ATMOSPHERE IN ACTION

Hey everyone,

It has been another busy and exciting couple of weeks in science as we continue moving deeper into our Weather and Climate unit. Students have been doing a great job asking questions, making observations, and connecting what we learn in class to the weather we experience every day (and their Weather Observations). There have been a lot of hands-on learning, demonstrations, and discussions that have helped bring these atmospheric concepts to life.

Where We Were

Over the past two weeks, we have been exploring the atmosphere, cloud formation, humidity, and precipitation. Students investigated the layers of the atmosphere during our Atmosphere CER Lab, where students plotted atmospheric data and constructed a Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning table about atmospheric structure and function.

We also completed a Relative Humidity mini-lab in which students used sling psychrometers to measure wet- and dry-bulb temperatures to determine humidity levels. This gave students a hands-on look at how meteorologists collect real weather data. Along the way, we have also done several demonstrations to visualize cloud formation, relative humidity, and precipitation.

Below: Video of some students doing our cloud in a bottle demo, and other photos from the past two weeks.

Where We Are

Today, students had a quiz that covered the concepts we have been exploring, including the atmosphere, humidity, clouds, and precipitation. This will help check their understanding before we move into the next major topics of the unit.

Starting next week, we will begin exploring air pressure and density, along with how they influence global and local winds. Students can expect more demonstrations and station rotations that will allow them to experiment with these concepts and see how differences in pressure and density drive movement in the atmosphere.

Where We Are Going

After that, we will transition into learning about air masses and weather fronts, which naturally leads us into our upcoming severe weather topics. To wrap up that part of the unit, students will be working on a severe weather parody song project, which should be a creative and fun way for them to show what they have learned.

If you have any questions or want to connect further, feel free to reach out at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our classroom adventures on Instagram at @classwithcatwood where I share updates and snapshots of what we are learning.

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood

DRIVING WEATHER

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing well. Here is our latest update as we continue through the Weather and Climate unit. We have had a productive couple of weeks, and there is a lot of exciting learning ahead.

Where We Were

Over the past two weeks, Mr. Roberto (our student teacher) has been leading our Weather and Climate unit and guiding students through general review material from previous years. Students revisited heat transfer, states of matter, phase changes, and the water cycle. To support their understanding, we spent time doing hands-on demonstrations to explore heat transfer, used a PhET simulation to explore how phase changes occur, played a water cycle dice game, and wrapped things up with a water cycle diagram assessment. These activities helped students refresh the key ideas they will need as we move deeper into the unit. For instance, heat energy from the sun DRIVES weather.

Below are some photos from our Heat Transfer Station Rotations and Demos:

Where We Are

This week, we are starting our 3-day Heating & Cooling Lab Inquiry. During this investigation, students will explore how the topics we just reviewed connect to how different materials on Earth’s surface heat up and cool down. This work will help us understand how these differences influence the weather we experience.

Where We Are Going

After the Heating & Cooling Lab Inquiry, we will begin to get into more specific weather topics such as the atmosphere, cloud formation, humidity, and other important concepts that shape weather patterns. We will also introduce the Watching the Weather project. This project runs for three weeks and will have students observe the weather using both technology and their own senses. At the end, students will participate in a class discussion where they share what they noticed, including any trends and patterns that appeared over time. This project helps students understand how observations can be used to make predictions about weather changes.

POTENTIAL FLEXIBLE INSTRUCTIONAL DAY (FID):

Before I sign off, I want to note that Monday, February 23rd, could potentially be a Flexible Instructional Day (FID). If that happens, students will need to log in to Schoology and check all their courses to see what work needs to be completed. All 8 Gold core class assignments will be posted on the homework feed at https://www.classwithcatwood.com/homework, which is the same feed that appears on the 8 Gold page in Schoology.

If you have any questions or want to connect further, feel free to reach out at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our classroom adventures on Instagram at @classwithcatwood where I share updates and snapshots of what we are learning.

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood

WEATHER AHEAD

I hope you are all doing well! We've had a lot going on this past month between snow days, 2-hr delays, Firefly testing, and fitting in all our content for the Natural Hazards unit. BUT we aren't too far behind schedule, even with these interferences! So, let's take a look at where we were, where we are, and where we are going next!

Where We Were

We wrapped up our Natural Hazards unit, which focused on tsunamis as our anchoring phenomenon. Over the past couple of weeks, students dug into how tsunamis form, the damage they can cause, and how communities prepare for and respond to them. We ended the unit this week with our Save the City engineering and design project. Students took on the role of engineers, city planners, and emergency managers. Each group was assigned a fictional coastal community facing the threat of a major tsunami. Their challenge was to study their city’s geography, identify who and what was most at risk, and design a protection plan that balanced engineering, safety, and a strict budget.

Students analyzed real tsunami data, explored natural and man-made protective structures, and compared different strategies communities use around the world. As the project progressed, they built models of their cities showing where their protections would go and how evacuation routes and warning systems would work. Event cards added unexpected challenges that forced groups to rethink, revise, and improve their plans, just like real engineers responding to changing conditions.

To wrap up, students pulled everything together in a final proposal explaining how their design would reduce risk before, during, and after a tsunami. This project blended science, engineering, creativity, and teamwork, and the quality of their work showed just how deeply they understood the connections between natural hazards and community safety.

Below are some images from the week:

Where We Are

We’re starting our Weather & Climate unit on Tuesday, and Mr. Roberto will be taking the lead on teaching it. This is one of my favorite units because it pulls together clear visuals, demos, and real atmospheric processes in a way that clicks for students. We’ll begin by introducing our new driving phenomenon and reviewing some basic physics ideas that set the stage for weather: phase changes, energy transfer, uneven heating, and the water cycle. This is a large unit; it will have some quizzes and other assessments, as well as a unit test. There are also two large projects that students will do.

Where We Are Going

As we move deeper into the unit, we’ll explore cloud formation, precipitation types, air pressure, winds, and severe weather. There are several hands-on demos built into this unit so students can actually see how the atmosphere behaves. Students will also begin a three-week weather observation project called Watching the Weather, which will end with a class discussion comparing patterns and trends. It always amazes me how this class discussion goes, because it shows students how the observations they make connect to all the concepts we will learn over the next few weeks.

QUICK NOTE: Monday’s (2/9) High School Trip

On Monday morning, we’ll be heading to the high school to meet the counselors, learn about course selection, and get a better sense of what to expect next year.

• Students should bring a charged iPad and wear a coat, jacket, or sweater for the walk over.

• They should also check their email so they know which room to report to when dismissed during advisory.

If you have any questions or want to connect further, please feel free to reach out at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our classroom adventures on Instagram at @classwithcatwood, where I share updates and snapshots of what we’re learning.

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood