Teach students about weather in 5 minutes or less a day, throughout the school year. Often students are taught weather in a block of time but the information is never reinforced throughout the year. It is important for students to gain an understanding of the weather on a daily basis.
Meteorologists of the Week
Each week assign 2 students to be the Meteorologists of the Week. Their role is to report to the class the daily weather and the recommended way to dress for the weather conditions.
Incorporate New Information
Each week the teacher will introduce a new concept to the class on weather. For example, on a windy day, the teacher can introduce the Beaufort Scale that grades the wind from a gently breeze to a hurricane.
The Meteorologists of the Week will report on the weather and identify the type of wind such as breeze, gale or hurricane. This will give all students first hand experience of the different types of wind. Of course, it is rare a student will experience a hurricane; therefore this must be taught via a book, short video, or a slide show.
What to Report
Temperature: Students must read the thermometer and record the temperature in the morning and afternoon.
Precipitation: Students will record the precipitation. Students can make a rain gauge to calculate the daily rainfall. The gauge can be placed on the school property that students have easy access to.
Wind: Students identify the type of wind and the speed.
Cloud Cover: Students will illustrate if it is a sunny, cloudy, or partly cloudy day. As well, they will identify the cloud type such as cirrus and stratus.
Appropriate Wear: Students will tell their class what they should wear outside to protect themselves from the elements.
Interesting: Once a week, the students share an interesting fact about weather with the class. The students can peruse the class or school library for interesting weather facts.
Weekly Weather Vocabulary: Meteorologists will share a new word with the class and place the new word on the weather wall. All students will write a definition of the word in their science books and write a sentence with the new word.
Monthly: The teacher introduces different ways to forecasting.
Cloud Forecasting
Wind Forecasting
Senses Forecasting
Modern Forecasting
Weather Lore Forecasting
Extensions: Students create the different weather measuring instruments. Wind speed is measured with an anemometer and rain is measured with a rain gauge. As students create the different instruments they will learn more about the weather concepts.
Students create weather graphs to present their data.
Debbie DeSpirt - Debbie DeSpirt is an Elementary Teacher for the York Catholic District School Board in Ontario, Canada. Her post secondary education ...
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