The following is a collection of the lesson plans in JetStream.
The Atmosphere
- AM in the PM - Demonstrate that AM radio signals can travel many 100s of miles at night.
- Heavy Air - Show that air has weight.
- A Pressing Engagement - Demonstrate the effect of the weight of air over our heads.
- Going with the Flow - The students will discover that the faster air moves, the lower the pressure becomes within that flow of air.
- Crunch Time - Demonstrate the effect of heat on pressure.
- The "Wet" Barometer - Make your own barometer.
- The "Dry" Barometer - Make your own aneroid barometer.
- Melts in your Bag, not in your Hand - Show the transfer of heat through radiation.
- Canned Heat - Show light and dark colored objects absorb the Sun's radiation at different rates.
- Leaf it to Me - Observe the effect of transpiration as water is moved from the ground to the atmosphere.
- Sweatin' to the Coldies - Demonstrate the change of state from water vapor to liquid.
- The Rain Man - Demonstrate the concept of precipitation.
- Water, Water Everywhere - Discover the different water ratios in the Earth's total water supply.
- What-a-Cycle - Learn the many different routes water can take in its path through the water cycle.
- Water Cycle Paper Craft - Learn how the water cycle works using 3D paper craft activity.
The Ocean
- A Funny Taste - The students will taste the different salinities of various bodies of water around the Earth.
- We all Scream for Ice Cream - The students will make homemade ice cream, but the "freezing times" will vary using different amounts of salt to lower the freezing point of water.
- Salt 'n Lighter - Demonstrate that fresh eggs are less dense than salt water and will float in it, but will sink in freshwater.
- Diet Light - Demonstrate that regular sodas sink due to the density of sugar while sugar-free diet sodas float.
- How it is Currently Done - Students will make their own ocean currents using straws and black pepper.
- That Sinking Feeling - Demonstrates how salinity and temperature affect density of water.
- Moonlight Serenade - Students, acting as the Earth, will see differences in light and dark sides of their "moon" they hold.
Global Circulations
- The Shadow Knows I - The students will discover the change in seasons by the elevation of the Sun.
- The Shadow Knows II - Calculate the circumference of the Earth.
- Toasty Wind - Demonstrate that convection is the original source for our wind.
- Atmospheric Collisions - Demonstrate how rain drops grow by coalescence.
- Its the "Rain", Man - The students will discover rainfall amounts are rarely uniform, indicating that rainfall varies from location to location.
Clouds
- Smoking Clouds - The students will observe how the addition of a smoke particle nuclei aids in the production of a cloud.
- Head in the Clouds - The students will become better observers of the sky as they will see different types of clouds over several days.
- A 'Hole' Lot of Clouds - Another way students become better observers of the sky as they will see different types of clouds over several days.
Upper Air Charts
- Pie in the Sky - View the upper atmosphere in three dimensions.
Synoptic Meteorology
- Drawing Conclusions - Determining the location of cold and warm fronts on a map plotted with weather observations.
Thunderstorms
- How much water is in that cloud? - Demonstrate the high water capacity of clouds.
- Updrafts in Action - Demonstrate the ability of the wind to suspend rain and hail in clouds.
Lightning
- The Rumblin' Road - Determine the distance to a lightning strike.
Tropical Weather
- Quadraphonic Wind - Show the extent of winds in quadrants around a hurricane.