for both the Green Hill and the Delta Wetlands. Seaside Cliffs, however, has changed at a more steady rate over the last one hundred years. Brainstorm possible explanations for this with students. Using the overhead projector, overlay the color transparencies of Boomtown street maps on the topographical maps. Identify developed areas that correspond to recent topographical change, such as the southeast part of Green Hill. C-18

9 Boomtown s Topography Activity 26 In the next few activities, they will learn about the earth processes that can explain the changes they saw in the topographical maps. At that time they will have opportunity to revisit the topographical maps. They will then be able to use the evidence to help make a decision about where to build homes. Remind students that the information gathered in this activity is limited to the last 100 years of the earth s 4.5-billion-year-history. It may be interesting to discuss with students what they think Boomtown looked like 200, or even 2,000 years ago. Before moving on to the next activity, add any new evidence to the Building Site Evidence Chart that you or the students think is relevant to making an informed decision about where to build. SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 1. What is the contour interval on the topographical maps of Boomtown? The contour interval is 25 meters. (Remind students that a meter is about three feet.) 2. a. What major changes did you observe between 100 years ago and 20 years ago? The major changes through this time period are: 1) movement of the cliff, which has receded to the west, 2) branching of the river, 3) more land in the delta, 4) significant road and house building, and 5) added curvature of the river. b. What major changes did you observe between 20 years ago and today? 3. Look at the maps of the three locations in Boomtown. a. Which of the three locations is the most stable? Seaside Cliff seems to be the most stable area, because the cliff has moved less than the south and east side of Green Hill. It has also changed at a more steady rate than the other two sites. Some students may suggest the north and west sides of Green Hill, which has not changed over the hundred years. b. Which of the three locations is the least stable? The Delta Marsh is the least stable because it shows the most change in contour lines. Its change has been very rapid in the last 20 years. It is less stable than Green Hill, which has some areas that have not changed. c. Explain the evidence that supports your answers to 3a and 3b above. The evidence for this is the contour lines that show how the heights have or have not changed over time. 4. Do the maps indicate possible problems for building at any of the possible locations? These maps do indicate that there may be problems because of the changes to the building sites and to the Rolling River. If these sorts of changes continue, this could lead to problems for anything built at the sites because the landforms are changing. These changes could mean expensive repairs and potential safety problems in the future. The major changes in this time period are: 1) a significant change in the hill, which has become steeper on the southeastern side, 2) some movement of the cliff, which continued to recede to the west at a steady pace, 3) more branching of the river, and 4) some addition of land in the delta. C-19

10 Name Date Street Map of Boomtown 100 Years Ago 2012 The Regents of the University of California Issues and Earth Science Student Sheet 26.1a C-21

11 Name Date Topographical Map of Boomtown 100 Years Ago 2012 The Regents of the University of California Issues and Earth Science Student Sheet 26.1b C-23

12 Name Street Map of Boomtown 20 Years Ago Date 2012 The Regents of the University of California Issues and Earth Science Student Sheet 26.2a C-25

13 Name Topographical Map of Boomtown 20 Years Ago Date 2012 The Regents of the University of California Issues and Earth Science Student Sheet 26.2b C-27

14 Name Street Map of Boomtown Today Date 2012 The Regents of the University of California Issues and Earth Science Student Sheet 26.3a C-29

15 Name Topographical Map of Boomtown Today Date 2012 The Regents of the University of California Issues and Earth Science Student Sheet 26.3b C-31

16 Forecasting Weather to minute sessions ACTIVITY OVERVIEW I N V E S T I G AT I O N Students work together to interpret a weather map and construct a weather report. Each group then presents a weather report to the class. Students use this information to forecast the next day s weather. KEY CONCEPTS AND PROCESS SKILLS (with correlation to NSE 5 8 Content Standards) 1. Weather is the outdoor conditions (such as temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, etc.) at a particular time and place. Weather maps provide visual summaries of some of these conditions. (EarthSci: 2) 2. Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather. (EarthSci: 1) 3. Scientists such as meteorologists, atmospheric scientists, climatologists, and hydrologists study different aspects of the earth s weather and atmosphere. Society relies on the information provided by such scientists. (History: 1) KEY VOCABULARY front (cold, warm) meteorologist pressure (high, low) precipitation E-201

