Age Level(s): Grades 2-4

Teacher Background Information: See included web sources.

Brief Description

I. Major Concept: Weather

II. Objectives

1. The students will observe a demonstration on how rain forms and show their level of comðrehension by explaining the concepts verbally.
2. The students will give appropriate thermometer readings and calculate the difference between the daily high and low temperature with 100% accuracy.
3. The students will work collaboratively to design an efficient and effective

   classroom evacuation plan that supports the weather safety issues discussed in class.

4. The students will develop the skill of prediction by graphing the patterns of weather over a time span of three weeks.

List of Materials (all activities)

1. Science:

• electric kettle, glass bowl, ice, oven mitt, pie tin, cotton swab, petroleum jelly, spoon, glass, and salt.

1. Math:

• thermometer and weather journals.

1. Social Studies:

• photocopied map of area, newspaper weather maps, and an audiotape of a radio forecast.

1. Language Arts:

• construction paper, lined writing paper, and a stapler.

1. Art:

• muffin tins, water, salt, food coloring, heavy white paper, paintbrushes, poster board, straws, straight pens, stapler, and the book "Bonnie Bess the Weathervane Horse".

1. P.E./Music:

• music to piggy-backed songs, tape or CD player, words to songs, construction paper, and a hula hoop.

IV. List of References

1. For the Teacher
2. Eagan, R. & Schofield, T. A. (1997). Weather wise: Creative activities

   about the environment. Carthage, IL: Teaching & Learning Company.

3. Figurski, D. (1998-99, December/January). Snowflake Snippets. The

   Mailbox, 20, 13.

4. Froman, J. B. (1996). Weather. Lincolnshire, IL: Learning Resources, Inc.
5. McAdoo, J. (1998). Discovering weather [On-line]. Available: http://

   ali.apple.com

6. ovak, D., Chapman, D., & Chapman, W. (1999). The rain game

   [On-line]. Available: http://faldo.atmos.uiuc.edu

7. Novak, D., Chapman, D., & Chapman, W. (1999). Precipitation

   [On-line]. Available: http://faldo.atmos.uiuc.edu
   

8. For the Student
9. Barrett, J. (1978). Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. New York:

   Macmillan Publishing Company.

   • The humor in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs would capture any audience! This is a non-fiction book, but deals with an outrageous weather condition the town of Chewandswallow is experiencing.
10. Branley, F. M. (1987). It's raining cats and dogs: All kinds of weather

    and why we have it. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

    • This piece of literature deals with the myths of weather and how these myths arrived in various cultures. It also contains experiments and safety issues covering various weather catastrophes.
11. Cosgrove, B. (1991). Weather. London: Dorling Kindersley Education.
    • Weather is an Eyewitness Book that covers all types of weather imaginable. This would be an excellent source to study types of weather that are uncommon to the student's location.
12. de Paola, T. (1975). The cloud book. New York: Holiday House.
    • There are many different types of clouds that produce different types of weather. This particular book describes all types of cloud shapes and characteristics.
13. Farndon, J. (19920. Weather. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc.
    • This book is packed with information and experiments children can perform to understand the weather and its changes. Weather myths and history are explained.
14. Keats, E. J. (1962). The snowy day. New York: The Viking Press.
    • The Snowy Day is a fiction book about a young child playing in the snow. He discovers the many patterns and drawings he can make in the snow.
15. Martin, C. (1987). I can be a weather forecaster. Chicago: Children's

    Press.

    • This informational book describes the duties of a meteorologist. Some of the techniques used to forecast weather.
16. Palmer, J. (1993). Rain. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn

    Publishers.

    • Rain is a non-fiction book that covers issues ranging from water in the air to acid rain. The section on measuring and forecasting would be beneficial for this lesson.
17. Palmer, J. (1993). Snow and ice. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn

    Publishers.

    • Snow and Ice is a book that has a great deal of new vocabulary for young children. The issue of dangerous conditions during snow and ice storms is explained.
18. Ruiz, A. L. (1995). Rain. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
    • This is an informational book explaining the process of evaporation. It describes in detail the formation of rainbows, snow, and thunderstorms.
19. Tresselt, A. (1970). Bonnie Bess the weathervane horse. New York:

    Parents' Magazine Press.

    • Discusses the role of a weathervane on the farm. Bonnie is destroyed when the barn she lives on collapses in a snowstorm. She is discovered by another farmer in a junk shop and is used on his farm for the rest of her life.

