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WHETHER THE WEATHER
MASTER TEACHER Gladys Tilley
GRADES K - 2
OVERVIEW
This lesson provides learners with the understanding that
weather is always with us and helps determine many of the decisions we make.
In learning about weather, learners will use the hands-on approach and
interactions with each other and the teacher. In using the hands-on
approach learners will construct a weather vane, make clouds, make rain,
construct a rain gauge and a wind detector.
ETV SERIES
The Science Treehouse # 201 Weather
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learners will be able to:
*define weather
*tell why weather happens
*name three types of weather
*tell what things weather affects
*tell when we have the four seasons
MATERIALS
(for teacher)
1 chart/chalkboard
1 dark marker/chalk
Rotations (4 learners per rotation)
A. Weather Vane Construction
1 extremely large, long needle per learner, ex. darning or
quilting needle
1 long plastic drink straw per learner
1 cardboard square, at least 6", per learner
1 empty thread spool per learner
1 dark marker per learner
1 pair scissors per learner
1 stick of clay per learner
1 sheet of cardstock per learner
1 package of clear tape per rotation group ruler
B. Rain Making
1 large bowl of ice per rotation group
1 jar with lid per rotation group member
C. Rain Gauge Construction
1 large smooth glass or tall smooth quart jar (straight, not
curving sides)
1 ruler, at least 12 inches
1 roll of very sticky wide, clear packing tape
D. Cloud Making
1 large plastic soda bottle (2 or 3 liters) per learner
1 plastic sandwich bag of ice that can be zipped or closed at
the top per learner
1 piece of dark paper (brown, navy blue, black, etc.) per
learner, almost as tall as the bottle and a little wider than the bottle
warm water (enough for ½ of each soda bottle)
1 box of matches
E. Wind Detector
1 dowel stick per learner, approximately 2 feet long (teacher
choice)
1 pine wood block, approximately 2" x 4" (can be
larger) per learner
1 triangular shaped piece of fabric (like a pennant) per learner
1-2 bottles very strong wood glue
VOCABULARY
weather - what happens in the air outside
clouds - collections of tiny water droplets
hanging in the air
rain - water in the air that falls to Earth
in drops.
weather vane - an instrument that shows in
which direction the wind is blowing
rain gauge - an instrument that measures how
much rain has fallen
wind - moving air
wind detector - an instrument that tells if
and in which direction the wind is blowing
PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
With learners seated on carpet, show chart on which you have
written the capital letters "K", "W", "L" across
the top with a dividing line drawn down the chart between each letter.
( NOTE: A chalkboard and chalk may be used instead.)
Say, "Today we will begin our study of weather. First, we will find
out what you already know about weather." Point to the "K"
and say, "That is what the capital "K" is for. Tell me what
you know about weather so that I can write it on the chart." As
learners tell what they know, write it on the chart. (NOTE: Do not
comment on whether their information is correct or incorrect. Learners
determine this at lesson's end when the chart is revisited.) When
what is known about weather is exhausted, compliment learners on what they know.
Then point to the "W" and say, "This letter represents what we
would like to know about weather. Tell what you would like to know and
learn about weather, and I will write it on the chart." Follow the
same procedure as done in the previous column. When this is done, point to
the "K" and say, "At the end of our study about weather, we will
come back to our chart and tell if what we knew about weather was fact or
fantasy." Point to the "W" and say, "We will review
what we wanted to learn about weather and finally (point to the
"L") write what we did learn about weather. Then we will compare
our lists to find out if we learned everything we wanted to learn."
Give learners a "wiggle" break of about two (2) minutes at this time
since they have been sitting for a while.
FOCUS FOR VIEWING
To give learners a specific responsibility for viewing, say,
"Now that we have decided what we know and would like to know about
weather, let us watch the Science Treehouse and listen to Karen and Tecla as
they tell us more about weather. Listen to find out what weather is and what
kinds of things weather affects."
VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Begin video where you see Karen James standing in the
treehouse wearing sunglasses, holding an umbrella and saying, "Hi!
Welcome to the HEB Televentures." Pause video when Karen says,
"It's real important to forecast the weather," and she is
beginning to close the umbrella. Ask, "What things did Karen say
weather affected?" (Ans. "Us, the types of crops the
farmer grows, the clothing we wear and the events we plant out of doors.")
