Week 2 Post-trip Report
What an incredible day we had on Mt. Washington! I took a few minutes at the Scenic Vista, in Intervale, to take in the long view looking up at the mountains and see where I was headed. I was lucky to get a clear view of the summit, (only about ⅓ of the time I later learned).
My partner teacher (Karl) and I geared up and headed up with a lively crew and had lots to chat about on the ride up. Stopping briefly, we checked out the view, as well as the rime ice starting to show up on the signs. Once on the summit, we quickly checked out the temperature and wind speed, noting the wind chill had changed from -50 to -15 during our ascent.
One of the real treats for me was the shift change meeting. I could appreciate the efficiency to transfer information to the fresh crew and go over details for upcoming trips, guests and instrument maintenance issues. Marty did not disappoint, getting right into the action.
We had a blast learning about the observers’ routine, understanding the purpose of all the equipment and how it is used in their forecasting. Back in my classroom (grades 6-8), my students had prepared lots of weather questions, as we are starting an investigation into what effect weather has on maple sugaring. We are tapping trees on and near our school property and selecting variables to test, such as the effect of snowpack on volume of sap collected.
We had a great live connection and my students enjoyed asking their questions to a scientist. Making learning authentic and engaging is what I strive for, and they took away so much more than the answers to their questions. They saw their teacher engaging in science and what that looks like, as well as feeling part of the experience.
I am using my experience on Mt. Washington to connect weather and climate science to our local environment. My students are collecting snowpack data to report to Maine Geological Survey’s snowpack study to develop flood potential information.
As we prepare our maples, students will be checking our weather station twice daily to track overnight temperatures and daily highs to determine when they should to tap. Using forecasting from the Mt. Washington Observatory will become part of their daily lives and will a resource for them for years to come.
-Carolyn Lewey, Molly Ockett 6-8, Fryeburg, ME
My partner teacher (Karl) and I geared up and headed up with a lively crew and had lots to chat about on the ride up. Stopping briefly, we checked out the view, as well as the rime ice starting to show up on the signs. Once on the summit, we quickly checked out the temperature and wind speed, noting the wind chill had changed from -50 to -15 during our ascent.
One of the real treats for me was the shift change meeting. I could appreciate the efficiency to transfer information to the fresh crew and go over details for upcoming trips, guests and instrument maintenance issues. Marty did not disappoint, getting right into the action.
We had a blast learning about the observers’ routine, understanding the purpose of all the equipment and how it is used in their forecasting. Back in my classroom (grades 6-8), my students had prepared lots of weather questions, as we are starting an investigation into what effect weather has on maple sugaring. We are tapping trees on and near our school property and selecting variables to test, such as the effect of snowpack on volume of sap collected.
We had a great live connection and my students enjoyed asking their questions to a scientist. Making learning authentic and engaging is what I strive for, and they took away so much more than the answers to their questions. They saw their teacher engaging in science and what that looks like, as well as feeling part of the experience.
I am using my experience on Mt. Washington to connect weather and climate science to our local environment. My students are collecting snowpack data to report to Maine Geological Survey’s snowpack study to develop flood potential information.
As we prepare our maples, students will be checking our weather station twice daily to track overnight temperatures and daily highs to determine when they should to tap. Using forecasting from the Mt. Washington Observatory will become part of their daily lives and will a resource for them for years to come.-Carolyn Lewey, Molly Ockett 6-8, Fryeburg, ME
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