Title: How do we measure the weather?

Lesson plan elaborated by: Zyta Sendecka

Target Group

Pupils of the fourth grade of primary school (new curriculum)

Core Curriculum

Grade 4

III. Weather, weather components, weather observation. Pupil:

1) lists different weather components and gives the names of the instruments used to measure them (air temperature, cloudiness, precipitation and atmospheric sediments, atmospheric pressure and wind direction);

2)reads the values of measurement of the weather components using the appropriate units of measurement;

3)conduct observations of weather components, record and analyze their results and recognizes the dependencies of each.

The general aim of education

Students observe the weather and measure the values of its individual components.

Criteria for success

• explain what the weather is;

• differentiate weather components;

• observe the weather in your local area;

• recognize the basic symbols used on meteorological maps.

Key Competences

• Communication in the mother tongue;

• Communication in foreign languages;

• Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology;

• Digital competence;

• Learning to learn;

• Social and civic competences.

Methods / techniques

Talk, work with text, direct observation, indirect observation, brainstorming.

Individual work, and group work

Teaching aids

• abstract;

• interactive or traditional board;

• tablets / computers;

• Student Flip‑board;

• a quiz of the weather components (prepared by the teacher based on the section „Weather and its components”).

Before the lesson

One week before class, the teacher asks students to watch the weather forecast every day and they should record at least one of the predicted weather events, and then observe whether the predictions of the weather forecasters happened.

Lesson phases

Introduction

1. The teacher asks the students:

• What is the wind and how do we determine its direction?

• How do clouds form and what conditions must exist to create certain kinds of weather ?

1. The teacher gives the subject and the purpose of the lesson in a language that the student understands as well as the criteria for success.

Realization

1. The teacher asks the pupils to give their opinion on the truth of the sentence with their flip‑boards: „The weather is always…” (green cards mean that students agree with this statement, red cards – that it is false to them). The teacher writes down the results on the board.

2. The students are paired up. They receive a quiz of weather weather components. They combine individual terms with their corresponding definitions, and then check whether they have correctly completed the task, comparing their work with the section entitled „Weather and its components”.

3. Students independently perform interactive exercise No. 1.

4. Students write in their notebooks the definition of weather. The teacher asks the pupils to use their flip‑boards again to refer to the sentence: „The weather is always”. If some students still disagree with this statement, the teacher asks for a loud reading of the weather definition and draws attention to its key words („the state of the atmosphere at given moment in given area”).

5. The teacher presents and discusses the weather maps from „Gallery 1”. Students indicate the location of their town and describe the weather forecasted for it according to the data on the maps.

6. The teacher asks the pupils to present their observations on the viability of the weather forecast. Then the students look for the answer to why it is so difficult to predict it.

7. Students read the section titled „Meteorological Garden” and analyze an interactive illustration showing a meteorological station.

8. Students read the section „Natural signs of weather” and explain why during drought pine cones open up and close in the rain.

Summary

Students independently perform interactive exercise No. 2.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

How do we measure the weather?

Weather is what we call the state of the atmosphere present in a given area at a given time. Over time, you can observe constant changes in the weather. The factors which determine the weather are listed below.

• Air temperature is given in degrees Celsius (°C).

• Air humidityit's the content of water vapor in the air. Its value is given in percentages (%). Air humidity increases before or after rain, and decreases during sunny and dry days. If the humidity is 100%, increasing the amount of water vapor leads to its condensation.

• Atmospheric pressure is measured by a barometer; its values are usually given in hectopascals (hPa).

• Wind force is usually given with two elements: direction and speed expressed in meters per second or kilometers per hour.

• Precipitation is determined by giving it's type and amount in millimeters.

• Cloud cover is determined on the basis of how much the sky is covered by clouds and is defined on a scale from 0 to 8. The types of clouds and the order in which they appear is also given.

• Sunshine it's the time that solar rays fall on a specific place. They are given in hours. Sunshine hours are lower in winter and higher in summer.

Meteorologists investigate the events and processes taking place in the atmosphere. They do it based on observations carried out in weather stations. These stations are equipped with various types of equipment that measures the weather components listed above. In Poland, all collected weather data goes to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (or IMGW). There are forecasters who prepare weather forecasts, or they predict its state for a limited time. This information is placed on special weather maps, which are presented on television, radio stations, newspapers and the Internet. Thanks to them, we know whether we should expect a storm or strong winds or maybe even beautiful, sunny weather on a given day. In order to prepare the forecast, the forcasters must study the weather in an area much larger than only the area of our country. Unfortunately, the weather is constantly changing, therefore the short‑term forecast (for example, two days) sometimes works with accuracy to the hour, but the long‑term (eg 4 - 5 days) may differ from reality.

Measurements of all weather components should be carried out in a designated place and at the same fixed time, and the operation of measuring devices should not be disturbed by, for example, excessive lighting. That is why the instruments used for observing the weather are placed in special meteorological Gardens. In such a garden you should find the following equipment:

• several thermometers (to obtain high accuracy of measurement) – to measure the minimum and maximum air temperature and ground temperature;

• hygrometer – to measure air humidity;

• barometer–for determining atmospheric pressure;

• anemometer – it indicates both the direction and the speed of the wind;

• pluviometer – collecting water from rain and measuring its quantity.

Thermometers and hygrometers are placed in the meteorological box in order to separate them from the influence of external factors that disrupt the operation of the measuring devices, e.g. sunlight. You certainly know the terms „temperature in the shade” and „temperature in the sun”. To make the air measurement accurate, it can not be disturbed by excessive sunshine – The sun would heat the air, which would result in erroneous measurement.

People have been trying to determine the weather for thousands of years, at least for the next day. They noticed that plants and animals often feel minor weather changes that they do not. Observing nature, you can get a lot of valuable information about how the weather will change. For example, livestock become restless before storms . While swallows before the rain starts, fly low to the ground, because at higher altitudes are no insects.

• Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given moment in a specific area.

• Weather components are cloud cover (cloudiness), sunshine, air humidity, air temperature, Precipitation (rainfall), wind force and atmospheric pressure.

• A weather forecast should be based on the analysis of all its components.

• Measurements and weather observations are dealt with by weather stations.

• On the weather map, the weather for the area is marked for a specific time.