Unit Plan 21 (Grade 6 Science): Air Masses & Weather Patterns
Collect and analyze weather data to show how interacting air masses and fronts cause temperature shifts, precipitation, wind changes, and daily weather patterns.
Focus: Collect, analyze, and interpret weather data to show how air masses and their interactions (fronts) cause weather conditions such as temperature changes, precipitation, and wind patterns.
Grade Level: 6
Subject Area: Science (Earth & Space Science — Weather & Climate)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students investigate how air masses and their interactions create the weather we experience. They learn that air masses have different temperatures and humidity and that when they meet, they form fronts that can produce clouds, storms, and changes in weather. Using simple weather data, maps, and classroom weather logs, students collect and interpret evidence that air mass interactions (cold fronts, warm fronts) explain observed weather patterns, aligned with MS-ESS2-5.
Essential Questions
- What is an air mass, and how do the temperature and humidity of air masses affect weather?
- How do air masses interact to form fronts, and what kinds of weather conditions do different fronts bring?
- How can data (temperature, pressure, humidity, wind, precipitation) and weather maps help us predict weather changes?
- How do local weather observations connect to larger-scale patterns of air movement?
- Why is understanding air masses and weather patterns important for safety, agriculture, and daily life?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Define air mass and describe how air masses are characterized by temperature (warm/cold) and humidity (dry/moist).
- Identify and describe major air mass types (e.g., continental, maritime, polar, tropical) and relate them to source regions.
- Collect and interpret weather data (temperature, humidity, pressure, wind direction, precipitation) to identify air mass changes over time.
- Explain how the interaction of air masses at fronts (cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts) can cause cloud formation, storms, and changes in weather conditions.
- Use simple weather maps (with fronts and symbols) and class data to explain a sequence of weather events in terms of air mass movement and interaction.
- Create an Air Masses & Weather Patterns Data Story that uses graphs, tables, and/or maps to show how air mass interactions caused observed weather conditions.
Standards Alignment — 6th Grade (NGSS-based custom)
- MS-ESS2-5 — Collect data to provide evidence for how air masses interact to cause weather conditions.
- In this unit: students gather and interpret weather data (e.g., temperature, pressure, humidity, wind) and use weather maps to show that air mass boundaries (fronts) are linked to specific weather patterns.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can explain what an air mass is and describe it using temperature and humidity.
- I can collect and record daily weather data and summarize patterns over several days.
- I can interpret a weather map with front symbols and connect it to likely weather conditions.
- I can explain how the meeting of different air masses (fronts) causes clouds, storms, and temperature changes.
- I can create a data-based explanation that connects air masses, fronts, and local weather observations.