4th Grade Amazing Earth November Weather and climate 4th Grade Amazing Earth November Presentation should take about 15-20 minutes to allow ample time for the experiment.   Some information is noted as optional and helps as background info for potential questions or additional information to share as time allows. Not everything in notes needs to be reviewed, so make it your own and have fun! Just keep an eye on the clock as the kids love the hands-on activities. Ask students to sit on the carpet so the activity can be set up at their desks. You may have to limit questions or the number of students who can answer a question if time runs short. Ask helpers to: familiarize themselves with the activity and its goal set up during the presentation decide who is working which station rotate stations about every 10-15 minutes. Thank you for making Amazing Earth possible! Updated: minor updates in progress

What is weather? Weather is the daily state of the atmosphere in a specific place and time. Weather may be described as hot, sunny, windy, cloudy, rainy, humid, etc. ASK the students: what is weather? Then CLICK to advance the slide to reveal the bullet points ASK: what is “atmosphere?” (the air around our planet)

What is climate? Climate is the average weather in a place over a period of time. Virginia’s climate is hot and humid summers; relatively mild but crisp winters that may have snow; and has moderate rainfall throughout the year. ASK the students: what is climate? Then CLICK to reveal the bullet points. Graphs are often used to describe climate

What is a Meteorologist? A Scientist who studies the atmosphere. They use tools to collect data and observations to understand the Earth's atmosphere. They forecast or predict how the Earth's atmosphere will interact with and affect life on our planet: Daily, they help us decide things like which clothes to wear. Sometimes, they help us with major weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, or snowstorms. Review the Slide Play the video (1.5 min). If the video does not automatically project, select the Function and F8 key Together and then click Duplicate. Click Here for Video

instruments for Measuring weather Weather Satellites Thermometer – air temperature Barometer – air pressure Anemometer – wind speed Weather vane – wind direction Weather satellite – track large-scale air movements (like hurricanes) Anemometer a change in wind speed may be the start or end of a storm Thermometer ASK: Does anyone know the names of some of the tools scientist use to measure the atmosphere or what the scientists are measuring? CLICK to reveal the bullet points and pictures. Pronounced “an·e·mom·e·ter” Barometer high pressure = sunny & dry low pressure = stormy & wet Weather Vane

Predicting weather using clouds Cumulus Fluffy and white = fair weather Cumulonimbus Taller and darker = heavy rain, hail or thunderstorms Stratus Smooth gray flat sheets covering the sky = overcast day, light rain or snow Stratus clouds on the ground are fog Cirrus High feathery clouds = fair weather today and often that rain or snow is coming

a severe wind storm is forecasted for Reston You are a scientist and have been asked to: Measure the storm Compare it to other storms What kind of data would we need to collect? What tools/instruments would we use? Measure wind speed using an anemometer Measure wind direction using a weather vane Make observations about damage START BY SAYING: “Let’s pretend” and then review the slide points and questions for the students. CLICK to bring up pictures. NOW SAY: We also need to measure this storm against other storms. We’ve collected data and made observations. Now, as scientist, we take that information and compare it to other storms to analyze the data to draw conclusions. Some things we would do… We would determine if the storm was mild or destructive. Was there a lot of damage? What kind of damage did it cause? We would compare it to other storms for which we collected data. Was this storm more or less destructive? We would compare wind speed and direction to the amount of damage. Does higher wind speed or wind from a certain direction cause more damage? All of these steps: observing, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions are several of the key steps scientist always follow.

Activity 1: Make your own anemometer 1) Take the cup with the bottom hole and thread straws through the side holes 2) Put pencil eraser through the hole in the bottom of the cup 3) Poke push pin through the straws and into the pencil eraser 4) Push four outer cups through the straws; all face the same direction OPTIONAL FACTS: The first four-cup anemometer was invented by a scientist who published his first scientific article when he was 13 years old. Anemometers are extremely important at airports where wind data is vital for safety. This wind information allows the flight professionals to know when freezing rain and icing are likely to be a danger. Leave this picture up for assembly reference. Mark the bottom of ONE cup to help count the number of turns and blow LIGHTLY HOLD the pencil in your hand as the WHOLE instrument spins

activity 2 – make a cloud key Leave this slide up during the activity. BOTTOM Wheel TOP Wheel 1) Cut out both wheels 2) Cut out the “cut here” areas in the TOP wheel TIP: Slightly fold the paper to snip a hole and then cut around 3) Fasten Wheels together 4) Spin to identify the cloud in the outer opening and read the description in the triangle opening