Content Objectives
This two-to-three-week unit attempts to enhance students' content mastery (HS-PS3-1 & HS-PS3-2) and analytical skills by examining the thermodynamic principles in tropical cyclones for juniors in high school. In addition, students will investigate the relationships associated with warmer sea surface average temperatures and the likelihood of oceanographic weather events, such as tropical cyclones located in the Atlantic basin. This unit is primarily targeted to high school students that have the necessary analytical skills to decipher complex patterns associated with climate data. Students will require a rudimentary understanding in topics associated with the greenhouse effects, convection, adiabatic cooling, and the specific heat of water to master the heat exchange involved in hurricane systems. A close examination of sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean will allow students to determine if a significant correlation exists about storm intensity and/or frequency. This unit is meant to be a project that elicits individual exploration as well as cultivates a depth of thinking that goes beyond the standards of NGSS. It is my hope that students will gain a deeper understanding of energy dynamics and their implication with climate change.
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