by: Tina J. Cartwright, Rommel J. Miranda, Ronald S. Hermann, and Deb Hemler
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Type Journal ArticlePub Date 12/1/2012Stock # ss12_036_04_61Volume 036Issue 04
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A great outdoor activity
This is a nicely organized and well-explained lesson. It would be a great outdoor activity to use in conjunction with a weather unit as students use clouds to predict the weather. The lesson... See More
This is a nicely organized and well-explained lesson. It would be a great outdoor activity to use in conjunction with a weather unit as students use clouds to predict the weather. The lesson has a nice introduction in which students think about cloud height compared to other commonly tall objects. Then students learn how to identify clouds by using a simple dichotomous key. From their identification of clouds, students then learn what type of weather leads to the observed clouds. If this lesson is done for many years at the same time of year, then students could compare their weather events with past year’s weather events to learn about long term weather patterns. Although this is primarily written for middle school students, it would fit well into a high school Earth School class. I have a rambunctious group of freshmen this year and I think this would be a perfect field activity for them.
Perfect for a weather unit
While intended for a middle school class, I use this resource with my high school earth science students when we study weather. It provides descriptive terms for clouds that are easy for my... See More
While intended for a middle school class, I use this resource with my high school earth science students when we study weather. It provides descriptive terms for clouds that are easy for my students to grasp. The dichotomous key provided in the lesson is exceptional. It is straight forward and concise so it can be taken outside for cloud identification. Once my students have learned to properly identify clouds, they can use that identification to predict the weather conditions. This is a very practical set of lessons.
Clear Up Cloudy Concepts: No Chance of Meatballs
This article contains lots of basic information about clouds including how to use cloud identification and other measurable weather data to predict future weather happenings. I liked how th... See More
This article contains lots of basic information about clouds including how to use cloud identification and other measurable weather data to predict future weather happenings. I liked how the authors took time to share what their students had been learning prior to this lesson and how long they discovered this lesson would take to cover. The 5 E inquiry lesson model was used; it was spread over the course of 4 school days. Also, the lesson incorporated a KLEW chart. It is another version of the KWL where the E stands for Evidence. In the Know-Learn-Evidence-Wonder chart, students can document and provide evidence of their learning. One other element of the article that is helpful as we embrace the NGS (Next Generation Science) standards is that it points out how the crosscutting concept of patterns can be connected to the theme of weather. Finally, I enjoyed the authors’ version of a ‘semi-dichotomous key’ to observe and identify clouds. I think students would find it very helpful when determining cloud types.
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