Understanding Seasonality in the Cloud Forest

Grade Level: 6-8

Introduction: Do the tropical montane cloud forests of Monteverde, Costa Rica experience seasons?  Students will use data sets to examine meteorological conditions in the cloud forest over a one year period.  Students will graph the data and interpret their results to make a case for (or against) seasons in the cloud forest.

Objectives: Students will be able to: (1) define “seasonality” and use it in appropriate contexts; (2) identify the seasons that occur in the cloud forest; (3) describe the conditions that are typical of each cloud forest season and (4) understand the difference between “qualitative” and “quantitative” data.

National Science Standards: Structure of the Earth system (D); use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data (A); think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations (A); use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry (A).

Time: 60 minutes (5 minutes for opening, 20 minutes for introduction, “Qualitative and Quantitative Data”, and “Qualitative Data”, 30 minutes for “Quantitative Data”, 5 minutes for closing)

Related Plans:

1. Water Cycle
2. Understanding Seasonality
3. Organism Adaptation to Water Availability
4. Plant Transpiration
5. Independent Study of Water in the Environment