LPTP+Sherry+Altman+and+Bonnie+Quackenbush

**Low and high pressures systems in the film, "THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW"**
 * Title ** : ﻿ **WEATHER UNIT:**


 * Authors **: Sherry Altman and Bonnie Quackenbush


 * School ****:** George Junior Republic


 * Subject and Grade Level: ** ﻿Earth Science, Climate; any level


 * Objectives ****:**


 *  Students will learn about Low and High Pressure Systems
 *  Students will watch a small clip in the movie **"THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW**" to apply the knowledge
 *  Students will understand that filmmakers may choose to make factual errors purposely
 *  Students will identify intentions and goals of feature films in general.
 *  Students will develop questions related to climate change events depicted in the movie
 *  Students will question credibility and accuracy in other films with scientific content
 *  Students will become aware of how movies impact public opinion on societal questions
 *  Students will feel empowered to question media messages
 *  Students will understand that most media messages have a point of view or bias.


 * Vocabulary ****:**

 Low Pressure Systems - Cyclones - High Pressure Systems - Anti-Cyclones


 * Materials ****:**

 "**THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW**" DVD - <span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;"> Projector and computer w/ DVD player


 * Time Needed **<span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">**:**


 * Lesson Steps **<span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">**:**


 * <span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">__ Preparation __ **

Several weeks before the unit on climate/weather, show **"The Day after Tomorrow"** to students in its entirety. Just prior to this class, teach unit on weather (maps, temperature, air pressure, wind, storms, etc.)


 * __Day of Lesson__**

1. Present lecture on Low and High Pressure Systems (below)


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Low Pressure Systems **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">winds blow in and to the left
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">all low pressure systems are lower pressure on the inside
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">low pressure means air rises
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">rising air cools and condensates, making clouds, precipitation
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">names include: depression, tornado, cyclone, hurricane


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> High Pressure Systems **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">winds blow out and to the right
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">high pressure is found in the middle of the high pressure system
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">high pressure means air sinks
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">sinking air hits the ground and spreads out or dissipates
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">therefore, there are clear skies, no clouds, no rain

2. Show short clip from **"The Day after Tomorrow"** (the high pressure system illustration at 51:45-53:10. "Jack is on the phone/ice age" on movie).

3. As a group, students should be able to note invalid points (high pressure is a means to clear weather, not disastrous storms, as film shows).


 * (The rest of this lesson is modeled after Project Look Sharp's "Twister"/Tornadoes lesson plan. Primary purpose is to teach media literacy**
 * i.e., science as presented in feature films.)**

Continue with a discussion about the purpose of this film (ENTERTAINMENT), and whether it was successful. Discuss who created the film (RONALD EMMERICH) and why he may have made this film. Ask the students what they know about consequences of climate change, and where they get their information. (MOST SAY TELEVISION) Ask them to give examples of content they thought was inaccurate, or exaggerated. Raise the question of where to go to find out the accuracy of science presented in a movie, or in this case, to learn more about global warming.


 * Additional Resources/Background Information **<span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">**:**

<span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">[] **Internet Movie Database** <span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">Use to show a good resource for information on any film director, and for "goofs" identified in a film. Page on Day after Tomorrow: []

[] **The Day after Tomorrow: An interview with Ronald Emmerich** Use to show what Mr. Emmerich says about why he made the film.

[] **The Science and Fiction of "The Day after Tomorrow"** A well-balanced short video news report (before the film was released) showing several points of view on the film and global warming. We used this in the classroom to do a tiny bit of media decoding, i.e., showing the bias of each person interviewed.

[] **Good/bad science - Day after Tomorrow** Web-page created by a former science teacher with excellent scientific explanations, lesson extensions, and more web resources.

[] **The Science and Entertainment Exchange** The organization ..."provides entertainment industry professionals with access to top scientists and engineers to help bring the reality of cutting-edge science to creative and engaging storylines. ... "The portrayal of science – its practitioners, its methods, its effects – has often posed a challenge to the entertainment community. ... science’s many complexities have confounded even the most talented writer, director, or producer, time and again pitting creative license against scientific authenticity and clarity."

[] **National Academy of Sciences press release -** "As science and technology have become staples of American television, the bar has been raised for better and more accurate science."
 * NAS Announces Initiative to Connect Entertainment Industry With Top Experts **

[] **The Day after Tomorrow: Could it really happen?** Great scientific facts from a meteorologist PhD.

[] **"Day after Tomorrow" Ice Age "Impossible," Researcher Says**

[] **Meteorology and Climate Movie Worksheets** A GREAT website for finding feature films related to curriculum topics, with accompanying teacher-submitted worksheets.


 * Email contact **<span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">**:**

<span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">Sherry Altman: altmans@gjrmail.com

<span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">For additional free online lessons integrating media literacy and critical thinking into the curriculum, go to www.projectlooksharp.org