17 Activity 69 Forecasting Weather MATERIALS AND ADVANCE PREPARATION For the teacher 1 color transparency, Satellite Image: Clouds over North America 1 Literacy Transparency 2, Oral Presentations 1 Scoring Guide: COMMUNICATION SKILLS (CS) * 1 overhead projector For the class * local weather maps (optional) For each group of four students 1 set of colored pencils (red, green, blue) (optional) For each student 1 Student Sheet 69.1, Summarizing Weather Reports 1 Student Sheet 69.2, Map of Iowa 1 Scoring Guide: COMMUNICATION SKILLS (CS) (optional) *Not supplied in kit You may want to supplement the weather maps in the Student Book with local weather maps. If so, gather daily newspapers or maps from weather websites.analysis question three asks students to place weather symbols on a map. To facilitate drawing the symbols, consider providing students will colored pencils. The optional colored pencils are for use with Analysis Question 2. Masters for Scoring Guides are found in Teacher Resource III: Assessment. TEACHING SUMMARY Getting Started 1. Explain how weather maps are compiled from satellite data. Doing the Activity 2. Students summarize a weather map and write a weather report. Follow-Up 3. (CS ASSESSMENT) Students present weather reports to the class and evaluate summaries of the week s weather. 4. Students forecast the weather for September 1.if this works) E-202

18 Forecasting Weather Activity 69 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS GETTING STARTED 1. Explain how weather maps are compiled from satellite data.. Display the color transparency, Satellite Image: Clouds over North America, and inform students that this map was created from satellite data. Explain that clouds reflect a certain amount of radiation and that certain satellites measure this radiation using an instrument called a radiometer. Clouds that are closer to the earth s surface tend to have warmer temperatures and reflect more radiation. On the color transparency, these clouds can be seen as areas of white/gray. Clouds higher in the atmosphere are colder and reflect less radiation. On the color transparency, these clouds appear as areas of yellow and blue. Explain that this image is produced by applying false color to satellite data. Also note, the map of North America has been placed into the satellite image for data interpretation purposes. From such satellite images, meteorologists can determine cloud height, thickness, and temperature. They combine this information with air pressure and temperature data from weather stations and radar images. A weather map is then constructed using symbols to represent areas of precipitation, fronts, and even severe weather events, such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Review with the class the symbols and their associated weather from the table, Weather Map Symbols, found in the Student Book. Explain that these symbols can vary with different media sources, such as newspapers, television stations, or web sites. The symbols shown in the table will help students interpret the weather maps shown in the Student Book. DOING THE ACTIVIT Y 2. Students summarize a weather map and write a weather report. Assign each group a date in August from the eight maps shown in the figure, Weather Maps for August 24 31, in the Student Book. Students work in pairs to discuss the weather shown on their group s assigned map. Remind students that when they are asked to describe the state or area in the United States that is experiencing the weather shown on the map. Student pairs then write a weather report summarizing and explaining the weather seen on the weather map.their reports should be written in the present tense, as if they were reporting on TV or radio. Note that both Procedure Steps 3 and 4 provide a specific example of how to describe an aspect of the weather map and report that weather. After student pairs have completed their reports, they share their work with the other half of their group. The group reviews the map together to check that both pairs have included information on all major weather elements shown in the map. Then each group prepares one report to present to the class. A sample weather report is shown below. Sample Weather Report for August 24th Today is August 24, and here are the current weather conditions. There is a cold front stretching from northern Arizona up through northern Minnesota. This cold front is causing cooler temperatures in northern Arizona, and parts of northern Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. In northern Washington, Idaho and Montana, it is raining, so bring your raincoats and umbrellas to work. Parts of Texas are experiencing rain, with some clearing because of a high pressure system. In Florida, it is raining, with heavy rains along the coast due to the hurricane that formed over the weekend. There are clear skys over West Virginia because of a high pressure system. A cold front is stretching from Michigan up into Canada causing colder temperatures. FOLLOW-UP 3. (CS ASSESSMENT) Students present weather reports to the class and evaluate summaries of the week s weather. Students presentations can be assessed using the COMMUNICATION SKILLS (CS) Scoring Guide. If you plan to assess student presentations, you may want to review the expectations for oral communication described on Literacy Transparency 2, Oral Presentations. E-203

