Topic: Clouds

4.6

Science Weather Unit

Grade Level: 4th

Objectives: VA Science SOL

The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include a) weather measurements and meteorological tools (air pressure barometer, wind speed anemometer, rainfall rain gauge, and temperature thermometer); and b) weather phenomena (fronts, clouds, and storms). Pre/Post Assessment: Weather Pre/Post Test

Learning Activities
Opening: The teacher will ask the students what they already know about weather
and why weather is important. This will provide a look at what the students already know, the pretest also will give insight into the students prior knowledge. Students will view the Teacher Tube video Cloud Experiment and Cloud Experiment: Reveal to peak their interest in clouds. They will have to guess if the experiment is real or not and explain why they think that it is one way or the other.

Guided: Students will receive a Weather Forecasting Science Notebook to place

in their green folder. The teacher will read the first page on clouds in order to provide an overview of clouds. Student volunteers will also be asked to read sections. After reading the paper, the teacher will model how to use a graphic organizer with the students. The entire class will complete Cirrus in order to show what is expected of the rest of the graphic organizer. If time permits, they will view the Clouds flipchart on the Promethean Board. This will give additional information about clouds and it will show real life pictures of clouds. Students will complete the graphic organizer for homework.

Independent: Students will create a cloud flipbook using construction paper and
filament. Students will create four windows (cirrus, cumulonimbus, stratus, cumulus) and on the front they will write the name of the cloud and create a picture example of the cloud using filament. On the inside, the students will add the description, associate weather, and altitude, using information from the graphic organizer. Materials: construction paper, filament/cotton balls, glue, science notebook, scissors, pencil

Closure: In the end, students will play a game where they identify the type of
cloud based on a real life picture. They will be able to explain why they think the way they do, using vocabulary and descriptive words. They can refer to their notes and flipbook if needed.

Topic: Atmosphere, Precipitation, Water Cycle Objectives: VA Science SOL

4.6

Science Weather Unit

Grade Level: 4th

The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include a) weather measurements and meteorological tools (air pressure barometer, wind speed anemometer, rainfall rain gauge, and temperature thermometer); and b) weather phenomena (fronts, clouds, and storms). Pre/Post Assessment: Weather Pre/Post Test

Learning Activities
Opening: Students will watch a short video Weather 101 that introduces general
weather ideas. This will begin the discussion of weather, including concepts of atmosphere, meteorology, precipitation, and forecast. Guided: Each student will receive a copy of Weather Forecasting to be used only in class and returned after use. They will also receive the next pages in their Science Journal. Together the class will read pages 2, 4, 5, and 7. After each page the class will discuss the information. Page 2: Why do we predict weather?
* * * * * * * * * * * * Where does most weather occur? What are the six factors of weather? What is a meteorologist? What does forecast mean? What is humidity? What does a hygrometer do? What are the different types of precipitation? What is a weather station? What is a weather balloon? What are the different things they are measuring with a weather station? How does radar work? How does weather normally move?

Page 4: The water cycle and precipitation

Page 5: Weather Stations

Page 7: How are weather forecasts made?

* How are clouds a signal of the weather to come? Independent: Students will then work in pairs to finish the next pages in their

weather journal. Students will be grouped based on their Pre-Test scores. If they finish early, they can play the vocabulary sort game and record the definitions in their glossary. Closure: Students will then observe the Make it rain in the classroom either in person (http://pan.intrasun.tcnj.edu/501/projects/Cruz/making_rain.htm)
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3SXydhS7kw/SrJ9efEmQpI/AAAAAAAAABA/B5HvbPU9Fx0/s1600h/Publication1.jpg) or via video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjSfIDARTik)

They will be instructed to create a hypothesis to the question Can we make it rain in the classroom? (Must explain the scientific method)

Topic: Weather Fronts

4.6

Science Weather Unit

Grade Level: 4th

Objectives: VA Science SOL

The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include c) weather measurements and meteorological tools (air pressure barometer, wind speed anemometer, rainfall rain gauge, and temperature thermometer); and d) weather phenomena (fronts, clouds, and storms). Pre/Post Assessment: Weather Pre/Post Test

Learning Activities
Opening: Ask the students Have you ever looked at a weather map in the
newspaper or on TV and Do you ever see patterns on the map that allow you to predict the next days weather? Students will view the Weather Front Power Point and follow along filling in the accompanying worksheet. At the video slide, students will watch the experiment (http://iwitness.weather.com/_Creating-a-weather-front/video/1482441/148597.html). Pause at 1 minute and 30 seconds to ask the students what they think will happen. Now that they know about warm and cold fronts, they must develop a hypothesis about what they think will happen when he turns the jars on their side. Students will write down their hypothesis on an index card.

Guided: Students will receive maps of the United States to analyze. They will
complete the Out Front worksheets. They will follow the directions on the worksheet and color the different fronts. The class will then discuss what the fronts mean and what type of weather will come from the different fronts.

Independent: Now that the students have a solid base of the concept of fronts,
they will complete the Heres What! So What? Now What? Worksheet. The class will work together to determine the correct answers. This will serve as a way to gauge if the students understand what different fronts mean.

Closure: The entire class will view a weather map

(http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/currentweatherusnational/uscurrentweath er_large.html) and make a prediction for the next days weather. The following science class will begin with check if their prediction is correct.

Topic: Weather Instruments Objectives: VA Science SOL

4.6

Science Weather Unit

Grade Level: 4th

The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include a) weather measurements and meteorological tools (air pressure barometer, wind speed anemometer, rainfall rain gauge, and temperature thermometer); and b) weather phenomena (fronts, clouds, and storms).

