Make sure students understand the importance of weather to the captain of a ship. What could happen if Captain Moore didn’t take the weather into account when he traveled between Asia and the U.S.? Ask students if they can think of any shipping-related disasters that were caused by ships hitting bad weather unexpectedly.

Prompt the students to discuss their need for information as they attempt to answer Captain Moore’s question.

Then, lead them in a discussion of what kinds of information they might need:

• Information about what geographic area the North Pacific encompasses, to learn where in the world Captain Moore needs weather information.
• What kind of weather they might expect so they can alert Captain Moore.
• Information on who tracks ocean weather and how they track it so they can help Captain Moore get up-to-date information.

Any other details students can think of?

Students may suggest many other kinds of information they should gather before they try to create a report for Captain Moore.