Educational Objective: Students OBSERVE, RECORD, and REPORT weather conditions to learn how air mass densities determine the weather we experience daily.

Associated Standard and CORE Objectives:

3000-0301   Observe and record different weather conditions.

3010-0103   Explain the effects of wind on people. Explain in their own words that wind is moving air.

3010-0501   Observe and record daily changes and seasonal patterns in the weather. Observe and describe the basic components of weather. Record characteristics of weather observed.

Materials List:

• 1 - Cloud poster
• 1 - Cloud posting board
• 44 - magnetic cloud cards
• 2 - Cloud makers
• 1 - Anemometer
• 1 - Small percolator
• 2 - 2 qt. plastic jars
• 1 - Plastic jar with quilt batting
• 1 - Fan
•    - Crepe paper streamers
• 2 - Utility lamps
• 1 - Power Strip
• 1 - Extension Cord
• 1 - Copy of Now I Know Clouds
• 1 - Copy of Thundercake
• 1 - " My Weather Observation Chart " Master
• click here to download Weather Observation Chart.

Teacher Supplies:

• Ice
• Water

Before the presentation, make individual copies from the master observation chart (either for each individual student or large copies for each group of students to be taught). You can make copies by clicking here.

Throughout the lesson, emphasize the following concepts:

Clouds are an important part of the weather. The water they bring is necessary to all forms of life.

Clouds are made from water vapor and/or ice crystals. Some clouds we see are close to the ground, but others are higher than our mountains.

Clouds have names. Cumulus clouds are puffy clouds, and stratus clouds are flat clouds.

Certain types of clouds often appear before a storm. A nimbus cloud is a dark rain cloud.

Wind is air that is moving. It can move clouds and change their shape.

Display the three plastic jars. One contains water, one ice cubes, and one quilt batting. Ask the children which one they think is the most like a cloud. While batting might look like a cloud, clouds are made from tiny particles of water and/or ice.

With the cloud maker, demonstrate how clouds are made:

Place the blue block under the plastic model under the mountains.

Put warm water (hot bath water) from the tap in the lake section (if warm water is not available in your room, use the percolator to warm water for this demonstration) and ice in the cloud indentation.

Cover with the white cloud lid.

Position the lamp over the lake. The plastic container will "fog up." Explain that this is very similar to how clouds form. (See background information in booklet. You may want to discuss the water cycle in more detail). You may need to tap the plastic to make the droplets fall.

At the end of the lesson check the cloud maker to see if raindrops have formed.

Give each child a cloud card and see if they can find others who have the same picture.

Tell them that you will read about clouds and see if they can find out something about their kind of cloud.

Sit in a circle and, as the children listen, read Now I Know Clouds .

After listening to the story, ask what they know about their cloud.

Emphasize that cumulus clouds are puffy clouds, and stratus clouds are flat clouds. These are the two major cloud families.

Explain that clouds can be very high in the sky or low in the sky or in between.

Cirrus clouds form at 35,000 to 45,000 feet (7-8 miles).

Stratus clouds and cumulus clouds form at 6,000 feet and under.

Altocumulus and altostratus are the mid-level clouds.)

Show each of the cloud cards and have the children come up by group and place their clouds on the cloud posting board.

For this age group, focus on the basic cloud families: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus.

Explain that when a cloud is dark, we call it a nimbus cloud (nimbostratus and cumulonimbus). Nimbus means "rain." This kind of cloud contains a large amount of moisture. When we see it, we predict that it is going to rain.

Rain is one kind of weather that clouds bring; what are some others? (rain, snow, sleet, hail, continuous rain or snow, thunderstorms, fog) Have the children with the nimbus rain clouds add their cards to the sky chart.

Learn the cloud names with a song about clouds. (to the tune "Here We Are Together")

Cumulus and stratus and cirrus are cloud names.

Cumulus and stratus and cirrus are clouds.

Nimbo or nimbus are dark and gray rain clouds.

Cumulus, stratus, cirrus, nimbus.

Make the sounds of a storm. (This could be done in 4-5 separate groups.)

• Rub hands together or cup hands and blow into them (wind)
• Rub thighs with hands (wind)
• Snap fingers (rain)
• Stomp feet (distant thunder)
• Turn the light switch on and off for added effect (lightning)

Explain that wind is air that is moving and that it can move clouds.

• Have the students with streamers in front of a large fan pretend to be clouds moving in the wind.
• Vary the speed of the fan to simulate the speed of the wind. If the streamer is flying straight out, the air is moving faster than 10 miles per hour. If it is barely unfurled, the air is moving at 5 m.p.h. or less; and in between, the air is moving at approximately 5-10 m.p.h.
• Show the anemometer as one instrument that is used to measure the speed of wind.

