Weather

This was a great article with lots of ideas for k-6 grade levels. It discusses the usefulness of being able to forecast the weather and how few people truly understand what causes the weathe... See More

This was a great article with lots of ideas for k-6 grade levels. It discusses the usefulness of being able to forecast the weather and how few people truly understand what causes the weather. I liked how it discussed the background science of weather, she did a thorough, but succinct job. The article then describes two activities inspired by children's literature to use in the classroom! The one for K-3 focused on clouds and observing them in a "cloud book". The activity for 4-6 focused on Weather Forecasting by obtaining or creating your own classroom weather station. The author suggests the weather station should have the basic tools meteorologist use (thermometer, barometer, wind vane, and rain gauge). You could even have the students build their own tools. Then the students have to observe the weather each day. The author also includes great Math and Language arts integration for this lesson. Overall, great article.

Look Up and Watch the Weather

The two books described in this article both deal with weather. “The Cloud Book” for younger children helps them understand what clouds are and it describes some types of clouds. Students c... See More

The two books described in this article both deal with weather. “The Cloud Book” for younger children helps them understand what clouds are and it describes some types of clouds. Students can use this information to then make observations of clouds over a period of time. The second book about weather forecasting is a starting point for students to make and record observations about the weather over a period of time. Both books and the suggested activities are good examples for using trade books as a starting point for a science lesson.