We are now onto a fantastic unit on weather! The students observe daily weather conditions while making comments, predictions, and connections along the way!!
Related Text: A Drop Around the World by Barbara Mckinney
On the Same Day in March by Marilyn Singer
Related Text: A Drop Around the World by Barbara Mckinney
On the Same Day in March by Marilyn Singer
The Water Cycle:
The students explore how water continuously cycles through our Earth's atmosphere in three different phases: evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Student activities include a 3-D water cycle diagram and creating a fiction writing piece called "My Drippy Story".
State Learning Standard:
Describe how the water on Earth cycles in different forms and in different locations, including underground and in the atmosphere.
The students explore how water continuously cycles through our Earth's atmosphere in three different phases: evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Student activities include a 3-D water cycle diagram and creating a fiction writing piece called "My Drippy Story".
State Learning Standard:
Describe how the water on Earth cycles in different forms and in different locations, including underground and in the atmosphere.
Weather Instruments:
In order for the students to understand weather, we first had to investigate how to measure weather. In groups, students built one kind of weather instrument and became experts on that instrument. Student groups were then shared their instrument with the rest of the class, teaching the other students what their instrument was, what it measured and how it worked. Together we were able to make a weather station of our very own!
State Learning Standards:
Explain how air temperature, moisture, wind speed and direction, and precipitation make up the weather in a particular place and time.
Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation, making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.
In order for the students to understand weather, we first had to investigate how to measure weather. In groups, students built one kind of weather instrument and became experts on that instrument. Student groups were then shared their instrument with the rest of the class, teaching the other students what their instrument was, what it measured and how it worked. Together we were able to make a weather station of our very own!
State Learning Standards:
Explain how air temperature, moisture, wind speed and direction, and precipitation make up the weather in a particular place and time.
Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation, making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.
Weather vs. Climate:
An important weather topic we spent our time learning was the differences between weather and climate. Weather is the "right here, right now"....the weather conditions present at a particular place and time. Climate is the average, or typical weather conditions one would expect at a particular location over a period of time. Students were able to look at a set of weather data and describe the weather conditions present at that place and time. To differentiate climate, students were given a month of the year and wrote letters to imaginary visitors, informing that visitor of what clothes to pack and what weather they could expect to see at that time in Plymouth, Ma. Students also explored how meteorologists described weather and climate, getting familiar with words such as cold front, warm front, jet stream and climate zone.
State Learning Standards:
Differentiate between weather and climate.
An important weather topic we spent our time learning was the differences between weather and climate. Weather is the "right here, right now"....the weather conditions present at a particular place and time. Climate is the average, or typical weather conditions one would expect at a particular location over a period of time. Students were able to look at a set of weather data and describe the weather conditions present at that place and time. To differentiate climate, students were given a month of the year and wrote letters to imaginary visitors, informing that visitor of what clothes to pack and what weather they could expect to see at that time in Plymouth, Ma. Students also explored how meteorologists described weather and climate, getting familiar with words such as cold front, warm front, jet stream and climate zone.
State Learning Standards:
Differentiate between weather and climate.