Goals:

1. Understand how observation skills can help students to evaluate the weather by recording two daily observations in their chart for five days.

2. Learn to read and use a thermometer, barometer, weather vane, weather charts, and various other instruments that aid in the prediction of weather. The students will do their recording twice a day and complete a weekly chart.

3. Complete, in cooperative groups, a three day prediction of the weather which includes morning and late afternoon temperatures, sky conditions, precipitation, and wind speed.

Materials:

thermometer

barometer

weather vane

weather chart

various other weather instruments

Resources:

Internet Addresses:

The Weather Underground. Able to find weather of any city, state, or country. http://www.wunderground.com:80/global/US_ST_Index.html

Acoustic Thermometry Of the Ocean Climate. Can research weather near the ocean. http://atoc.ucsd.edu/

The National Weather Service has a site in Tallahassee, FL. It is called Interactive Marine Observation. All students need to do is click on a highlighted region to get the weather for that region. http://www.nws.fsu/buoy/

Skymath, helps students produce their own weather report http://www.atm.geo.nsf.gov/skymath.lesson1.html

Time:

This activity will take 10 to 15 minutes daily to complete the observation and charting activities. The introduction of the new weather instrument will also take 10 to 20 minutes each day. One hour of class should also be set aside for the groups to make their predictions. Therefore a total class time of 4 to 5 class periods can be devoted to this lesson.

Procedure:

1. In the morning, take the students outside with their observation charts for approximately five to ten minutes making group observations of the weather.

2. These observations will then be recorded and the class should return to the room.

3. After reentering the room the teacher can demonstrate how to read a thermometer. (other instruments as well, new instrument each day, see materials list). The student will then read the indoor/outdoor thermometer in the classroom and record the temperature on their chart.

4. While the students are outside in the afternoon for lunch, recess, specials, ect..., they should make additional observations and record the differences from the morning results, in addition, the students should rerecord the temperature outside when they return to the room.

5. Steps one through five should be continued for five days. During these five days the teacher can do short, informative lessons on how to use the various other types of instruments and resources used to measure weather conditions and changes.

6. Each group or student can also be assigned to a particular resource (Internet, books, newspaper, ect...) or instrument and then report their findings daily back to the class.

7. After the last recording in the chart on the final day, the students can be divided again into their groups of three to four students to compare the data on their charts.

8. During this time the group of students should prepare a three day forecast of the weather based on the resources they have contacted and their own observations. The predictions the groups make should be recorded in a new observation chart. the predictions should then be monitored for accuracy the following week, differences from the predictions should be recorded.

9. After the students fill in their chart describing their predictions for the following week, each student should write a paragraph describing their findings and why they predicted the weather pattern they did.

10. After the observations and predictions are finished, the class should discuss how they believe weather was predicted prior to the invention of the highly technological measurement equipment.

11. Discuss how the slave ships traveling on the ocean were able to predict the weather to determine the length of their voyage or in which direction they should travel to avoid severe weather.

Was weather important to these ships? Why or Why not?
How did the weather effect these ships?
How has the techniques of measurement changed?
Does weather still have a great effect on shipping?

12.These questions can be included in discussion, can be used as research topics or ideas, or can be given a essay questions.

Assessment:

1. Each student is expected to turn in their weekly observation chart and any explanations or written observations they included. Students must have 90% of the chart accurate and must have written observations to be successful.

2. Each student is expected to turn in a paragraph explaining their predictions and their reasoning in order to assess the students’ knowledge of weather, in addition to their observational skills.

3. The students will complete group evaluations to ensure all of the members contributed equally to the work done by the group. A successful evaluation consists of completing one fourth of the work done by the group. See group, peer, and self-evaluation rubrics.

Terms:

Meterology-the study of weather

Front- (cold, warm, static,)

Wind Velocity

Precipitation

Relative Humidity

Sunset, sunrise

pollution levels

Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:

1. Science: Learning about weather prediction and instruments used in predicting the weather. Observation skills. Meteorology.

2. Language Arts: Research skills. Group participation and communication.

3. Math: Reading various gauges and instruments. Prediction based on prior information. Recording data in a chart.

4. Social Studies: Learning the history of slave trade and shipping and comparing it to present practices of weather prediction.

Possible Extensions:

1. The temperature and other observations that were recorded during the week could be plotted on a graph. They could also be compared on this graph with the weather the students predicted for the following week.

2. A compare and contrast paper or essay could be done. The students would compare weather prediction now, to weather prediction in the 1840’s.

3. Discuss how one moves from observations to predictions? Do those who forecast the weather look at the weather in other locations in order to predict the weather at their particular locations?

4. This lesson could also be connected to the Ocean Voyagers Program. Students can compare their data to information reported on survey ships at various sites around the world. this information is posted on the web page on a regular basis. Internet address: http://www.snc.edu/educ/Ocean/Ocean_Voyagers.html

5. The students can compare their data to the data of other classes at different sites around the country. This can be done through the The Weather Underground program called Blue Skies at http://blueskies.sprl.umich.edu. This program also includes a program called "Teacher Talk" that provides an electronic forum for teachers to discuss lessons, techniques, equipment, software, and observation skills used in teaching weather and environmental issues in the classroom. To join, send an e-mail message with subscribe typed in the body to: k12weather-request@cirrus.sprl.umich.edu.

6. Television programs provided by The Weather Underground may also be beneficial to this lesson. These weather programs are provided by The Virtual Classroom program. Biweekly interactive television programs that address weather issues are offered.

7. Kids as Global Scientists-Weather 1998 offers students the opportunity to study the basics of weather through a collaborative inquiry. This program engages students in an inquiry-based middle school weather curriculum during the period of February 2, 1998 to March 28, 1998. The project is focused on maximizing the educational potential of current computer techniques in science classrooms. The eight week program offers a blend of structured weather curriculum, hands-on science investigations, information from the Internet, telecommunication through e-mail, and an interactive CD-ROM. The major program features include "peer coaching", world-wide information exchange, interdisciplinary connections, and a coordinated but flexible curriculum. Questions about the project can be e-mailed to onesky@umich.edu or mailed to One Sky, Many Voices, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2143. Internet address: http://www.onesky.umich.edu/kgs98/