Mr.

Hudak
Coriolis Force and Air Masses: This is how we move
Class (Grade Level): 7th grade
Day 4
Time Length:

55min

BIG IDEA for LEARNERS

Air pressure differences and Earth's rotation in the atmosphere result in wind direction at the
Earth's surface.
LESSON OVERVIEW
Review a previous unit on Earths spin and Coriolis force and how it makes bands of wind.
Discuss how this force affects surface air and tie it into wind direction. Write findings in science
journals / notebooks.
Teacher asks What happens when two people sit across from each other on a spinning Merry-goround and one throws a ball straight towards the other one? (Answers may include: The ball goes
straight, the ball moves to one side, the ball contains the initial momentumthe ball is deflected
in the direction of spin) Thats right, the ball is deflected. How can we apply this to Earths
rotation? Another way to do this is to throw a small rubber ball to one student for engagement,
then ask which way the ball would be deflected if the whole room is spinning like a Gravitron
ride at a carnival. This provides contextualization to tie in with SSTELLA, framing the lesson
using an overarching scenario as a puzzling phenomenon about the world as a rotating body.
The fact we are on a spinning sphere is not immediately apparent since everything else is
moving along the same path.
It is important to scaffold learning from the ball on a merry-go-round to an airplane on a
rotating sphere. Building upwards into increasingly complex notions about the world as a
rotating body will be easier through scaffolding from simple to difficult.
STANDARDS
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
MS-ESS2-5: Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions
of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards (Literacy in Social Sciences, Sciences,
and Technical Subjects)
None for AZCCRS But current standards: S2C2PO3: Apply the following scientific
processes to other problem solving or decision making situations-Observing, inferring,
communicating, generating hypotheses, predicting, and comparing.
LESSON LEARNING OBJECTIVE AND ASSESSMENT
The student will understand that one of the effects of the Earths rotation on the air and oceans
is called the Coriolis Effect and it causes objects including air and water to move to the east in
the Northern Hemisphere and to the west in the Southern Hemisphere.
Students will demonstrate that they met the objective by

The student will be able upon completion of the lesson to predict in which direction an object
will move when being affected by the Coriolis effect.
SCIENTIFIC PRACTICES AND ASSOCIATED LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS
SCIENTIFIC
PRACTICE(S)
RECEPTIVE
LANGUAGE
FUNCTIONS
PRODUCTIVE
LANGUAGE
FUNCTIONS
KEY VOCABULARY

Develop Models
Explanation of how Coriolis fits with weather, general reading of a
weather map (will be taught)
Writing a science model, discussion in groups, answering questions

Deflection
Coriolis Force
Air Mass
Weather front
MATERIALS

Coriolis Worksheet
Computer (Teacher can operate or students can use them in the computer lab)
Website information
As many globes as needed for groups to observe and manipulate
Tennis ball
RESOURCES
http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter8/cf_intro.html

https://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1904/es1904page0
1.cfm?chapter_no=visualization
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdGtcZSFRLk
PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE
Wind directions, Coriolis force, fluid flow, high to low pressure movement
TEACHING PROCEDURES AND ANNOTATED SSTELLA PRACTICES
Opening: Engage students with video about coriolis effect, and the importance of deflection.
Students will write down 3 observations in science journal during video. Teacher will cold call
around the room after video asking students what they observed, and if anything surprised
them. Lead into wind directions.

(SSTELLA PRACTICE: Contextualization/Framing). Connect yesterdays activity about

Coriolis effect into todays lesson concerning wind and parcel movement. Activate prior
knowledge by having students complete an entry ticket with vocab. Review answers & remind
vocab. Explain that in todays lesson, they will be using their ideas about their model and
revising.
Details: Throw a small rubber ball to one student for engagement, then ask which way
the ball would be deflected if the whole room is spinning like a Gravitron ride at a carnival. This
should provide contextualization to tie in with SSTELLA, framing the lesson using an
overarching scenario as a puzzling phenomenon. The fact we are on a spinning sphere is not
immediately apparent since everything else is moving along the same path. Ask students why
clouds and oceans are deflected and buildings or people arent. At this point, lets pretend this
ball is an airplane, and this room is spinning like Earth. How would it be deflected due to the
Coriolis Effect? The answer is that it will be the same way. The focus for the rest of the lesson
will be about airplanes and students experiences. If not many students have been on a plane,
you may provide pictures from a trip that youve taken before.
Use the youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdGtcZSFRLk) to introduce
the unit coriolis effect. Have students make 3 observations (Write down three things that you
observed that surprised you.) about the video written down in their science notebooks. Walk
the room and check to see they are writing, then after 2 minutes, ask around the room for one
observation each. Show globe and demonstrate rotation. Explain that the equator is spinning
the fastest and the poles are slowest. Break into table groups and provide each group with a
globe.
Ask students about their experiences. Have any of you been on an airplane? Where
have you traveled? You may find a student that has traveled across the equator. Perhaps a
student has traveled with the spin of Earth, or in opposition. Ask them about their experiences
and to demonstrate their flight on the globe. This allows student contributions to frame the
lesson in a relevant context (SSTELLA Practice: Contextualization - Framing). Additionally, the
students drive the lesson at this point, and references can be made back to their travels. Since
aircraft cover large distances in a short period of time, pilots must also take its influence into
account when charting the paths for their flights. For instance, a plane headed from Miami
(where the Earth's rotation is more pronounced) to New York would end up in the Atlantic
Ocean if the pilot ignored the effects of the Earth's rotation.
Students will break into TPS and interview each other about video, then groups will
observe teacher demonstrate website, fill out worksheet about demonstration. Teacher will
show website on overhead and demonstrate the module
(http://www.montereyinstitute.org/noaa/lesson08/l8ex1.htm).
The plane, which is also not rigidly attached to Earths surface, needs to land on a ship
which is floating in the ocean. Describe the scenario as it is on the screen. Ask the students
What will happen to the plane considering its location (which hemisphere is it in?) and what
weve learned about Coriolis Effects and deflection on parcels? Several answers will come up,
coax students to think about rotation and what we remember about the Merry-go-round
scenario. The plane will be deflected in the direction of spin. Ask students to work on their

laptops using this module. This is the time to pass out the worksheets. Students will observe
teacher demo of web module then work independently as they explore deflection. Make sure
they have globes available at their team tables and remind them to contribute their experiences
and apply them to the lesson. If they can connect experience to the scientific content, we are
hitting on SSTELLA Practice: Contextualilzation (Adapting & Applying).
To summarize: Teacher will operate website to demonstrate variables Coriolis Effect.
Handout worksheets to describe what students are observing. The land and oceans are moving
in one direction, and everything on Earth is, too. Air masses and oceans are able to move
fluidly throughout the system and arent rigidly attached to the surface.
Closing: Bring students back together in closing statements. Ask about their findings with the
website: Ask the students to predict in which direction a straight line will turn when drawn
from top to bottom on a page spinning clockwise. Ask them to predict which direction the line
will turn when drawn in the same direction if the paper is rotating in a counterclockwise
direction. Have the students draw their predictions in their notebook.
.