V. Content Related Words

1. meteorologist: a person who deals with the science of the atmosphere, especially weather
2. cinquain: a non-rhymed, 5 line poem
3. precipitation: water droplets or ice particles condensed from water vapor and fall to the earth's surface
4. Fahrenheit: a temperature scale
5. predict: to state in advance

VI. Projects and Activities for Students

A. Songs of the Sun

B. The Rain Game

C. Homemade Rain

D. Frosty Patterns

E. Weather Mapping

F. Weather Safety

G. Readig a Thermometer

H. Weather Journals

I. Snowflake Snippets

1. Sunny Cinquain
2. The Art of Evaporation
3. Wind at Work

VII. Culminating Activities

1. Students will be taking a field trip to the weather station to view the equipment used to predict weather and air an actual television broadcast.
2. Students will walk to the local newspaper office to watch them make a weather map using the international symbols we discussed.
3. Students will set up the classroom as a newsroom and conduct a weather report.

VIII. Evaluation

1. Using a diagram or their own drawing, students will individually explain the process of rain from beginning to end to the instructor.
2. Students will be given a high and a low temperature and are required to figure the difference between the two temperatures on paper. The mathematical computations done in their journals will be graded also. Using the ° F (degrees Fahrenheit) symbol and having the subtraction facts accurate 100% of the time is essential.
3. Students will be evaluated on their cooperation skills during group project by simple observation techniques while using a checklist. Also evaluated will be the group's ability to provide an explanation of the procedures set forth in their evacuation plan.
4. Students will individually construct graphs comparing and contrasting their predicted weather patterns. These graphs will be graded on ñccuracy, detail, and knowledge of weather concepts. Students must give one statement about their graph and their predictions for the next couple of days.

Math Activities

Activity 1: Reading a Thermometer

Materials Needed:

• thermometer

"How can the weather be measured? How do we know what to wear each day of our lives?" We can determine such things by reading a thermometer. A thermometer gives us a reading of the temperature. We will read thermometers using a Fahrenheit scale. This is how most temperatures are reported and recorded.

Using a large thermometer, students will receive instruction on the correct procedure to follow when reading a thermometer. A discussion will be held concerning what types of clothes we wear at certain temperatures.

After practice reading the thermometer, students will be asked to take temperature recordings in the morning, after lunch, and before going home. We will compare the differences in the temperatures and decipher the high and low temperature of the school day.

Each student will get a chance to be our classroom meteorologist. A form will be completed during morning exercises describing the present temperature, the high and low temperature from the day before, and the amount of precipitation from the day before. The student will then go to the school office and give the report over the public address system.

Activity 2: Weather Journals

Materials Needed:

• student weather journal

Students will learn how to predict the patterns of our weather. Each day, students will be required to keep a journal that allows them to detect the current weather. This activity will be carried out over a period of three weeks. A chart of the information will be kept for student reference.

At the end of each week, the class will construct a graph comparing the daily temperatures and the weather conditions. The information gathered will be used to discover patterns in the weather, seasonal information, and the similarities and differences of certain types of weather. This will be done at the end of the month also so children can see the changes from the beginning of the month to the end of the month, in addition to weekly changes.

Science Activities

Activity 1: Homemade Rain

Materials Needed:

• electric kettle
• glass bowl
• ice
• oven mitt
• pie tin

This activity is a demonstration of how rain forms and falls to the ground. Why does rain fall to the ground anyway? Students will first hypothesize how raindrops are formed and why they fall to earth.

The kettle will be filled half way with water and plugged in. Once the water in the kettle is boiling, the glass bowl filled with ice will be held over the steam escaping from the kettle. The pie tin is placed under the bowl in order to "catch the rain."

Students will observe and share what they observe happening. They will be guided by questions such as "What do you see happening on the bottom of the bowl? What do you see in the pie tin? Are the water drops on the side of the bowl all the same size? Why? Which drops are falling from the bowl?"

An explanation will follow to describe that the small drops on the side of the bowl are like a cloud. The winds in a cloud blow the small drops around so they collide with one another. During these collisions, some drops will combine and make bigger drops. When the drops become too large and heavy, the winds cannot keep them in the sky and they fall in the form of rain. This is similar to the large drops falling from the bottom of the bowl into the pie plate.

Activity 2: Frosty Patterns

Materials Needed:

• cotton swab
• petroleum jelly
• spoon
• glass
• crushed ice
• salt

"Has anyone ever had to scrape the car windows on a winter morning before leaving for school? What are you scraping off? How does that "stuff" form on there?" What you are removing from the car windshield is frost. Frost forms when dew is cooled to a freezing point.

We are going to make frost in the classroom. How can this be accomplished without having a room temperature at or below the freezing point?

The cotton swab is smothered in the petroleum jelly. A simple snowflake design is made on the outside of the glass. The glass is filled _ full of ice. Salt is added to the ice and stirred. A frost pattern will form.

"What happened?" Students will observe a frost pattern on the outside of the glass. The water vapor in the air condenses on the surface of the glass and forms a layer of ice crystals. Where there is petroleum jelly, the water can not condense and no frost will form.

