Meteorology- How's the Weather?

Rationale

To gather information on meteorology using research from the World Wide Web. To learn what instruments are used by meteorologists in forecasting weather. To learn how people are affected by weather as to where they live, how they dress, etc.

Teacher Steps To Prepare

1. Brainstorm "meteorology" for topics to be used for researching on the web. 

2.Create a semantic web on the computer. 

3. After group discussion, students will decide on the topics and questions for the database. 

4. Do on-line research to locate the best sites for students to gather this information. Link the sites on a class web page for student use.

Student Activities

1. Children will give their ideas about what meteorology is and use them to create a semantic web on the computer. 

2. After group discussion, students will decide on the topics and questions for the database. 

3. Children will use the Internet and Encyclopedias to gather information.

Assessment Methods

1. Evaluation  of the children's finished databases. 

2. Children's report of information made from the database information.

Standards Addressed by This Unit

• Students will produce a report of information (English Language Arts) 
• Students will write in Scientific Notation Students will build weather instruments (psychomotor) 
• Students will be able to use the Internet as a tool for research (cognitive)

Teacher Technology Skills Required

• Teacher exploration of web sites to be used for reference. 
• Teacher created database for research and discussion purposes.

Student Technology Skills Required

• Students will use the Internet to gather research and photographs of meteorological instruments 
• Students will create a semantic web on the computer 
• Students will create a database of information Students will publish results of their databases (reports)

Software Materials Used

• Claris Works (writing reports)
• Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia (source of information)
• Kid Pix (to create images)
• Netscape Page Composer (to create web page)
• SuperPrint, (to create database form)
• Encarta '99 (source of information)

Related Links

http://www.altavista.com/cgi/query?q=what+is+meteorology&pg=q+qe (the related links are on this page) http://encarta.msn.com/find/concise.asp?z=1&pg=2+i=04c7f000 (This is to access Encarta from on-line) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/  (For books on the topic) Smarterkids.com

Tips

• Children can appreciate how simple weather instruments that they can make are able to measure changes in weather. 
• Children love to be able to "forecast" the weather.
• Make sure children are familiar with the technology to create webs and databases on the computer.

About the teacher:
Bonnie Glasgold is a science enrichment teacher at P.S. 101, Brooklyn. She has been teaching for over twenty-five years. She uses the Workshop Model to teach science. She has been involved with Teachers Network for over six years. Bonnie has written many science curriculum units for TeachNet, and she also teaches the New Teachers' Online Survival Courses in Classroom Management and Violence Prevention.

E-mail: 
bmglas@aol.com

Subject Areas:                            Science 
Literacy

Grade Level: 
5