Unit 4.3: Identifying Patterns and Making Connections

Angela Daneshmand, Santiago Canyon College

Initial Publication Date: September 20, 2024

Summary

Has weather data changed over time? This unit is geared toward analyzing and interpreting recorded past and present weather data to denote the similarities and differences over time. In this unit, students act as meteorologists, practice using Excel/Google Sheets to compare past and present weather conditions, and plot and compare data to photographic evidence and U.S. Daily Climate Normals. Students work in teams to collect and analyze data from a local weather station to problem-solve and communicate the results of scientific investigations.

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Learning Objectives

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. Collect weather data to make comparisons with data from a local weather station
  2. Use Excel/Google Sheets to graph and analyze data
  3. Apply science and engineering practices to address questions about Earth and/or planetary systems

Context for Use

Unit 4.3 is the third introductory meteorology unit for Unit 4 and builds on meteorology concepts and science skills acquired from Unit 4.1. In this unit, students become familiar with using Excel/Google Sheets to plot data and find trends and patterns that can be connected to other Earth Science processes.

Target Audience:

This unit is intended for students in undergraduate level earth science courses, including entry-level courses designed for future educators.

Time Needed:

The activities in this unit are designed to take place over the course of one 85-minute class session and can be administered in face-to-face, synchronous, or asynchronous classes.

Prerequisite Skills Needed:

Basic meteorological terms and foundational concepts from Unit 4.1: How to become a weather spotter are needed to complete this unit. It is recommended that students are able to analyze and interpret data as learned in Unit 1.1: What is science and what do scientists do?.

Description and Teaching Materials

Teaching Materials:

85-minute Class Session Overview:

  • Whole Class Discussion (20 minutes): Introduction to Google Sheets. Move through the slides step-by-step in order to introduce Google Sheets to the students. Students will practice entering data, dragging cells, entering formulas, creating a scatterplot, and editing chart visuals.
  • Breakout #1: (25 minutes): Plotting the data. Students will find local weather data or use cleaned up data from the instructor's spreadsheet in Excel/Google Sheets (provided above). Canned data sets for Southern California, Boise, Nashville, and Baltimore/Washington areas can be found in the links under Teaching Materials. Alternatively, students can visit Weather Underground to search for their location and find past weather data using the history tab.
    • Instructions on how to obtain data for a local city:
      • Visit: https://www.wunderground.com/
      • Search for your location
      • Click on the history tab
      • Change the selection from "weekly" to "monthly"
      • Select the desired month and year
      • Scroll down to see the data
    • Students will plot the following graphs and answer the following questions:
      • In your spreadsheet, create a graph for each of the following sets of data:
        • Temperature vs. Time
        • Humidity vs. Time
        • Precipitation vs. Time
      • Describe which type of graph(s) you used for each and why you chose to use this type of graph(s)
      • Analyze your graphed data and identify any potential patterns that you see
      • How do these data compare with the data you collected in the field last class (Unit 4.2)?
  • Breakout #2 (10 minutes): Small group discussion. Students discuss data collected and graphed and answer the following:
    • What patterns have you identified within your data?
    • Did other group members come to the same conclusions?
    • What might account for any differences you see?
    • Share questions that came up during your solo data analysis and come to a conclusion on answers
  • Breakout #3 (20 minutes): Exploring U.S. Daily Climate Normals. Students use Excel/Google Sheets to graph the U.S. Daily Climate Normals and compare the result to their data. How does high/low/precipitation data compare to the Normals? Why is it important to compare current data to Climate Normals? The instructor may want to peruse the U.S. Daily Climate Normals to determine which set of data works well for their area. We have listed a few data sets above that are cleaned up and ready for use in the Teaching Materials section, if needed.
    • Instructions listed on the Breakout Session #3 slide (and below) are for Southern California:
      1. Visit the U.S. Daily Climate Normals website
      2. Scroll down to Fullerton Municipal Airport. Click "Fullerton MUNI AP," select download, and open the Excel spreadsheet
      3. Highlight the dates and corresponding data you'd like to graph (selected dates and corresponding DLY-TMAX-NORMAL), then select "Insert," then "Recommended Charts," and then "Line"
      4. Compare your graphed data to the U.S. Daily Climate Normals to answer the following questions:
        1. What is the general trend of the U.S. Daily Climate Normals average over the period chosen?
        2. What is the general trend of the U.S. Daily Climate Normals precipitation over the period chosen?
        3. How does your collected temperature data compare to the U.S. Daily Climate Normals average?
        4. How does your collected precipitation data compare to the U.S. Daily Climate Normals precipitation?
  • Think-Pair-Share followed by whole class discussion (10 minutes): Making Connections. Students explain the difference between weather and climate and discuss why it is important to compare current weather data to Climate Normals. Students infer how data can inform models and be used to make predictions of weather. They will think back to recording data in the field during Unit 4.2 and looking at larger data sets in Unit 4.3 and explain the importance of each method of collecting weather data (micro and macro scale).

Teaching Notes and Tips

For all modalities, instructors are encouraged to transfer the PowerPoint slides into Google Slides for classroom and student use.

Face-to-Face Courses:

  • If you do not have a class set of computers (or at least one computer for each group), it is best to print the in-class group work slides (slides 18-23) for each student group. It is best to use the canned data sets for Break Out #1. If desired, the "Template to Copy" on the last sheet of the Google Sheet Workbook can be used to copy/paste local data before class starts.

Synchronous Online Courses:

  • Students can access Google Slides to complete during a video conferencing session (e.g., Zoom) in breakout rooms. It is best for each group to have its own slide set (slides 18-23). The instructor is advised to set these up before class starts. See the Unit 4.1 teaching tips section for an example of this.

Asynchronous Online Courses:

  • Students need to complete the Google Sheets Basic Shortcuts activity, Breakout Session #1, and Breakout Session #3 on their own time. The instructor should consider using a discussion board such as Padlet for students to present their information and ideas to the class for Breakout Session #2.

Background Information Resources:


Assessment

Formative Assessment:

  • Introduction to Google Sheets in-class slides

Summative Assessment:

  • Plotting the data and US Daily Climate Normals in-class slides
  • Quiz on main topics, including things such as:
    • Explaining the difference between weather and climate
    • Graphing data sets
    • Analyzing and interpreting graphed data
    • Comparing data sets and drawing conclusions

References and Resources

National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA. U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Daily Climate Normals (1991-2020). 2022, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/search/data-search/normals-daily-1991-2020?bbox=34.341,-118.532,33.767,-117.958&pageNum=2