Weather

The heat energy from the sun created favorable weather conditions (warmth and rain) that made corn grow.  A cow ate the corn.  You ate a hamburger.  You played basketball at school.  Describe ways that we are affected by the weather on a daily basis other than just deciding whether to wear snow boots or flipflops.

The water cycle is about evaporation, condensation, deposition, and precipitation.  Examine each of these water cycle elements in terms of the weather.

How do satellites help with predicting the weather?

As the earth orbits around the sun over the course of a year (365 days), the axis of the earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees.  Sometimes Utah is tilted towards the sun, and sometimes Utah is tilted away from the sun.  This is why Utah has seasons with four different kinds of weather. Using a graphics program that you may have on your computer or tablet such as Paint, make a diagram of the earth’s orbit around the sun that shows Utah’s (North America’s) position in its orbit during winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Why does weather in regions near the equator not change very much from day to day and season to season?

In terms of the tilt of the earth as it orbits the sun, why are days so short at the North and South Poles?  In summer, why are the days so long?

Just for fun:  With the help of your teacher, as a whole class using your data projector, access webcams for world cities.  Observe the weather at several locations and, as a class, discuss what you are seeing.  Is there a reason why it looks hot and dry at the Great Pyramid of Giza near Cairo, Egypt? 

The amount of water on the earth always stays the same.  Discover the role that the sun plays in this interesting fact.

Design a chart that shows the 5 layers of the atmosphere and describe the role that they play in the weather and climate of the earth.