Language Arts Activities

Activity 1: Snowflake Snippets

Materials Needed:

• construction paper
• lined writing paper
• stapler
• markers
• scissors
• glue

It is said that no two snowflakes are alike. It is also true that no two people are alike either. Therefore, each entry in the student's snippet journal will be unique.

To make the book, staple several sheets of writing paper between two pieces of construction paper. Instruct students on how to cut out snowflakes from paper. Have students glue their snowflakes on the cover and write "Snowflake Snippets" in marker along with their name.

During our language arts time, students will be given time to write an entry in their book. Students are to pretend they are snowflakes and write about their experiences. Some story starters are: write about the neatest place you have landed, tell how it feels to be part of a blizzard, describe what it is like to be part of a snowball, etc.

When all students are finished, they are allowed to read their "snippet" to the class. Children will be aware of the differences and similarities between people and snowflakes. The individual books will be compiled and placed in our classroom library.

Activity 2: Sunny Cinquain

Materials Needed:

• paper

In order for this to be activity to be successful, the students must have an understanding of a cinquain and how it is formed. A cinquain is a type of unrhymed poetry. The cinquain the students will create must deal with the sun.

To begin a cinquain, the first line needs to be a one-word subject. Our subject will be "Sun." The second line contains two adjectives, line three contains three verbs, line four is a four word phrase, and line five is a one-word synonym.

Students will be given a sheet to aid them in building their cinquain. The first one will be a "sloppy copy" and a final draft will be made later. The cinquains will be displayed on our classroom bulletin board.

Name:_________________________________

Directions:

Line 1: The first line of your cinquain has been chosen for you: Sun

Line 2: Come up with two adjectives (describing words) for the Sun.

____________________ ____________________

Line 3: Think of three verbs, ending in "ing", that fit the topic.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Line 4: Write a 4-word phrase that tells how you feel about the sun.

________________________________________________________________

Line 5: Finally, come up a word that means almost the same thing as the subject.

____________________

 

Rewrite your cinquain below.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Art/P.E. Activities

Activity 1: The Art of Evaporation

Materials Needed:

• muffin tins
• 1/8 c. water in each tin
• 3 tsp. salt for each tin
• food coloring
• heavy white paper
• paintbrushes

What happens to the rain after it falls to the ground? A great deal of the rain evaporates, or changes form. How does this happen? Students will watch the process of evaporation as it happens.

Stir the water, salt, and coloring in the muffin tins. Instruct students to paint a picture using those paints. Students should report what they are observing. Allow students to hypothesize as they watch.

Relate the activity to how rain evaporates. We can not see it happening outside, but it is the same process they witness.

Activity 2: Wind at Work

Materials Needed:

• poster board
• straw
• straight pin
• pencil
• scissors
• stapler
• "Bonnie Bess the Weathervane Horse"

The wind provides us with many things. Not all winds are destructive like the winds of tornadoes. A wind vane is an instrument that lets us detect which way the wind is coming from. Read "Bonnie Bess the Weathervane Horse."

Trace the arrowhead and tail shapes provided on the pieces of poster board. Cut the shapes out. Assist students in stapling the arrowhead to one end of the straw and the tail to the other end. Balance the straw on the pencil and stick a straight pin through the straw into the eraser of the pencil. Hold the pencil to see if the arrow spins. The arrowhead should point in the direction the wind blows.

Take students outside and illustrate how a wind vane works. Ask why people put them on the tops of buildings instead of closer to the ground? Observe which direction the wind is blowing from.

Social Studies Activities

Activity 1: Weather Mapping

Materials Needed:

• photocopied map of our area for each student
• weather maps from previous newspapers
• scissors
• a audio recording of a radio forecast

"Why are weather maps important? What do they show us? What do all of the symbols mean that we see on these maps?" Students will cut out the weather maps from newspapers provided. Direct instruction will guide the students in the meanings of the symbols and how to draw what they see on their newspaper cut-out.

Each student will receive a photocopied map of our area. Students will listen to the audio tape and draw the international weather symbols on their map. Each student will illustrate their map as they see fit. They will be shared with the class.

Every student's weather map will be slightly different. This point of information will emphasize the importance of accurate map making and the job of the meteorologist they see on the news each evening.

Activity 2: Weather Safety

Materials Needed:

• paper
• pencils

The class will be working in collaboration with our building administrator to develop an evacuation plan for our class during threatening weather. Students will be taught the difference between a weather warning and a watch.

Students will break into groups of 4 and devise a group plan. Each plan will be tested to see which is the least time consuming and the easiest. The class will vote on the plan they think is most efficient. Once the plan is okayed by the building administrator, the plan will be put into action. When severe weather strikes, we'll be prepared!