Resume video. Pause video when Tecla says, "and
sometimes even hear," and thunder is heard in the background. Ask,
"What did Tecla say weather is?" (Ans. "What's
happening in the air outside." ) Ask, "What types of weather did Tecla
name?" (Ans. "Sun, wind, rain, snow, thunder.")
Ask, "Can we see and hear weather?" (Ans.
"Yes.") Resume video. Pause video when Tecla
says, "Our entire atmosphere would freeze," and you see the earth with
lots of cloud cover slowly spinning in space. Ask, "What does
the light from the sun do for weather?" (Ans. "It fuels the
world's great weather machine.") Ask, "Why does weather
happen?" (Ans. Heat from the sun heats the atmosphere
which is constantly in motion.") Ask, "What is atmosphere?"
(Ans. "The air around the Earth.") Ask, "What would
happen if we had no sun?" (Ans. "Our entire
atmosphere would freeze.") Ask, "Do you think people,
plants and animals could live on our Earth if there was no sun?"
(Ans. "No.") Ask, "Why not?" (Ans.
"All the people, plants, and animals would freeze.") Resume
video. Stop video when Tecla says, "That's the reason for the
changing seasons during the year," and she is slowly turning the globe.
Ask, "When do we have summer?" (Ans. "When the Earth
is tilted toward the sun.") Ask, "When do we have
winter?" (Ans. "When the Earth is tilted away from the
sun.") Ask, "When do we have spring and fall?" (Ans.
"When the sun is directly over the equator.") NOTE:
Depending upon the maturity level of the students, you may wish to show certain
segments again. You may wish to show again only the part that has the sun,
wind, rain, snow without the audio for type of weather identification. For
older learners, you may wish to continue with more of the video for other
aspects of weather.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Say, "Now that we have watched and listened to our
weather video, let us consult our chart to find out if what we knew about
weather was fact or fantasy, review what we wanted to learn about weather and
find out what we did learn about weather. Then, we can compare what we
wanted to learn with what we did learn and find out if we learned everything we
wanted to learn. We may also find out that we have learned some new things
about weather." Proceed with revisiting the chart. When this is
completed, say, "Now it is time to have some fun and get some
hands-on knowledge about weather. You are getting ready to construct a
weather vane, construct a wind detector, make rain, make clouds and construct a
rain gauge."
Rotations ñ Divide the class into groups of 4 learners.
Have groups go through rotations.
A. Weather Vane Construction
Procedure:
1. Prepare several arrow patterns for learners to trace and cut
out about 7" long with a shaft no wider than 1" to 1 ¼".
2. Have learners tape one end of the straw to the center of the
arrow.
3. Use the long needle and push it straight up through the
center of the cardboard square. Push it almost all the way through.
(Teacher assistance is needed for this.)
4. Use a small piece of clay and push it onto the bottom of the
needle.
5. Make sure the clay is flat by pushing the piece of cardboard
down on the table so that the cardboard will set flat on the table.
6. Put the spool down over the needle.
7. Put the straw over the needle so that it can turn easily.
8. Take your weather vane outside and find a place where the
wind is blowing.
Learners can either hold the weather vane or set it down and see
what happens when the wind blows. NOTE: If you have talked about
directions ñ north, east, south, west ñ the cardboard square may be
labeled with N, E, S, W to represent the directions. Learners may
place their weather vanes to show the direction from which the wind is blowing.
B. Rain Making
Procedure:
1. For each group set out a large bowl of ice.
2. Give the group a jar with a lid. NOTE: If each learner
in the group wishes to make a rain jar, let him/her do so.
3. Make sure the jar is thoroughly dry on the outside.
Fill the jar with ice and put on the lid.
4. Have learners discuss what happens as they watch the jar.
They may also draw what happens in their science journals if they are keeping
journals.
C. Rain Gauge Construction
Procedure:
1. Tape the ruler to the glass so that when it rains
learners will measure the contents of the glass, from the bottom of the glass.
Make sure that the ruler is taped securely in place.
2. Set the rain gauge outside on a flat surface when it rains.
3. After it rains, read the rain gauge and record how much rain
fell.
4. For accuracy, bring in the next day's newspaper and check
your class record of rain-fall against the official rainfall account in the
newspaper.