Pre/Post Assessment: Weather Pre/Post Test

Learning Activities
Opening: Students will watch the video http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.kidmeteor/
which shows a young girl working with real meteorologists and weather instruments. This will give a brief overview of the different instruments. Or http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weatherwise/details/818/1130450/7/collection Students will create a flip book to use as a reference book for the different weather instruments. The class will work together to come up with definitions and uses for the different instruments. While discussing each instrument, the teacher will show how to read the different instruments. For an example, fill the rain gauge with colored water and have the students practice reading it, repeat with the thermometer. Reading the thermometer worksheet will be homework to allow for more practice of this skill.

Guided: Students will break off into their groups, which is grouped based on their
test scores from the pretest. There will be four groups: two will be making a barometer and two will be making an anemometer. First, the entire class will observe the teacher as she creates the instruments. Through creating the instruments, this will also provide a discussion of the instruments. Then the groups will work together to create their own instruments. Students will be provided with the necessary materials and directions in order to create the instruments Independent: Following the creation of the instruments the students will use the instruments outside to collect date. The barometer groups will collect air pressure information and the anemometer group will collect wind speed. All of the groups will be responsible for reading the thermometer and rain gauge for their data collection. The groups will observe the weather for three days and record their findings. Within each group the students will be assigned a job: Care and Safety Officer, Materials Manager, Communications Specialist, Principal Investigator (description on cards). The jobs will rotate with each day. If there are not enough students for each job, the Care and Safety Officer and Materials Manager will be combined. Closure: Students will compare their data against real data for the day from http://www.wunderground.com/. The entire class will then discuss the following questions: Do you think the weather instruments you made are as accurate as those used by professional meteorologists? Why or why not? How could you make them more accurate?

Topic: Tornados
4.6

Science Weather Unit

Grade Level: 4th

Objectives: VA Science SOL

The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include a) weather measurements and meteorological tools (air pressure barometer, wind speed anemometer, rainfall rain gauge, and temperature thermometer); and b) weather phenomena (fronts, clouds, and storms).

Pre/Post Assessment: Weather Pre/Post Test

Learning Activities
Opening: Students will watch a short video about tornados that shows real life
images of a tornado and also discusses what tornado chasers do. This will serve as a hook to get the students interested in the topic at hand. The video does not go into detail about tornados, but provides a peak into the weather phenomena of tornados.

Guided: Many of the students know what a tornado is and/or have seen the
aftermath of tornados that occur in the area and nation. To gauge what the students already know, the class will complete a K-W-L chart. As a class, they will come up with ideas about what they already know about tornados. Many students have a base idea of what tornados are, so this will provide an overview of their current knowledge. Students will then talk about what they want to know about tornados. This will help to guide the instruction of tornados and help students focus on ideas to think about during instruction. After completion of the K-W-L Chart, the teacher will briefly explain how tornados are created and then introduce the tornado experiment by modeling the idea using one bottle. Explanation: Cool, dry air descending from Canada gets funneled east by the Rockies. Over the Plains, it slams into the moist warm air building from the Gulf of Mexico. Peak season is March through May. They tend to appear on the trailing edge of a storm, beginning high off the ground as intricate combinations of three ingredients: wind, temperature, and moisture. The process begins with the storm drawing into itself warm, humid air. The warm air rises to a point where the moisture condenses into rain. This sets up an opposing motion: cool downdraft. Changes in wind speed or direction at higher altitudescalled wind shearcan knit together the cool air and warm air in a horizontally spinning tube, like a giant invisible steamroller. If more wind shifts tilt this tube so that one end touches the ground, a tornado is born.

Group Work: Students will pair off to create a tornado in a bottle, which shows the
vortex of a tornado. Before handing out the materials hand out the lab report and discuss the importance of following along with directions. Explain to the students the general procedures, so they can anticipate what they will be doing. The class will work at the same pace to ensure that everyone completes the experiment correctly. 1. Students will fill out the first part of the lab report before they get their materials. 2. They will then receive the two bottles already filled with water. 3. Students will then place a piece of duck tape over the bottle with water in it and then use a push pin to punch a hole in the duck tape. 4. They will the place the empty bottle over the filled bottle and tape the two together at the joint. 5. Before conducting the experiment, the teacher will walk around to ensure the bottles are secure and no leak will occur. 6. Then students will turn over the bottles to see what happens when they just turn over the bottle (no movement). The water will not move since the bottom bottle is full of air pressure. 7. Then instruct the students to gentle move the top of the filled bottle in a circular motion, creating the vortex. 8. Once students view the tornado, they fill out the rest of the lab report to record their observations. Explanation: The water inside the upper bottle swirls, forming a funnel shape as it pours into the lower bottle. You have probably seen this happen when you let water out of a bath. The funnel formed by the swirling water is called a vortex (a whirling mass of air or water). The vortex formed in the water is the same shape as the vortex formed by a tornado. Tornado formation appears to be related to the convergence (meeting) of air occurring underneath a developing cumulonimbus cloud. The swirling air is then tilted upwards to form the tornado. Air flows into the tornado through the bottom and out through the top. Tornadoes are also called twisters.

Closure: Students will watch the BrainPop video on tornados to provide a closing
explanation to the experiment. This will explain further how tornados are made and students will follow listening for key vocabulary and descriptions. Then review with students what they have learned about tornadoes by filling out the final section of the K-W-L Chart. Be sure discuss a description of what a tornado is like, what kind of damage a tornado can do to homes and other structures, and how a tornado is formed.