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The Regents Item Bank provides questions from past Regents exams aligned with the content of this unit.

Students test out their ideas and misconceptions about moisture in the atmosphere by solving Regents-like dewpoint/relative humidity problems using the ESRT.

Students test out their ideas and misconceptions about front interactions by applying their thinking to new problem about winter storms. Students use what they have learned about air masses and fronts to show these components of a winter storm on a weather map.

Students test out their ideas and misconceptions about station models by applying their thinking to new station models reflecting a range of atmospheric conditions. This task connects to prior learning and extends students' thinking.

Students test out their ideas and misconceptions about temperature in the atmosphere by applying their thinking to a new task that asks them to consider the relationship between temperature and air moisture in the atmosphere.

Students learn about types of air masses and the regions they are associated with by examining photos of those regions and making predictions about temperature and moisture levels of air masses that originate in the photos. Students then observe simulations of different front boundaries to compare/contrast air mass interaction and the resulting weather at each type of front boundary. Finally, students are asked to research the types of air masses and front boundaries associated with blizzards and use the ESRT to create a map representing what these air masses and front boundaries.

Students learn about convection in the atmosphere by observing a model and making connections to convection in the Earth's mantle. Students then use their understanding of pressure difference and resulting direction of wind to create their own diagrams of global wind belts, which they then revise based on observations of a model which demonstrates the impact the Coriolis Effect. Finally students consider the effect global winds have on NYC weather.

Students learn how pressure and temperature change at different altitudes of the atmosphere by analyzing secondary data and connecting it to particle diagrams of air at different altitudes. Students then refine their understanding of pressure and temperature at different altitudes by watching videos that explain these concepts. 

Students learn about wind by making observations from a model for movement of air in the troposphere, and explore underlying concepts through simulators.

This booklet can be used with teams of teachers to work through the resources in Unit 5.

What does it take for the Mayor of New York City (NYC) to declare a snow day? Create three-panel map (before, during, and after) to demonstrate what needs to happen in order for NYC to have a snow day. Then write a scientific explanation, citing evidence to support your claim for how a snow day could happen.

Since the time of their early existence, humans have both reaped the benefits and suffered the consequences of weather. In this unit, students will observe models and analyze data to learn how the interplay between atmospheric variables such as temperature, air pressure, and moisture leads to the typical and sometimes extreme weather events that humans' experience. Analyzing weather data to make predictions is a key part of this unit and students' understanding of how weather patterns can help us predict future weather events.