• Views 34
  • Favorites
Photo via Pexels

Database Provider

Author

Rutgers University

Grades

6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th

Subjects

Science, Earth and Space Sciences

Resource Types

  • Interactive Media
  • Charts, Graphs, and Tables

Regional Focus

North America, United States, USA - Northeast, New Jersey

NJ State Climatologist: Monthly Climate Maps

|
Ask a Question

Synopsis
  • This interactive map allows students to explore historical climate data for the state of New Jersey. 
  • Students can select any month, back to January of 1997, to locate data on mean temperature, mean minimum, mean maximum, extreme minimum, extreme maximum, precipitation, and snow. 
Teaching Tips

Positives

  • This interactive resource gives students an abundance of information to work with in an easy-to-understand way. 
  • This resource is an especially great tool for struggling readers, as they can work with the information without being bogged down by text. 

Additional Prerequisites

  • Students should understand the terms mean, maximum, and minimum. 
  • A general understanding of the geography of New Jersey might be helpful but is not necessary. 

Differentiation

  • Social Studies classes could use this resource to explore and discuss the ways geography and climate intersect. 
  • After introducing the data in the resource, have students choose a month and year (e.g., when they were born, when they started school, or when they went on vacation) and have them explore the maps. Conduct a class conversation about what students noticed and wondered about the maps. 
  • As an extension, have students compare and contrast two of the same months over several years. What do they notice? What is or is not surprising? 
  • Other related resources include this interactive map that shows forests and land use, this interactive map of wind energy infrastructure, and this article about the climate of New Jersey. 
Scientist Notes
This resource depicts monthly climatic data in New Jersey and can be presented in a map form to ease interpretation. The dataset is accurate and the resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
  • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
    • ESS2: Earth's Systems
      • MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
      • HS-ESS2-4 Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.
    • ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
      • MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
  • College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
    • Dimension 2: Geography
      • D2.Geo.2.6-8 Use maps, satellite images, photographs, and other representations to explain relationships between the locations of places and regions, and changes in their environmental characteristics.
  • Related Resources

    Reviews

    Login to leave a review