D. Cloud Making
Procedure:
1. Fill the plastic soda bottle about 1/3 full with warm water.
2. Affix the dark paper to the back of the bottle with tape.
3. Light one match, drop it into the container and quickly cover
the bottle opening with a closed bag of ice. A cloud will form. The
dark paper will help learners see it.
E. Wind Detector Construction
Procedure:
1. Use glue to attach the dowel stick to the side of the wood
block. (This can also be
done using a hammer and a nail.)
NOTE: See drawing #1.
2. Tie the triangular piece of fabric or a pennant near the top
of the dowel stick.
3. Write the four directions on the wood block.
4 .Take the wind detector outside and place it in an area that
is open and very likely to
get plenty of wind action.
5. Turn the wood block in the correct direction according to the
directions written on the
wood block.
6. Have learners predict which way the wind detector will
blow each day.
ACTION PLAN
1. Invite a local meteorologist to visit the classroom and talk
about his/her job, show pictures, slides, etc. of weather and tell
learners about them.
2. Visit a local television studio and watch the weathercasts.
Have the weather forecaster tell how the weather news is gathered, show
equipment used for weather gathering and discuss any pertinent facts about
weather and answer questions posed by learners.
3. Watch the local weathercast for a week and graph the daily
temperature highs and lows.
4. Find out about harmful winds, such as, tornadoes, hurricanes,
etc. and how to be safe during them.
5. Work with upper grade buddy classes to research weather and
survival in very arid areas and very wet areas of the Americas and the world.
EXTENSION
Science
1. Find out how a barometer works and construct a simple one.
Materials for a simple barometer may include the following: a wide mouth jar, a
round balloon, a piece of cardboard taller and wider than the jar, a drink
straw, a rubber band and tape.
Procedure
Cut the neck off the balloon and stretch it over the mouth of
the jar. Secure the balloon in place with the rubber band. Make sure it is
air tight ñ no air in or out of the jar. Lay one end of the drink straw midway
the stretched balloon and tape it in place. NOTE: See drawing #2.
Cut the other end of the straw on an angle to form a point. With the
cardboard taped to the jar, mark on the cardboard where the straw points. When
the weather changes, watch where the straw points.
2. Find out about the different cloud formations and their
descriptions, such as, high clouds ñ cirrus (very thin, long, wispy),
cirrostratus (huge, wispy, "veil"), cirrocumulus (puff balls, grouped
in "sheets"); middle clouds ñ altocumulus (thinner, patchy, layered,
"rippled"), altostratus (smooth, thin gray or blue, cover the whole
sky), nimbostratus (thick, dark, rain cloud); low clouds ñ cumulus (puffy,
"solid", flat bottom, round top), cumulonimbus (dark, rolling, giant),
stratus (gray, move fast); and, stratocumulus (gray, rounded). Take
learners outside to see how many they can find and identify as they look at the
sky.
Language Arts
Use the beginning letters of weather words to write poems or
other weather words.
Construct a picture dictionary of weather words and symbols.
Learners draw the illustration and do the coloring. Upper grade buddies
can write the definitions.
Language Arts/Social Studies/Art
1. Collect local newspaper weather pages for each learner.
Discuss the colors used on the weather maps, chart weather of a selected
country, keep a chart on seasonal rainfall in selected areas of the United
States, etc.
2. Place two thermometers in sunny and shady places.
Record the temperatures daily for at least a week. Discuss and compare the
findings. You may wish to graph the findings.
Science/Art
Draw the different cloud formations seen and named for a
science journal.
Internet Connections
The Weather Visualizer (select specific regions wished to view,
kinds of images you want to access, such as radar, satellite, and surface
readings)
http://covis.atmos.uiuc.edu/covis/visualizer/
AccuWeather
http://accuwx.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklyn M.Branley
What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda DeWitt
Pack a Picnic by Kinberlee Graves
Wild, Wet and Windy by Claire Llewellyn
Why do we have? Wind and Rain by Claire Llewellyn
What Makes It Rain? by Susan Mayes
How's the Weather? by Rozanne L. Williams
Round and Round the Seasons Go by Rozanne L. Williams
What's the Weather Like Today? by Rozanne L. Williams
What's It Doing Outside? by Marsha Elyn Wright
Updated: April 01, 2008
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