Project

Microclimates and Biodiversity

Intro

Build mini weather stations to learn about climate and skills needed for STEM-based careers

NGSS Standards: SC.6.E.7.3, SC.6.E.7.6, SC.6.N.1.1

Project Poster

Download the project poster as a PDF. The project poster includes a description of the challenge, learning goals, and a list of materials and references.

Download The Poster (PDF)

Learning Objectives

Students learn about elements of weather and their impact on the Earth’s spheres in my 6th grade science class. Students will incorporate engineering and technology aspects into the unit and help create meaningful work using the content knowledge in a novel and challenging way. Students will use their weather stations to track weather over a long period and analyze trends and relationships between humidity, temperature, and air pressure data. Students will act as the creator or engineer rather than only collecting data using instruments.

Project Materials

Materials needed:

  • Arduino Nano 33 IoT which handles Wi-Fi
  • BME280 sensor board with temperature, humidity and barometric pressure all in one unit
  • 1-inch OLED display
  • Male to female breadboard jumper wires
  • Micro-USB cable
  • Hot glue gun
  • A clear box
  • (approximately 30 sets of hardware)