Rainfall: How and Why

How We Measure It & Why It Matters (Science Club/Weather series of posts)

Wednesday, Apr 5

last week's K-W-L Charts were our transition into this topic

read Pink Snow and Other Weird Weather by Jennifer Dussling



look at and feel hailstone illustration in It Can't Be True: Incredible Tactile Comparisons (DK Braille Books)



look at illustrations in Sector 7 by David Wiesner, ask students if they recognize any of the cloud names



read The Verticality of Clouds, take notes on cloud name parts

height:
cirro - curl (high)
alto - high (medium)

shape:
strato - bed
cumulo - heap

rain bearing:
nimbo - rain


The Four Core Types of Clouds
weather.gov


print and add Cloud Types graphic to Science Club notebook

have students work together (in groups of 3 or 4) to make a Cloud Type chart as a team, let them work collaboratively to decide what type of material would work best to represent each kind of cloud

supplies:
8 1/2 x 20" sheet of blue paper, pencil
tape, scissors, glue
white wool batting
dark grey wool roving
cotton squares
cotton balls
paper towels
facial tissues


Besides the grey wool roving, the rest of the "cloud" materials I gave them were all white. The two grey clouds are the ones that bring rain (and have nimbo in their names).

"Cumulonimbus clouds are white and fluffy, with gray that can be seen on the inside of the cloud. They can billow very high into the atmosphere. Cumulonimbus are the types of clouds that are thunderheads, very large and dramatic clouds that bring thunderstorms." - from homework.study.com

"Nimbostratus clouds are dark, grey, featureless layers of cloud, thick enough to block out the Sun." - from metoffice.gov.uk

Wednesday, Apr 12

review and wrap up humidity and rainfall by reading chapter 3, "Water Everywhere," of The First Book of Weather by Rose Wyler

our previous exploration: humidity

Although there's so much more we could do with Weather, the students are eager to get onto our 2nd topic for Science Club this school year: Mycology! Now that it is Spring, we are going to shift gears and explore the marvelous world of Fungi. Hope these notes have been helpful! Here is the whole set:

Temperature: How and Why blog post
weather instrument: thermometer

Oct 26, Nov 2, Nov 9

experiments:
Exploring Heat in Solids, Liquids, and Gases 1
Exploring Heat in Solids, Liquids, and Gases 2

another experiment option could be
Create a Thermometer

Air Pressure: How and Why blog post
weather instrument: barometer

Nov 16, Nov 30, Dec 7, Jan 4, Jan 11

The Barometer blog post

experiments:
Pins in a Bottle
Use Your Lips to Levitate
Balloons That Boggle
Suspended in the Air Stream
Fool the Spool
Squeeze the Stream
Density of a Candy Bar
Coffee Can Barometer, p.19 of The First Book of Weather by Rose Wyler



activities:
Science Club Quiz
Drawing Isotherms
Graphing Pressure

Wind Direction: How and Why blog post
weather instrument: windvane

Jan 18, Jan 25, Feb 1

activities:
Make a Wind Vane at Home
Whimsical Wind Vane

Wind Speed: How and Why blog post
weather instrument: anemometer

Feb 8, Feb 15, Feb 22

experiment:
Smoke Jar, p.26 of The First Book of Weather by Rose Wyler



activity:
Station Experiment for Making an Anemometer

Humidity: How and Why blog post
weather instrument: hygrometer
weather instrument: weather stick

Mar 15, Mar 22, Mar 29

K-W-L Charts for Clouds blog post

experiments:
Static Electricity Experiments
Make a Cloud in a Jar

another experiment option could be
Make a Hygrometer with 3 Strands of Hair

Rainfall: How and Why blog post
weather instrument: rain gauge

Apr 5, Apr 12

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