Show the observation chart. Explain that we can watch the movement of the clouds in the sky and look at the clouds and predict the weather. Ask if they noticed the clouds today as they came to school. Go outside to observe the clouds and measure the wind speed with a crepe paper streamer. Return to the classroom and mark your observations on the chart. The children color in the squares as they describe the sky and wind. Predict if it will be a rainy or snowy day tomorrow. The chart is designed for one week of observations so tomorrow when they observe the weather, they can make a check mark on the chart if they were right. If this is done by the entire class instead of as an individual activity, ask other teachers if they will follow-up on the activity.

Note: Make observations outside. Come back inside and chart them by coloring in the squares. This part of the lesson is extremely important and if time is a concern, delete other activities. If the children are able to go outside when it is raining or snowing, they will especially enjoy making the observations and predictions.

Follow-up/Assessment Activities: Encourage the children to fill out their charts all week and color in the appropriate boxes. Notice if they were able to predict the weather for the next day.

Adaptations (Stormy Weather Alternative): If it is impossible to go outside, and another activity is needed, there are several wonderful books on the weather.

It would be fun to read Thundercake by Patricia Polacco during an actual thunderstorm. Have the children listen for the observations and predictions that are made as you read the story.

Safety Precautions: The fans are to be used under adult supervision. Be careful when around hot water from the percolator.

Put the cloud posting board on the ground, so that the students can reach it. Tell the children that clouds live in neighborhoods just like us. We have neighborhoods on the ground, and they have them in the sky. Pass out the cards and let them find their partners (students with cloud cards like theirs). Ask them questions like these to help them decide where to put their clouds:

Which clouds are very high in the sky? In the book, Now I Know Clouds, which clouds looked like horses’ tails? (cirrus)

Which clouds sometimes touch the mountains and are very low in the sky? (stratus, very low)

Which clouds look fluffy like cotton? (cumulus, low to medium)

What are the nimbus clouds? (rain clouds, usually low in the sky)

Have the children look out of the window and describe the weather. Have them name any clouds that they can see. Ask them to look at the clouds and describe what the weather must be like outside. Tell them that clouds help us to predict what the weather will be like.

The cloud maker model is much like taking a shower and fogging a bathroom mirror. The "rain" is similar to the droplets that form on the mirror.

To make the cloud formation more dramatic, add dry ice to the water in the lake.

References:

Organic Gardening v40, Dec ’93, p.24-8 "Learn to Predict Your Own Weather".  The article explains how you can learn to predict the weather by observing clouds and the wind, and by monitoring barometric pressure and temperature.

Country Journal v19, Sep/Oct ’92, p.23-7 "Keeping Tabs on the Weather".  This article also explains how you can learn to forecast the weather by interpreting clouds, wind, and other natural signs

This lesson relates to the following:

Career Fields: Science, Technical

Occupations:

Meteorologist: Study the atmosphere’s physical characteristics, motions, processes, and the way it affects the rest of our environment. This includes forecasting the weather. They also apply weather information and meteorological research in air-pollution control, agriculture, air and sea transportation, defense, and the study of trends in the earth’s climate such as global warming and ozone depletion. Education: Bachelor’s Degree

Pilot: Fly airplanes and helicopters. They carry cargo, dust crops, spread seed for reforestation, test aircraft, direct fire fighting efforts, track criminals, monitor traffic, and/or rescue and evacuate injured persons. They confer with flight dispatchers and aviation weather forecasters to find out about weather conditions en route and at their destination. Based on weather information, they choose a route, altitude, and speed that should provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flight.

Requirements: Commercial pilot’s license with an instrument rating issued by FAA. Helicopter pilots must hold a commercial pilot’s certificate with a helicopter rating.

To qualify for a license:

• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Have at least 250 hours of flight experience.
• Be able to pass a street physical exam.
• Have 20/20 vision with or without glasses and have good hearing.
• Have no physical handicap which would prevent safe flying.
• Pass a written exam that includes questions on flight safety, navigation techniques, and FAA regulations.
• Demonstrate flying ability to FAA or designated examiners.

Ship Captain: Operate and maintain deep sea merchant ships, tugboats, towboats, ferries, dredges, research vessels, and other waterborne craft on the oceans, in the Great Lakes, in harbors, on rivers and canals, and on other waterways. Captains supervise the work of the other officers and crew. They set course and speed, maneuver the vessel to avoid hazards and other ships, and periodically determine position using navigation aids, celestial observations, and charts. They insure that proper procedures and safety practices are followed, check that machinery and equipment are in good working order, and oversee the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers. They also maintain logs and other records of the ship’s movements and cargo carried. Education: Bachelor’s Degree

Taken from Occupational Outlook Handbook 1998-1999.

Review Questions:

What do cumulus clouds look like? (Big and puffy.) At what altitudes do they form? (6000' and under).

What do stratus clouds look like? (Flat) At what altitudes do they form? (6000' an under).

What does "nimbus" mean? (Rain)

How do clouds form? What are they made of?

What is wind? (Air in motion)

What makes clouds travel?