Skip Navigation
Search

Weather

Supporting

Weather

TEKS Objective

The student is expected to measure and record changes in weather and make predictions using weather maps, weather symbols, and a map key.


Essential Understanding

The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system.

Science Background

NOAA Education Resources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (website) - Large and diverse collection of weather- and climate-related information, resources, workshops, news and links for educators and students.

NOAA Education Resources
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, www.noaa.gov

Weather: National Geographic (website) - Short explanation of weather and weather forecasting.

Weather
National Geographic, nationalgeographic.com

National Weather Service: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (website) - Provides weather information at the local, state and national levels, including warnings and forecasts.

National Weather Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, www.noaa.gov

Weather Map Symbols: American Meteorological Society (website) – Guide to interpreting common symbols on weather maps.

Weather Map Symbols
American Meteorological Society, www.ametsoc.org

Signature Lesson

Collecting Weather Data and Keeping a Weather Log: Stevens Institute of Technology, Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (website) - Students will use weather instruments (see “directions for building and using weather instruments,” below) to observe, measure and record weather data for two weeks. Then, students will analyze their data to identify patterns and trends with which to make weather predictions.

Collecting Weather Data and Keeping a Weather Log
Stevens Institute of Technology, Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, www.ciese.org

Directions for Building and Using Weather Instruments
Stevens Institute of Technology, Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, www.ciese.org

Supporting Lessons

Weather Experiments: Weather WizKids (website) - A large selection of weather investigations.

Weather Experiments
Weather WizKids, www.weatherwizkids.com

How to Make an Anemometer: Southeast Regional Climate Center (PDF) - Easy, clear instructions for making an anemometer to measure windspeed.

How to Make an Anemometer
Southeast Regional Climate Center, www.sercc.com

Weather Walks: Utah Education Network (website) - Students learn about weather with guided activities while taking walks in various types of weather conditions.

Weather Walks
Utah Education Network, www.uen.org

Elaboration Lessons and Extensions

Collecting Weather Data: teachersnetwork.org (website) - Collect weather information from five cities within a selected state, and use this information to create a national weather map with which to predict upcoming weather.

Collecting Weather Data
Teachers Network, www.teachersnetwork.org

Assessment Ideas

Have students read the weather forecast in the local newspaper or watch it at night on TV, and then record the actual meteorological events over the coming day(s). Students should compare the forecast(s) with the actual weather and write a report about their findings.

Literature Connections

Weather. Crosgrove, Brian (ISBN-13: 978-0756630065)

Weather & Climate: The People Behind the Science. Cullen, Katherine (ISBN-13: 978-0816054664)

The Weather Book: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to the USA’s Weather. Williams, Jack (ISBN-13: 978-0679776659)

Weather Instruments. Delta Education (ISBN-13: 978-1592422609)

Weather! Rupp, Rebecca (ISBN-13: 978-1580174206)

Tornadoes. Simon, Seymour (ISBN-13: 978-0064437912)

Storms. Simon, Seymour (ISBN-13: 978-0688117085)

Flash, Crash, Rumble, and Roll. Branley, Franklyn M. (ISBN-13: 978-0064451796)

El Niño: Stormy Weather for People and Wildlife. Arnold, Caroline (ISBN-13: 978-0618551101)

Blizzard! The Storm that Changed America. Murphy, Jim (ISBN-13: 978-0590673105)

Related Science TEKS

(4.8B) Water Cycle
The student is expected to describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process.

(4.8C) Natural Cyclical Events
The student is expected to collect and analyze data to identify sequences and predict patterns of change in shadows, tides, seasons, and the observable appearance of the Moon over time.

Related Math TEKS

4.11C   The student is expected to use concrete models of standard cubic units to measure volume.

4.12A  The student is expected to use a thermometer to measure temperature and changes in temperature.

4.13B   The student is expected to interpret bar graphs.

4.14A  The student is expected to identify the mathematics in everyday situations.

4.14D  The student is expected to use tools such as real objects, manipulatives, and technology to solve problems.

4.15A  The student is expected to explain and record observations using objects, words, pictures, numbers, and technology.

5.11A  The student is expected to solve problems involving changes in temperature.

Additional Resources

Weather Words: Weather Wiz Kids (website) - More than 150 weather-related words and definitions.

Weather Words
Weather Wiz Kids, www.weatherwizkids.com

Teaching Climate Graphs: Juicy Geography (website) - Interactive activity that teaches students to read and interpret climate graphs.

Teaching Climate Graphs
Juicy Geography, www.juicygeography.co.uk

What is Weather: BBC Schools (website) - Interactive site with information about different aspects of the weather.

What is Weather
BBC Schools, www.bbc.co.uk/schools

Close Comments Button

Comments

Post a Comment
Close Comments Button