1. Students will understand the relationship between thunder and lightning.
2. Students will discover that weather changes from day to day and
temperature has a factor in weather.
3. Students will gain a better understanding that water evaporates
and condenses to form clouds which produce precipitation.
Objectives:
1. Students will describe the relationship between thunder and lightning.
2. Students will be able to use formula to calculate the distance of
lightning.
3. Students will be able to estimate an approximate temperature for
a given environment or activity.
4. Students will be able to use thermometers appropriately.
5. Students will use instruments to measure and record weather data.
6. Students will measure and record the size of a puddle over a period
of time.
7. The students will define evaporation and condensation.
8. The students will describe the water cycle by illustrating and labeling.
NationalScience Standard(s)
Teaching Standard A - Planning a science program: Teachers of science
plan an inquiry-based science program for their students.
Teaching Standard B - Guiding and Facilitating Learning: Teachers of
science guide and facilitate learning.
Teaching Standard C - Assessing, Learning, and Teaching: Teachers of
science engage in ongoing assessment of their teaching and of student learning.
Teaching Standard D - Designing and Managing the Physical Environment:
Teachers of science design and manage learning environments that provide
students with the time, space, and resources needed for learning science.
NationalMathematics Standard(s):
Mathematics as Problem Solving
Mathematics as Communications
Estimation
Whole Number computation
Measurement
Statistics
Patterns
NationalScience Benchmark(s)
- Some events in nature have a repeating pattern. The weather changes
some from day to day, but things such as temperature and rain (or snow)
tend to be high, low, or medium in the same months every year.
- When liquid water disappears, it turns into a gas ( vapor) in the
air and can reappear as a liquid when cooled, or as a solid if cooled below
the freezing point of water. Clouds and fog are made of tiny droplets of
water.
- Air is a substance that surrounds us, takes up space, and whose movement
we feel as wind.
- The cycling of water in and out of the atmosphere plays an important
role in determining climatic patterns. Water evaporates from the surface
of the earth, rises and cools, condenses into rain or snow, and falls again
to the surface. The water falling on land collects in rivers and lakes,
soil, and porous layers of rock, and much of it flows back into the ocean.
TennesseeScience Benchmark(s)
Process of Science
Theme: 1.1 Observing- The senses are used to develop an awareness of
an event or object and the properties thereof.
Theme: 1.2 Questioning- The development of an inquisitive mind and
the effective use of questioning techniques furthers the acquisition of
information.
Theme: 1.3 Collecting Data- The acquiring, recording, arranging and
storing of information must be performed in a complete, accurate, concise,
and user friendly manner.
Theme: 1.4 Analyzing- Data should be examined to find patterns and
relationships that may suggest cause and effect or support inferences and
hypothesis.
Theme: 1.5 Explaining- Phenomena and related information are made understandable
through discussion that culminates in a higher level of learning.
Theme: 1.6 Communicating- An essential aspect of science is the act
of accurately and effectively conveying oral, written, graphic or electronic
information from the preparer to the user.
Unifying Concepts of Science
Theme: 2.1 Scale and Model- The development of models provides a conceptual
bridge between the concrete and the abstract, while the use of scales allows
for a comparison of differences in magnitude between the model and the
desired form.
Habits of Mind
Theme: 3.1 Historical and Cultural Perspective- The knowledge and processes
of science have evolved over time as an approximation of truth within cultural
contexts.
Theme: 3.2 Assumptions- The recognition and criticism of the validity
of an argument through presentation of data and differentiation between
fact and assumption in the preparation of an explanation for a natural
phenomenon are vital parts of the scientific process.
Theme: 3.3 Estimation and Computation- Scientists judge the level of
precision needed to approximate a reasonable response and perform calculations
with or without the aid of mechanical devices.
Theme: 3.4 Methods- A variety of techniques is used by scientists to
classify and solve problems.
