Junior Meteorologist

Introduction

Have you ever stopped and thought about the weather in your local area? Well, weather is something that is relevant to everyone. Weather affects each individual on a daily basis. Since, weather is always changing, individuals gain knowledge about it every day. In this particular webquest, we will focus on learning about weather in a fourth grade classroom. To give you a peek at what’s ahead, one can learn about temperature, precipitation, wind speed or direction, relative humidity, and cloud types. Join us as we journey through the subject of weather.

Task

Junior Meteorologist Needed:

Students you will need to follow the WebQuest instructions precisely to become a Junior Meteorologist. You will work together in teams of three to analyze data to describe local weather patterns. Various types of observations, measurements, articles, videos, games, and other resources are provided in the WebQuest for you to complete.

As a junior meteorologist, you will gather information about temperature, precipitation, weed speed and direction, humidity, and clouds, record this data into your weather journal, predict the next three days forecast, and reflect on becoming a meteorologist. What causes precipitation to happen? How fast do weather changes occur? Can we stop the weather? Your weather journal will answer all of your weather questions when you have it completed.

Temperature: You will learn to build your own thermometers. Then you will measure the temperature outside. You will navigate a weather website to compare temperatures in other areas to the temperatures in our area. You will create a temperature chart that includes all temperatures collected and your comparisons in your weather journals.

Clouds: You will discover all about clouds and what makes them unique from each other. You will track the sky for cloud coverage and report about it in your weather journals. Find out the importance of being a Meteorologist and some funny old facts about the weather.

Humidity: You will learn about humidity and the difference between relative humidity and dew point. You will learn how different temperatures affect humidity levels. You will also be able to understand how relative humidity impacts the weather. You will record vocabulary words and answer questions about relative humidity in your weather journals.

Precipitation: You will learn about all types of precipitation, how it relates to the water cycle, and discover what it looks like in action. You will play a game to make it rain and find out how a Meteorologist determines the "chance of rain."

Wind: Okay, now that we know meteorologists are weather scientists that observe and forecast weather. Let’s talk about wind! Wind is one of the most important weather conditions they study. Knowing wind direction and wind speed can help them predict when and how the weather will change and affect their communities.

Process

Temperature?

To begin students in groups of three will create thermometers. These thermometers will be created using a film canister, straw, glue, water, and food coloring (if desired). To begin follow the steps below:

Step 1: Fill containers full of very cold water.

Step 2: Add a few drops of food coloring to the water.

Step 3: Put the film canister lid back on the container.

Step 4: Put a straw through the hole and then use glue to seal air tight.

Step 5: Observe the water rising in the straw as the water temperature rises.

Now, let’s use those thermometers! Working within the same small group, you will collect temperatures in the local area. You will also collect temperature data from a news media website - www.wwltv.com.

You will complete a temperature chart for your weather journal to include all data collected.

The chart will include:

Temperatures recorded from the local area at various times of the day, compiled in a bar graph. (Five days)
Temperatures gathered from the website with comparison statements.
Reflection on why you think temperatures rise and fall.

Clouds?

Junior Meteorologist, click HERE to discover answers to all of your cloud questions. You will gather information about 2 clouds and record five facts about them in your weather journal.

The left side navigation bar will provide you with a cloud chart that includes pictures and altitudes of various cloud locations. Use this navigation bar to explore different cloud types and gather information for your weather journal. You will have a Cloud Report Chart to fill out in your journal, when you are observing the sky for clouds.

Click HERE to use the interactive cloud chart from NASA! You will click on the various clouds to open a new web page full of interesting facts about that cloud. Gather one new fact from these pages about a high level cloud, a mid-level cloud, and a low level cloud to add to your weather journal.

Here are more Cloud images that you can compare.

Now that you know all about CLOUDS, how do they cause precipitation? Answer this in your weather journal.

You are working so hard at being the best Junior Meteorologist, Keep up the GOOD WORK! HERE is an article that provides you with information about ‘Becoming a Meteorologist.’ This should help you understand how important your job is as a Junior Meteorologist.

Just for FUN! Learn about Weather Folklore and put one into your weather journal to share.

Part of your presentation will be to analyze data and explain it. HERE is a website that you can put your zip code in and see the local weather. You will be able to access active reports, forecasting maps, radar images, rainfall measurements, and past weather conditions. This will provide you with a better understanding of how all these components come together and allow meteorologists to make weather predictions.

