Weather Day = YAY!

I loved the idea of this "weather day". I think it was an excellent way to make weather interesting and visible to the students. It also is a good way to observe what they retain. This is a ... See More

I loved the idea of this "weather day". I think it was an excellent way to make weather interesting and visible to the students. It also is a good way to observe what they retain. This is a great idea!

Weather is Not Just Elementary

This article from Science and Children describes a field trip for first graders after they have spent time learning about weather with four sessions about sun and clouds, water cycle, wind, ... See More

This article from Science and Children describes a field trip for first graders after they have spent time learning about weather with four sessions about sun and clouds, water cycle, wind, and storms. The article provides information on all four sessions and also about preparing for the field trip. There is a section for follow up ideas as well as one for future changes. This could be used for students up to maybe third grade.

Informational

This article provided beneficial and informational content that would allow me to use similar ideas with my students. I like how it allowed for students to be interactive in their learning a... See More

This article provided beneficial and informational content that would allow me to use similar ideas with my students. I like how it allowed for students to be interactive in their learning and become scientists on their own. The article explained that the children learned the information and studied the content prior to doing the research and their own hands-on learning. I believe this is a great resource for elementary teachers when planning a unit on weather.

Great ideas, but could be more inquiry

The article provides a summary of what one school does to learn about the weather. With the help of outsiders and parents, kids learn about the formation of clouds, measuring the wind, and s... See More

The article provides a summary of what one school does to learn about the weather. With the help of outsiders and parents, kids learn about the formation of clouds, measuring the wind, and so on primarily by demonstration. Though the activities are high-quality, I think the kids may have understood weather phenomena better had they built a class weather station, and recorded and predicted weather based on their observations. In addition, they would be honing their higher-level thinking skills. Some of the activities could be adapted to a group setting, and expanded to provide a better forum for inquiry.

Well Organized Event

This article outlines the logistical and instructional steps you would need to take to put on a weather celebration at your school. I like the organization and structure the teachers have p... See More

This article outlines the logistical and instructional steps you would need to take to put on a weather celebration at your school. I like the organization and structure the teachers have put into this event. Students are required to record what they learned in each session in a weather notebook. In the water cycle station, teacher should emphasize the cyclical nature of the stages of water as opposed to focusing on evaporation and condensation.