Theme: 3.5 Science and Technology- Science and technology are separate
but interdependent entities.
Theme: 3.6 Creative Enterprise- Creativity contributes to the processes
of science through ideas and inventions.
Science in Society
Theme: 4.1 Attitudes- The progress of science and the attitudes of
society influence one another.
Theme: 4.2 Personal Needs- The application of science may be used to
change the quality of life for the individual.
Theme: 4.3 Career Goals- The development of scientific skills may lead
to a rewarding career and productive contributions to society.
Theme: 4.5 Economics- Scientific knowledge should provide a premise
for understanding the economic value of applied technology as it relates
to society.
Theme: 4.6 Politics- Basics scientific concepts should be available
to all individuals enabling each to make logical decisions for himself
or herself and others.
Summary of instruction used to build Knowledge Base:
Integrated Activities:
1. What Causes Thunder? - Thunder is an explosion of air. To demonstrate
the relationship between thunder and lighting, have a student flash the
lights and another student blow up a paper bag and burst it. Count the
seconds between the light and flash and divide the total number of seconds
by five to get the number of miles away that the lighting struck. (Every
5 seconds equals 1 mile or 1.6 kilometers).
2. Reading Thermometers - Students practice reading thermometers and
monitor temperature inside and outside classroom.
3. Homemade Weather Instruments - Students will make instruments to
use in measuring and collecting data to illustrate weather concepts - barometer,
anemometer, rain gauge and wind direction finder.
4. Where do Puddles Go? - Observe, measure and record evaporation of
a puddle by drawing a chalk outline around it. At different times during
the day check the puddle for changes.
1. In a Fog about Fog - Activity showing how to make a cloud in a bottle.
2. Making Rain - Simulate the water cycle with a kettle, pot and some
ice water. As water vapor rises from the kettle and touches a cold surface,
it condenses and falls back as rain.
3. Making Lightening - Use a balloon to build up some static electricity
by rubbing it on your hair. touching the charged balloon to the end of
the fluorescent bulb causes the electrical charge to jump from the balloon
to the bulb to simulate lighting.
4. Water Vapor - Place ice cubes in a can, add water, dry outside of
can, and let stand a few minutes. Draw picture of what happens. Discuss
water vapor and how it forms clouds.
5. Pie Plates Experiment - Pour water into 2 pie plates and set 1 in
a sunny place and 1 out of the sun and wind to see which evaporates more
quickly. Students check daily and record and measure findings.
6. Cloud in a Bag - Make a cloud using a self-sealing plastic bag,
a freezer, and air. Open bag, scoop air into it, seal bag shut, and put
in the freezer for 5 minutes. Take it out and blow in it, quickly seal
shut. What happens and Why?
Mathematics Activities:
1. Rain Bar Graph - Record and graph the amount of rain over a two-week
period and graph. Use the homemade rain gauge that you made to measure
the amount of rainfall for the day.
2. Highs and Lows - use USA Today weather maps to find the difference
between the high and low temperature for different locations in the United
States. The can also be done by taping a weather report from the TV.
You are producing a weather news show for the school to use during
announcement time each morning. Reports will include temperature, percipitation,
graphs, and special topics, etc. Your group will be responsible for producing
a tape each week for this activity.
Decribe clouds and what type of weather would be expected in report
1 2 3 4 5 ____
Produce and show temperature graph for the week 1 2 3 4 5 ____
Special Topics - include diagram in each (one area only) (15 points
total)
- Cloud types 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Describe cloud formation 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Type of weather associated with each 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Tornadoes 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Describe how formed 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- When they occur 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- What to do in case of tornado 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Thunder and Lightening 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Explain how they are related 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Describe the cause of thunder and lightening 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- What to do during 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Water Cycle 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Describe process 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Connection between each process 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Weather Instruments 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- Describe how to make 1 2 3 4 5 ____
- How they work 1 2 3 4 5 ____
70-80 Master Meteorologist
60-69 Meteorologist
50-59 Assistant Meteorologist
40-49 Apprentice Meteorologist
39 or below Weather Watcher
(OPTIONAL) Connections to other subjects:
1. Make a Storm Book - Make tornado-shaped booklet and describe building
a sentence about a tornado on each page.