Humidity?

First, let’s find out what humidity is and how relative humidity is different from absolute humidity. Watch the video here Login first with Login: bingwong Password: tigers and then type Humidity into the search bar. Choose the first icon with humidity labeled.

Try to watch the short video at least twice while taking a few notes and describe the following terms in you weather journal:

Humidity
Relative Humidity
Dew Point
Evaporation
Condensation
Moisture
Saturated
Precipitation

You should be able to answer this question in your weather journal: Warm air holds _______ water than cold air.

Next, take the quiz to go along with this video here. (use classic mode)

Now that you have a grasp on humidity, read more about humidity and how it affects you by looking at the FYI section of this video here. Read all sections: In Depth, Mother Nature, Gadgets, Did You Know?, and the Comic.

Answer these questions in your weather journals:

Why is this comic ironic or funny?
How is the air like a sponge?
Today is 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The relative humidity level will be 80%. Tomorrow will be 95 degrees Fahrenheit, but the relative humidity level will be 40%. Will you feel hotter today or tomorrow? Why?

Finally, take a look at this question. Read the question and the answer it (in your weather journals) to discover how humidity forms clouds and causes precipitation or rainfall.

Answer these questions:

How are clouds formed?
When relative humidity reaches 100%, _______________ occurs because the atmosphere is _________________ with water.
If there are clouds in the sky, will it always rain? Why or why not?

Precipitation?

Precipitation is one word you may have heard of, but do not know the definition. Click HERE to discover what it means and record it in your weather journal.

Precipitation is one part of the water cycle. Provide a short summary of the water cycle in your weather journal after viewing the diagram and reading about it.

So let's go see this precipitation in ACTION! When you finish the video, test your group and write down anything you learned, liked, or still fins confusing in your weather journal.

Since we now know that precipitation is when any form of water falls from the sky including sleet, snow, hail or rain let's help Whoosh complete the water cycle in this fun GAME.

Great job helping Whoosh complete the water cycle!

Now that you know what precipitation is, let’s view the national weather precipitation map and see what it looks like on the Weather Channel. Jot down a few observations for your local area.

Click HERE to find out what all the different colors mean. Now you should be able to answer these questions in your weather journal.

Which color represents more of a chance of rain?
Which color means it is possible for 6-12” of snow?
How much rain can a yellow area expect?
Find your local area, will it snow or rain? How much can you expect?

Okay, are you ready for the last question? Find the answer HERE!

When a meteorologist says, “There is a twenty percent chance of rain”, what does this mean and how do they determine this?

Wind?

What causes the wind to blow?
As the sun warms the Earth's surface, the atmosphere warms too. Some parts of the Earth receive direct rays from the sun all year and are always warm. Other places receive indirect rays, so the climate is colder. Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. Then cool air moves in and replaces the rising warm air. This movement of air is what makes the wind blow ("Weather Wiz Kids", 2016).

Have you ever wondered how to measure the wind? What direction is the wind coming from and how fast is it blowing? What kind of tools would you need to measure the wind's direction and speed? You will be able to answer these questions and more in your weather journals when you explore this link!

Watch this video and take the quiz. Write your score down in your weather journal and write one new fact you learned.

Learn how wind is measured HERE.

Here are some CHARTS!

Let's make an Anemometer! Once your group has completed their anemometer, you will go outside to record wind speed in your weather journal.

Do you know what a major wind event is? Do you know of any? Answer in your weather journals.

This LINK will tell you about one type of major wind event.

You will find out how this type is formed, the various parts of them, how they become a major event, how they are named, and how they are studied.

HERE you will learn about safety, warnings, and watches.

And this LINK will tell you about another type of a major wind event.

