Winter Science: Snow and Ice

Engage

Winter science is the study of the physical aspects of winter -- cold, wind, snow and ice -- and the adaptations of people, plants, and animals to winter conditions. 

Did you know that:

The number of cubic feet of snow that falls on the planet each year is about a million billion  (1, 000,000,000,000,000).

A typical snow crystal weighs roughly one millionth of a gram. This means a cubic foot of snow can contain roughly one billion crystals.

Snow and ice crystals, although white and pristine, actually begin formation in the atmosphere with microscopic dust grains.

Snow rises before it falls.

About 23% of the Earth is covered with snow -  permanently or temporarily.

Well-formed snowflakes have six approximately identical arms.  This hexagon shape comes from the crystal structure of ordinary ice. [Note:  See the Snowflake Shape graphic appears at the end of this module for classroom illustration, p. 9.]

Each flake begins as a six-sided prism, but changes in temperature during formation providing the elaborate structures they have.

Snow captures the imagination of people in many occupations from scientists to artists and writers. For example, imagine the variety of snowflake shapes as you read Dust of Snow  by  Robert Frost

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

How are snowflakes formed? [Note:  For classroom illustration, the 7-step snowflake formation graphic appears at the end of this module, p. 8.]

Why is snow white? 

Is it ever too cold to snow?

What role do snow, snow cover, and the melting and thawing process, play on our planet?  How does this affect people and animals?   

Who are some of the scientists, artists, or writers whose study or creative expressions are about snow?

Continue on with the assignment to find the answers to the questions above.

Explore

The basics of snow and ice crystals

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/primer/primer.htm

Why is snow white?

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/faqs/faqs.htm

Snowflake shapes

http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/070119_snowflakes_alike.html

Arctic changes:  A friend acting strangely (Smithsonian)

http://forces.si.edu/arctic/

NASA Video: Polar ice (Requires Real Player or Windows Media Player)

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0409/feature2/multimedia/ft2_mm_01.asx

http://snowflakebentley.com/vid.htm

Those unfamiliar with PowerPoint will want to check out the PowerPoint training videos from Nortel LearniT (http://www.nortellearnit.org/

Explain

Now that you have done your research, write the definitions for each of the following in terms of how they apply to the formation of snowflakes:
Prism /5

Condensation /5

Snow flake (describe its defining features) 15

Part II: Answer each of the following

Why might the old saying "it's going to have to warm up to snow" be true on a bitterly cold winter day /10

Why is snow white? /10

What are the seven steps of snow formation in the atmosphere? /15

How have climate changes affected the physical make up of the polar regions? 10

How have climate changes affected residents of cold regions, for example Alaska or Canada? How can these same changes affect people in the United States? 15

Select at least one scientist and one artist or writer who's research or creative subject was snow and tell what they worked on or created. /15

Elaborate

You should now understand the terms and concepts associated with the snow and ice well enough to develop a PowerPoint presentation.  Choose a title that best represents the information package you've created, e.g., Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!   Your presentation should provide the audience with an understanding of the following topic areas:

Snow formation
Snow shapes
Why a snowscape looks the way it does
How snow and ice patterns are changing in the world
What these climatic changes mean to plants, people, and animals
How snow has captured the imaginations of scientists and artists; other occupations or hobbyists you've found in your searches; or your imagination.

Please refer to the PowerPoint videos found at www.nortellearnit.org before moving to the next step.

In your groups:

Script your storyboard.

Choose a layout and slide design

Assemble and input your information   Be sure to add your own opinions.

Add interest to the presentation by using interesting transitions, animations or other features.   Try to find and add some interesting graphics or images.   Be sure to acknowledge your sources and do not use materials where permission has not been granted.

Have different members of your group proof your content. Run through your presentation several times.

Share your project with the class and discuss your findings. 

Evaluate

Evaluation Rubric

Group evaluation: Rate the members of your group out of 10 for their performance on this task.    Devise a scale that reflects your assessment criteria for the class.

Self Evaluation: What did you learn? What can you do that you could not do before completing this assignment?

Extend

If the weather allows, do your own "capture" of snowflakes. 

One resource is http://www.monroe2boces.org/programs.cfm?sublevel=461&subsubpage=82&subpage=%2054&master=3
If the weather allows, do a digital camera study of snowscapes or snowflakes.

Or, collect a gallery of snowscapes or snowflake pictures from Internet searches (with credit to the photographers.)