2. Read the book, Thunder Cake, by Patricia Polacco and demonstrate
Grandma's Thunder cake recipe to the class. Students write their own thunder
cake recipes.
3. Read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. After reading the book,
cut out the shape of a cloud, have students list what types of foods they
like for it to rain.
4. Read, What Will the Weather Be Like Today?, by Paul Rogers.
5. Read Poem "Clouds", by Christina Rossetti. Role-play.
6. Read The Big Cloud, by Jim Razzi. Students write their own story
about a big cloud in their journals.
7. Clouds! Clouds! Clouds! - Read The Cloud Book by Tomie dePaola,
observe, then identify clouds outside and make a cloud booklet using crayons,
cotton balls and crayons.
8. Journal Writing - Students write in journals what weather they like
best, what weather they like least and why.
9. Map Display - Students draw different weather symbols they might
locate on a map. Label, color each. Display on bulletin board on U.S. map.
10. Water Evaporation - Pour water into 2 pie plates. Set one in a
sunny place and the other in shady place. Predict which one will evaporate
the quickly. Check daily and record findings.
11. Make a Tornado Tube - Fill a 2-liter soda bottle 3/4 full with
water. Place another 2-liter soda bottle on top of the other, connect them
by mechanical tape. Food coloring in water is optional.
12. Thunderstorm Tape - Students will write down how many times they
hear it thunder on the tape.
13. Make a pictograph that describes the weather in 1 week.
14. Weather Chart - Make a chart using date, temperature, and description
of the weather. Place a thermometer outside. Have students check everyday
(day 1 - with teacher help). They should check before and after school.
Have them fill out the chart using the Celsius scale. Make comparisons,
predictions, etc.
Extension:
Dilemma: (Using the knowledge learned from the experiments in the unit,
answer the following questions.)
What if scientists learned to control the weather?
What would it mean?
Would humans playing with the weather affect the balance of nature?
How would we decide when and where it was going to rain or be sunny?
Could controlling the weather have any military or political significance?
What if the knowledge got into the hands of an incompetent person?
In the long run, would controlling the weather be useful or harmful?
Bibliography
Bosak, Susan V., Science Is ..., Scholastic Inc. 1992
McConathy, Osbourne, New Music Horizons, Silver Burdett Company,
1944.
Williams, Diane, Weather, Teaching Created Materials, Inc. 1991.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy, American Association for the
Advancement of Science, 1993
Childcraft (World and Space), World Book Inc.
Discover Science, Scott Foresman (2nd grade textbook)
First Science, Ladybird Books, Inc.
In the Wild, Macmillan
Readiness for Science, Golden Press
The Mailbox, February/March 1990, Volume 12.
The Primary Mailbox, The Education Center, Inc. 1994
Weather, Kids Discover Magazine
Weather Book List
1. Looking at Weather, by David Suzuki
2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, by Ron Barrett
3. It's Raining Cats and Dogs, by Franklyn M. Branley
4. Weather Watch
5. James and the Rain
6. Thunder Cake, by Patricia Polacco
7. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, by Verna Aardema
8. What Will the Weather Be Like Today? by Paul Rogers
9. The Cloud Book, by Tomie de Paola
10. The Big Cloud, by Jim Razzi
11. It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw
12. Weather, by Seymour Simon
13. Chinook, by Michael O. Tunnell
14. Hurricane, by David Weisner
15. The Wind Blew, by Pat Hutchins
16. Weather Report, (Poems) by Jane Yolen
17. The Big Storm, by Bruce Hiscock
18. Weather Forecasting, by Gail Gibbons
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