Oceans and Climate Unit Bundle for Middle School
Why can two cities at nearly the same latitude have different summer temperatures? In this middle school Earth science unit, students investigate how the ocean stores heat, how currents move that heat, and what those processes mean for people living along the coast or farther inland.
Students begin with a California climate mystery. They test warm, cool, fresh, and salty water in the Ocean Currents Detective Lab, then compare their observations with class results. Next, they use real NOAA climate records to graph temperature patterns in coastal Southern California and Grand Junction, Colorado. A guided writing activity asks students to use evidence to explain how the Pacific can influence a city’s climate.
Your download includes
29-slide Oceans & Climate PowerPoint presentation
Six-page student guided notes with answer key
Hands-on Ocean Currents Detective Lab with teacher guide and key
Coastal California and Colorado climate reading with graphing and comprehension questions
Climate CER writing prompt with evidence sheet, rubric, and sample response
Four-city Thanksgiving graphing challenge with separate teacher key
Two-page vocabulary reference sheet
100-point quiz with multiple-choice answers, sample written responses, and scoring guidance
