Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource
Weather Forecasting: Air Masses, Pressure & Fronts — 5E Lesson Plan
Earth Science · 55 minutes
Grade 6
5E lesson flow
01
Engage
7 min
Teacher Does
Show the same station at two times with several changing measurements.
Students Do
List direct observations before explaining them.
Ask
- What changed? What stayed unknown?
Look For
Values first, explanation second.
02
Explore
14 min
Teacher Does
Guide students through pressure and air-mass motion cards.
Students Do
Trace likely air movement and compare air-mass characteristics.
Ask
- Where is pressure higher? Lower?
Look For
General high-to-low pressure reasoning.
03
Explain
10 min
Teacher Does
Connect fronts with changing station conditions.
Students Do
Build a multi-variable evidence statement.
Ask
- Why is one variable not enough?
Look For
Temperature, pressure, humidity, wind, and time.
04
Elaborate
15 min
Teacher Does
Release a new map showing the boundary slowing or shifting.
Students Do
Revise their forecast.
Ask
- What new evidence changes your probability?
Look For
Forecast revision, not stubborn certainty.
05
Evaluate
9 min
Teacher Does
Assign the Delta transfer record.
Students Do
Write a cautious short-term forecast.
Ask
- Does your wording show uncertainty?
Look For
Probability language and multiple evidence sources.
Student goal
I can use several weather measurements to explain air-mass changes and make a forecast with uncertainty.
Learning objectives
- Explain that air tends to move from higher-pressure regions toward lower-pressure regions and that air masses carry temperature and moisture characteristics.
- Use changes in temperature, pressure, humidity, wind, and precipitation evidence to identify an approaching or passing air-mass boundary.
- Make a short-term forecast as a probability supported by multiple data sources rather than a certainty.
Materials
- Fictional station-data cards
- Simplified pressure and air-mass maps
- Colored pencils
- Forecast evidence organizer
- Optional clear container demonstration materials
Before class
- Prepare three time-stamped station records.
- Keep pressure, temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation units visible.
- Avoid requiring memorization of weather-map symbols.
- Plan a mid-lesson forecast update so students must revise from new evidence.
Prior knowledge
- Students know weather includes temperature, wind, and precipitation.
- Students can read tables, arrows, and simple maps.
Vocabulary
- air mass
- A large body of air with similar temperature and moisture characteristics.
- air pressure
- The force of air pressing on a surface, commonly reported in millibars or hectopascals.
- front
- A boundary between air masses with different characteristics.
- humidity
- A measure of water vapor in the air.
- wind
- Moving air, driven in part by pressure differences.
- precipitation
- Water that falls from clouds, such as rain or snow.
- forecast
- A prediction of future weather based on evidence and models.
- probability
- How likely an outcome is, rather than a guarantee that it will happen.
Differentiation
- Color-code warm/cool and moist/dry air masses without requiring symbol memorization.
- Provide a weather-variable checklist.
- Use sentence frames: 'Because ___ and ___ changed, the evidence is consistent with ___.'.
- Extension: compare two plausible forecasts and decide what new observation would discriminate between them.
Assessment
- Check high-to-low pressure reasoning.
- Require at least two changing weather variables for a strong front interpretation.
- Reject exact guaranteed timing unsupported by data.
- Check that students revise forecasts when new evidence changes boundary motion.
Exit ticket
Name two measurements you would use to decide whether an air-mass boundary is changing weather at one station.
Extension
Design a three-station data network that could improve the timing of a short-term forecast.