Spark some critical thinking with a Global Winds & Ocean Currents CER Activity! This is an NGSS-aligned MS-ESS2-6 climate systems resource that helps students analyze how atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, latitude, and heat transfer influence global climate patterns.
Through 12 engaging CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) data stations, students investigate the Coriolis Effect, convection cells, thermohaline circulation, surface currents, climate zones, the Gulf Stream, and heat redistribution from the equator to the poles. Each station includes a focused reading and data table, allowing students to use evidence directly from the provided information.
Includes both paper-based and digital Google Slides options to assign.
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HOW IT WORKS: Students visit 12 NO PREP stations. At each, students will:
- READ a brief passage on each station card. The station card describes a real-world, interesting example of a topic related to weather. Each station card also includes a DATA TABLE, MAP, or DIAGRAM related to the information.
- Answer the given question to make a CLAIM based on EVIDENCE. Students use the information in the brief text and the data table to make their claim. Students do not have to make a claim “out of nowhere.” They are asked a pointed question that they answer in the CER format.
12 NO PREP Stations Cover the Following Topics:
- Angle of sunlight and how latitude affects solar energy
- Global wind belts (Trade Winds, Westerlies, Polar Easterlies)
- The Coriolis Effect and wind curvature in each hemisphere
- Density differences in ocean water (temperature and salinity)
- Thermohaline circulation and deep ocean currents
- Wind-driven surface ocean currents
- Polar high pressure systems and dry climate conditions
- Warm and cold ocean currents and their influence on rainfall
- Rain shadow effect and causes of desert vs rainforest climates
- Latitude and global climate zones
- The Gulf Stream and its impact on regional climates
- Global convection cells (Hadley, Ferrel, Polar)
- Heat redistribution and energy transfer from equator to poles
Related Standard:
- NGSS MS-ESS2-6: Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
Teacher Notes:
- Check out my Atmospheric & Oceanic Circulation COMPLETE UNIT!
- Includes an answer key.
- Please note that this resource is not editable.
- GO PAPERLESS! Use the included digital Google Slides option to assign!
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