The first supporting question, “What does it mean that North Dakota has a continental climate?” helps students use sources to unwrap the context of the time and topic being examined. Facilitate a discussion in class about the differences between climate and weather. The study of weather and weather forecasting is meteorology, and the study of climate and climate prediction is climatology. Weather and climate data documents or records the measurement of atmospheric conditions like temperature, air pressure, humidity, cloudiness, wind, precipitation, rain, flooding, ice storms, etc. The single biggest difference between weather and climate is the amount of time being studied or discussed. Weather is day-to-day changes and variation in the atmosphere over a short period of time, generally days, weeks, and seasons. Weather can also be different when studied in a small geographic area. It could be dry in one location and raining just a few blocks away. Climate is the statistical data and averages that set the benchmarks for what “normal” looks like for a particular place, and what is the range of weather extremes for that location. It is the overall long-time weather patterns of a place over a long period of time, usually thirty years or more—decades and centuries. Climate also tends to be consistent over a larger region than weather. Latitude and geographic features can have a big impact on a region’s climate.
One way of looking at it is that climate data indicates what kinds of clothing you should keep in your closet, while weather tells you what kind of clothing you should wear each day. Changes in weather and climate, and the type of weather and climate an area generally experiences has a huge impact on how and where people live, and what they do for a living. Major industries in North Dakota, including agriculture and tourism, depend on what is going on with the prevailing weather and climate conditions and changes to normal weather patterns. Complete the following task using the sources provided to build a context of the time period and topic being examined.
Formative Performance Task 1
Using the internet and library resources, students will conduct research and complete a chart about the climate of North Dakota. Students should record such things as temperatures, precipitation, seasonal variations, growing seasons, plant life and physical features that impact climate in North Dakota.
Featured Sources 1
Using school and public library resources, and the internet, students will need to search newspapers, periodicals, journals, books, interviews, photographs, maps, and other primary and secondary sources to find evidence to support their arguments and claims.
Learn more about the history of climate and weather in North Dakota by visiting the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum or Camp Hancock State Historic Site, which served as the region’s U.S. Weather Bureau Station from 1894 to 1939.