Earth Science · Weather & Climate
Weather Forecasting: Air Masses, Pressure & Fronts
Collect and interpret weather data to explain how moving air masses and fronts change local conditions and support probabilistic forecasts.
Lesson plan
Weather Forecasting: Air Masses, Pressure & Fronts
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Lesson overview
What students will learn
- 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.
Key science ideas
- Air tends to flow from regions of higher pressure toward regions of lower pressure.
- Air masses can differ in temperature and moisture, and fronts form where different air masses meet.
- When air masses interact, local temperature, pressure, humidity, wind, and precipitation can change over time.
Lesson at a glance
- Grade 6
- 55 min
- ~10 min prep
- MS-ESS2-5
- 5 materials
What’s included
- Lesson Plan
- Investigation
- Teacher Slides
- Printable Worksheet
- Teacher Answer Key
- Interactive Activity
- Vocabulary