Middle School Science Lessons

Adopt A City Lesson 7 – Reading and creating Isotherm Maps

Objectives: Students will be able to interpret and draw isotherms to compare and contrast temperatures on a weather map.

• Lesson Materials:
  • Handout (pdf) with classwork and optional homework
  • Updated Link to the interactive website 🧑🏻‍💻 – Java replaced the Flash version
  • NOAA: How to do the practice map in the handout

I really like this interactive tutorial for drawing isotherms because after a student has drawn their line, they can immediately check their work by comparing the line they drew to the line drawn by the computer. They have instant feedback and make adjustments if needed. Then they draw the correct line on their worksheet and try the next one using what they just learned.

After students are done with the online tutorial, they can try creating their own lines on a map of the USA for additional practice.

• Additional Resources
  • NOAA Graphical Forecasts 🧑🏻‍💻
  • NOAA – Current Weather Maps with Isotherms 🧑🏻‍💻
  • Zoom Earth – Live Temperature Map 🧑🏻‍💻
  • Better Lesson Isotherms
  • The “father of temperature mapping” Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859)
  • Britannica Entry
  • Practice NY Regents Earth Science Exam with weather questions ✍🏼

How to do draw isolines/isotherms:

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