Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: What Do Soda and the Oceans Have in Common?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will use soda to explore how carbon dioxide is able to dissolve into liquid. They will learn about Henry's law, which describes how the solubility of gas into liquids is dependent on temperature and develop hypotheses about how...
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Not Your Usual Pop!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students learn how to crush a can with only air pressure.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Ozone Attack

For Teachers 6th - 9th
In this activity, students observe how rubber bands deteriorate, developing cracks or pits, in locations with different ozone levels.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Ozone in Our Neighborhood

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will experiment to understand variations in the amount of ground-level ozone between different places in their neighborhood, town, or city.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Modeling Smog

For Teachers 6th - 9th
In this activity, students create molecule models using marshmallows to understand and explain how smog forms.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Modeling a Weather Front

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this demonstration, students observe how temperature changes can create a weather front, in particular how the mixing of warm and cold air can produce thunderstorms.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Make a Tornado

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students explore factors that influence why certain areas in the United States have more tornadoes than others and observe a model to visualize what is happening during a tornado.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Glaciers Then and Now

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students compare photographs of glaciers to observe how Alaskan glaciers have changed over the last century.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Co2: How Much Do You Spew?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Young scholars analyze the energy consumption of a hypothetical household to determine the amount of carbon dioxide they are adding to the atmosphere each year.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Get the Picture Severe Weather

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students review graphs and charts of severe weather data then answer "True and False" questions about the content conveyed.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Clouds in the Air: Why Are They There?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
An experiment that demonstrates why there are clouds in the sky. Start with air, invisible water vapor, particles we call condensation nuclei, and air pressure...the cloud comes later!
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Modeling Wind Dynamics and Forests

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this activity, students will develop a model of a forest using plastic bottles and then observe and analyze changes in winds related to differences in forest density.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Satellite Storm Search

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars investigate a physical model to explore how satellite data impacts weather monitoring and forecasting.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Modeling Tree Transpiration

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this activity, young scholars will observe and measure the water given off through transpiration by a plant in a small terrarium.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Balloon Inside a Bottle

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Air takes up space. It's only when air in the bottle escapes that more air is easily added!
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Raise the Roof on Urban Heat

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students use a simple model to explore how roof colors can impact the temperature of an urban area.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Flood Chances

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students test the hypothesis that a 100-year flood happens once every hundred years, learning how the probability of a flood does not mean that floods happen at regular intervals.
Activity
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Cloud Viewer

For Students 9th - 10th
Use the Cloud Viewer to explore the clouds and sky outside.
Article
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: The Water Cycle and Climate Change

For Students 9th - 10th
Water moves from place to place through the water cycle, which is changing as climate changes. Learn how the water cycle is changing as global temperatures rise.
Article
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Why the Polar Vortex Keeps Breaking Out of the Arctic

For Students 9th - 10th
Why does the Polar Vortex keep breaking out of the Arctic? Surprisingly, warming global temperatures play a role.
Activity
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Create a Portable Cloud

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this hands-on activity, students experiment to discover how moisture, pressure, temperature, and condensation nuclei play a role in cloud formation.
Article
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Wind

For Students 3rd - 8th
Wind is air moving from a place that has higher pressure to one that has lower pressure. Sometimes wind is just a light breeze and other times it is strong enough to blow the roofs off buildings.
Article
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Visualizing Weather and Climate

For Students 3rd - 8th
With visualizations, we can see the entire planet from all angles at once. We can see the invisible - such as water vapor in the atmosphere and the way air flows around the world.
Handout
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Weather Glossary

For Students 3rd - 8th
A glossary of common weather related words.