Weather watchers

This is a week long activity during which the students record the weather, track weather changes, and make predictions about future weather patterns.

A lesson plan for grade 2 Computer/Technology Skills, Information Skills, and Science

By Virginia Shaddix

Learn more

• Weather Channel to be used for daily weather reports during the lesson

Related pages

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• Coastal weather issues: Planning for a hurricane: The unit is designed for seventh grade students who have been studying Earth and its atmosphere. In this sequence, students are faced with the realistic issue of personal and social decision-making when planning for hurricane strikes, which includes classification, tracking, and monitoring hurricanes, as well as planning for evacuations. The inquiry-based approach involves a WebQuest in which the learner will assume the role of an emergency management team member who must create a preparation plan for the community.

Related topics

• Learn more about measurement, meteorology, read-alouds, science, spreadsheets, technology skills, temperature, thermometers, weather, wind direction, and wind vane.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• practice using objective and quantitative means to describe and compare the weather
• practice using weather vocabulary
• practice using the internet as a source to gather information
• practice using a database program

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 week

Materials/resources

• weather recording chart ( xls | rtf )
• book: Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons
• newspaper
• thermometer
• wind vane

Technology resources

• computer with internet access for each child
• Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet program
• disk for each child
• printer

Pre-activities

• Students should have previously learned weather vocabulary words: temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and wind direction.
• Students should be familiar with the instruments used to measure the weather conditions.
• Students should be familiar with the internet.
• Students should be familiar with retrieving, saving, and printing information using spreadsheet programs.

Activities

Day One

1. Read to students the book Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons to remind them of the weather vocabulary and reinforce the concepts.
2. Discuss recording the weather conditions and why you would want to record it.
3. Give students their own weather recording sheet and explain how to fill in the chart.
4. As a class use The Weather Channel website to check the current weather conditions for your town. Have students record the conditions.

Days Two, Three, and Four

Each day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, have a student check the weather website and report the current conditions to the class for them to record.

Day Five

1. Repeat process for checking and recording the day’s weather. Have students enter the information from their sheets into a spreadsheet that you have already set up on a disk for them.
2. Have students save and print their new charts.
3. Have students compare the temperature within the days and throughout the week.
4. Encourage students to predict what the weather will be like for the next few days using the trends they have observed.

Additional Activities

• Have students check the temperature and wind direction themselves each day using a thermometer and wind vane.
• Have students check the weather conditions in the newspaper daily during the same week as they check on the computer. Compare the reports and discuss why they might be different.
• Have students use the Mars Global Surveyor Radio Science Team Education Outreach Program website to see what the weather conditions are like on Mars. Compare the weather on Mars to the weather in your area.

Assessment

Students will be assessed:

• on their participation in the activity
• on their accuracy following directions to enter the information on their weather charts daily
• on their accuracy following directions to enter, save, and print the data in the spreadsheet

Supplemental information

Attachments:

• Recording Sheet.xls
• Recording Sheet.rtf