Evaluation

Weather Journal Rubric

	4	3	2	1
Components of Journal	All required elements are present and additional elements that add to the report (e.g., thoughtful comments, graphics) have been added.	All required elements are present.	One required element is missing, but additional elements that add to the report (e.g., thoughtful comments, graphics) have been added.	Several required elements are missing.
Focus on Task	Consistently stays focused on the task and what needs to be done. Very self-directed.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done most of the time. Other group members can count on this person.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Other group members must sometimes nag, prod, and remind to keep this person on-task.	Rarely focuses on the task and what needs to be done. Lets others do the work.
Comprehension	Student is able to accurately answer almost all questions posed by teacher and classmates about the topic.	Student is able to accurately answer most questions posed by teacher and classmates about the topic.	Student is able to accurately answer a few questions posed by teacher and classmates about the topic.	Student is unable to accurately answer questions posed by teacher and classmates about the topic.
Vocabulary	Exhibits skillful use of vocabulary that is content related and purposeful.	Exhibits reasonable use of vocabulary that is content related and purposeful.	Exhibits minimal use of vocabulary that is content related and purposeful.	Lacks use of vocabulary that is content related and purposeful.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have worked your way into becoming a Junior Meteorologist. You now know how temperature, precipitation, wind speed/direction, relative humidity, and the different types of clouds impact weather and how we can use these things to predict the weather. In the future, you can use weather data and your own observations to make your own predictions for the weather forecast. Next time you see those dark clouds, you will not only know it is going to rain, but you will also understand some of the factors that caused thosen clouds to form!

Credits

Beaufort Wind Chart - Estimating Winds Speeds . (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.weather.gov/media/iwx/webpages/skywarn/Beaufort_Wind_Chart.p…

BrainPOP. (n.d.). Humidity [Video File]. Retrieved fromhttps://www.brainpop.com/science/weather/humidity/

Haby, J. (n.d.). WHAT DO THE COLORS ON RADAR MEAN? Retrieved July 01, 2016, from http://www.theweatherprediction.com/basic_weather_questions/radar.html

NASA. (2014). What Are Hurricanes?. Retrieved from

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-ar…

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2016). Retrieved from http://scool.larc.nasa.gov/pdf/1-PageCloudChart/Cloud_ID.pdf

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2016). Retrieved from http://scool.larc.nasa.gov/cldchart.html

Natural Water Cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.educationsoutheastwater.com.au/game/natural-water-cycle.html

National Weather Service. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.weather.gov/

National Weather Service. (n.d.). NWS Hurricane Safety. Retrieved from

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hurricane/index.shtml

Precipitation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/precipitation

Scholastic. (2016). Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/gather_data/anemometer…

Study.com. (2016). Measuring Wind Using Anemometers & Wind Vanes. Retrieved from

http://study.com/academy/lesson/measuring-wind-using-anemometers-wind-v…

StudyJams. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/weather-and-clim…

Sweezy, A. (2015, March 05). What does a chance of rain really mean? Retrieved from http://www.wesh.com/weather/what-does-a-chance-of-rain-really-mean/3171…

The Mad Scientist Network. (2015). How does humidity affect the formation of rain/snow (precipitation)?. Retrieved fromhttp://www.vivoscuola.it/us/rsigpp3202/umidita/copie/formationrain.htm

The Weather Guys. (2014). How is the wind measured?. Retrieved from

http://wxguys.ssec.wisc.edu/2014/03/05/how-is-the-wind-measured/

Weather Wiz Kids. (2015). Tornadoes. Retrieved from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-tornado.htm

Weather Wiz Kids. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-thunderstorms.htm

Wicker, C. (n.d.). Weather Wiz Kids. Retrieved from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=64

Wicker, C. (2016). Weather Wiz Kids. Retrieved from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=113

Wicker, C. (2016). Weather Wiz Kids. Retrieved from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=109

(2016, July 01). Retrieved from https://weather.com/maps/usprecipitationforecast

Teacher Page

How might webquests be used for differentiation of learning?

WebQuests allow for a variety of learning styles and speed. Because webquests are done by students on their own, the student is able to go as quickly or as slow as necessary. The student does not have to feel rushed by the teacher or other students because everything is independent and the teacher is not having to accommodate speeds as well. Along with speed not being an issue webquests allow for the teacher to create different paths of learning. What this means is if the teacher has students that need everything read to them, this is possible with webquests. The teacher can have most of the learning be through videos or auditory clips. This does not have to vary depending on the student, but instead can be used for every student. This allows the students with a differentiation of learning to feel equal to the other students. When creating a webquest the teacher can also have special tabs or links that certain students follow. With this accessibility the teacher can give extra help to students that need it without having it pointed out to other students, or time being spent especially on one student. Lastly, webquests can allow for the final project to be different for each student, if needed. This allows for the student to take charge of their final project and if they are more comfortable with a written project then they can do that. This is extremely helpful when it comes to students who have speech impediments or something similar that would cause them to not give a verbal assignment.

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assignment Task

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link Credits

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