PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS (continued)

WORKSHOP 4. INTRODUCING ELEMENTARY GRADE STUDENTS TO WORLD CLIMATES THROUGH MATH

Vladimir Köppen, a Russian-German geographer, climatologist and botanist (1846-1940) was one of the first pioneers to tackle the very ambitious undertaking of creating a classification system to derive a number of distinct climate types across the world. A sampling of some of these is shown in map above for the State of California which, because of its very long geographic extent coupled with its location along the Pacific coast, has a wide range of climate types.

In this workshop participants will learn some of the nuts and bolts behind Köppen’s methods. They will also be shown how their students can use climate data, in particular annual patterns of temperature and precipitation, to classify climates while using very grade-appropriate and simple math such as addition, averages, ranges, and the addition of decimals.

Duration of workshop 2 hours, 2 CEUs awarded.

WORKSHOP 5. THE DEWPOINT TEMPERATURE

Photo Copyright Amy Lilienfeld 2022.

Have you ever wondered why, on some days, clouds look as if they are sitting on a pane of glass, i.e., their bases are flat and all at the same level as shown in photo above? That is because— on that particular day— the air has cooled to its “dewpoint temperature” when it reached that altitude.

In this workshop participants will learn what the dewpoint is, what its relationship is to relative humidity and why it is important in weather and in the water cycle in general. A hands-on activity will be done in this workshop with additional handouts for teachers to use in their classes.

Workshop duration 2 hours. 2 CEUS or SCECHES to be awarded.

WORKSHOP 6. IS IT SLEET or IS IT SNOW?

Introduction to the Temperature Profile of the Atmosphere

LUCKY, WINTER 2023. Photo Copyright AMY LILIENFELD

Different types of precipitation offer grand opportunities for observation and description. Even in winter there are a surprising number of different forms. For example what type of precipitation do YOU think is on Lucky’s head and how did you come to that conclusion?

But different types of precipitation also tell us about the state of the atmosphere at one point in time. Participants will also be introduced to a data visualization tool called a STUVE diagram from the “Wyoming Weather Web” and will learn how changes in the temperature profile of the atmosphere will be responsible for different types of winter precipitation.

This workshop will take approximately 2.0 hours and will be worth 2 CEUs.