19 Activity 69 Forecasting Weather Hand out Student Sheet 69.1, Summarizing Weather Reports. Students should read the statements on the sheet before they listen to all of the groups weather reports. These statements act as a listening strategy that helps students focus on the eight weather reports. You can have them respond to the statements either after each group has presented its report or after all of the reports have been presented. Have groups present their reports in chronological order. Encourage students to take notes or jot down information as they listen, which will help them in answering the questions. Be sure to review students responses after all group representatives have completed their presentations. 4. Students forecast the weather for September 1. Students will use the weather reports to forecast the weather on September 1 for Cleveland, Ohio. To make their forecasts, students should look at the weather that is to the west of Cleveland on August 31. A sample student forecast is provided below. Sample Student Weather Forecast for Cleveland, Ohio for September 1 For September 1, weather in Cleveland will be rainy as a cold front and low pressure system move through. As the cold front goes by, temperatures will drop. The low-pressure system may continue to cause more precipitation. Be sure to take your umbrella with you tomorrow. Analysis Question 3 asks students to construct a key, and draw weather symbols on a map of Iowa based on given weather conditions. Provide colored pencils (green, red, and blue) to assist students with this question. Sample Response to Student Sheet 69.1, Summarizing Weather Reports T F 1. There was precipitation in some part of the U.S. every day from August 24 to 31. Each map contains areas of green, which represents precipitation. T F 2. The hurricane that developed on August 24 reached Texas. The hurricane did not reach Texas. T F 3. Weather moves from west to east across the United States. This pattern can be documented by comparing the position of the cold front stretching across the middle of the United States on August 24 to its subsequent position on August 25 through August 31 as it moves from west to east. Note: This same pattern can be observed by comparing the position of some of the pressure systems and fronts, but it is not always apparent with precipitation, since areas of precipitation can dissipate and arise and do not span the entire United States from west to east. T F 4. Areas of low pressure can only be found along the coasts. Areas of low pressure can occur anywhere in the United States. T F 5. On August 27, tornadoes developed on the west coast of the United States. On August 27, there was a tornado warning in the central United States. E-204

20 Forecasting Weather Activity 69 SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 1. a. Based on the patterns you observed in the maps in Figure 2, in what direction does weather generally travel across the United States? In general, weather moves from west to east across the United States due to the motion of the winds blowing from the west. This is the global wind pattern that prevails at latitudes North. b. Think back to your work in the last activity. In what direction does the prevailing wind move across the United States? From southwest to northeast (west to east). c. How does the movement of the atmosphere globally affect weather locally? Weather systems can move from one area to another. Global winds can help drive this movement. So weather that seems like it only exists in one area may have traveled from another area. In the United States, this means that the weather west of a particular location is likely to travel east and occur locally. 2. Below is weather data collected for Iowa on September 15. Your teacher will give you Student Sheet 69.2, Map of Iowa. Use the information provided and your knowledge of weather maps to place the appropriate weather symbols on Student Sheet Be sure to construct a key for your map. Warm front extending from Lincoln, Nebraska northeast to Mason City, Iowa Rain all along the warm front Low-pressure system in and around Des Moines, Iowa Correct answer for Analysis Question 2 using Student Sheet 69.2, Map of Iowa S. D. Sioux City Lincoln NEBRASKA IOWA Council Bluffs MINNESOTA Mason City Des Moines MISSOURI L Dubuque WISCONSIN Cedar Rapids Davenport ILLINOIS Precipitation (green) Warm front (red) Low pressure (red) 3. Reflection: People often complain about the unreliability of weather forecasts. Why do you think meteorologists are sometimes wrong about what the weather will be like? While answers will vary, students may be more likely to have observed that the movement of weather systems is difficult to predict. In some cases, weather systems dissipate before they arrive at a particular place or they may form unexpectedly. In other cases, weather systems may not move as predicted. Overall, weather is hard to predict because its occurrence is based on many variables that are constantly changing. E-205

21 Name Date Summarizing Weather Reports Listen to the weather reports presented by the different groups. As you listen, decide if each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F). Circle your response. Use the space below each statement to explain your response. T F 1. There was precipitation in some part of the United States every day from August 24 to 31. T F 2. The hurricane that developed on August 29 reached the state of Texas. T F 3. Weather moves from west to east across the United States. T F 4. Areas of low pressure can only be found along the coasts The Regents of the University of California T F 5. On August 27, tornadoes developed on the west coast of the United States. Issues and Earth Science Student Sheet 69.1 E-207

22 Name Date Map of Iowa 2012 The Regents of the University of California SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux City Council Bluffs Lincoln NEBRASKA IOWA MINNESOTA Mason City Des Moines MISSOURI WISCONSIN Dubuque Cedar Rapids Davenport ILLINOIS Issues and Earth Science Student Sheet 69.2 E-209