Mystery Science - Climate Decoder
Mystery Science is a web-based curriculum resource designed to encourage students to question the world around them. Through a mix of video and hands-on lessons, students explore core concepts connected to the lesson topics. Each lesson begins with a video introduction and corresponding hands-on activities to facilitate in the classroom.
Students can participate in the lessons in a whole group setting with the teacher projecting the videos, in small groups, pairs, or even independently in some cases. Each lesson is designed to take 45-60 minutes. In this activity, students are exploring the concept of climate by looking for patterns in the world's climate zones.
Students begin by watching a video to introduce the topic that they'll be exploring. The videos then guide students through a hands-on activity to complete. In this case, students use a printable "climate decoder" to color and identify climate zones on a corresponding map. All of the associated hand outs, including the maps and printable climate decoders, are available on the site here.
Note to Teacher:
Students can participate in the lessons in a whole group setting with the teacher projecting the videos, in small groups, pairs, or even independently in some cases. Each lesson is designed to take 45-60 minutes. In this activity, students are exploring the concept of climate by looking for patterns in the world's climate zones.
Students begin by watching a video to introduce the topic that they'll be exploring. The videos then guide students through a hands-on activity to complete. In this case, students use a printable "climate decoder" to color and identify climate zones on a corresponding map. All of the associated hand outs, including the maps and printable climate decoders, are available on the site here.
Note to Teacher:
- Mystery Science is a subscription-based site, so you may need to log in to view the content.
- Currently, the site is offering a 1 year trial subscription for teachers.
- All of the materials are available as Google Docs, so in many cases, it would be feasible to share these within a Google Classroom.
- As a possible extension to this activity, students could use an interactive map builder like this one to create their own final climate maps to share with others.
Resources:
Mr. Nussbaum Interactive Map Maker - http://mrnussbaum.com/mapmaker21/MapBuilder.swf
Mystery Science: Why are some places always hot?
https://mysteryscience.com/weather/mystery-3/climate-geography-global-weather-patterns/98?r=122679#slide-id-0
Mr. Nussbaum Interactive Map Maker - http://mrnussbaum.com/mapmaker21/MapBuilder.swf
Mystery Science: Why are some places always hot?
https://mysteryscience.com/weather/mystery-3/climate-geography-global-weather-patterns/98?r=122679#slide-id-0