Reviewed by Geraldine (Gerry) Waller
Middle School Teacher
“Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” The weather has a significant impact on our daily lives. Educators who seek to promote student understanding of weather will appreciate the logical organization and the range of activities and resources in this book. Currently in its second edition, Meteorology is one of four titles in the Project Earth Science series that use manipulatives to enhance middle school students’ understanding of Earth science.
The first of this publication’s three sections features hands-on activities that focus on concepts related to the Earth’s atmosphere, factors that contribute to weather, and the interaction of air masses. Each of the 19 student activities is composed of background information, an easy-to-follow lab procedure, and questions and conclusions. The lesson objectives and required materials are conveniently listed on the first page of each exercise.
A Teacher’s Guide placed immediately after each activity provides an in-depth explanation of the concepts as well as a listing of the main points that students are expected to gain from the lessons. Time management and preparation tips along with extensions and interdisciplinary suggestions are also included in the guide. Poems or other weather-related literary works introduce each topic and lend further cross-disciplinary connections.
Some of the activities and demonstrations, such as “Which Gets Hotter: Light or Dark Surfaces?” will be familiar to experienced educators, but the book also contains a variety of new material. The student data sheets, maps, graphs, and other illustrations are uncluttered and should reproduce easily. The second section includes 10 weather related readings intended as teacher background, but also could be used as supplementary student information.
Most of the readings feature sciLINKS, carefully screened and educationally relevant Internet resources. For example, among the links accompanying the reading “Weather and the Redistribution of Thermal Energy’,is the “Adopt-a-City in the USA” project in which students produce a document about local weather based on research. Another sciLINK, “Amazing Earth Games: Unleash a Super Storm,” invites students to control the elements of a hurricane and compare their creation to historical storms.
Resources listed in the appendix provide a variety of books, resources, and websites. Teachers will also find the Standards Organizational Matrix in the appendix a handy reference for addressing the National Science Education Standards. Perhaps nothing can be done about the weather, but Meteorology will go a long way in helping students to understand it!
Review posted on 1/18/2001
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