1. Weather
Unit 3 – 5th Grade Science

2. Setting Up Your Journal
Title Page
“Weather” should be written on the page and you should include illustrations (make sure they are colored in)

3. Table of Contents and Essential Questions
Page 3 – Essential Questions
Pages 4-7 – Vocabulary
Essential Questions
How does weather change over time?
How do global and local weather patterns interact?
How are weather and climate interconnected?
Why is the water cycle an important process for Earth and how is the sun connected?

4. Vocabulary
Weather – what is happening in the atmosphere at a certain place and time
Precipitation – rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground
Atmosphere – air that surrounds the Earth
Troposphere – the lowest layer of the atmosphere where most weather occurs
Stratosphere – the layer of atmosphere above the troposphere – airplanes fly in this layer to avoid weather

5. Vocabulary
Meteorologist – a scientist who studies the atmosphere and weather
Forecast – a prediction of what the weather will be in the future
Air Mass – a body of air that has the same temperature and humidity throughout
Humidity – the amount of water vapor in the air
Relative Humidity – compares the amount of water vapor in the air with the greatest amount that could be in the air at that temperature and pressure

6. Weather Tools The most common weather tools are: Thermometer Wind Vane
Anemometer
Barometer
Rain Gauge
Hygrometer

7. Thermometer
A thermometer is a weather tool used to measure temperature.

8. Wind Vane
By observing wind vanes, we can know the direction of the wind. Knowing the direction of the wind is an important part in predicting the weather.

9. Anemometer
An anemometer is a weather tool that measures wind speed.

10. Barometer
Barometers measure air pressure. Air pressure can help you predict good or bad weather.

11. Rain Gauge
A rain gauge is a weather tool used to collect rain. Using measurements on the side of the gauge, you can see how many inches it rained.

12. Hygrometer
A hygrometer measures water vapor content of the air or humidity.

13. Weather Videos and Vocabulary
Brain Pop – Weather
Weather Balloon – carries weather tools into the atmosphere to measure conditions like temperature, humidity, and precipitation
Beaufort Scale – a scale used to measure approximate wind speed based on observations of surrounding conditions
Satellites - measures atmospheric pressure conditions as it rotates in space around the Earth
Ocean Buoy – measures wind speed and direction, precipitation, temperature, and wave size out in the ocean and then sends the information to satellites and other weather stations

14. Beaufort Scale Activity
You will need the following: a Beaufort Scale activity sheet, a pencil, scissors, and a glue stick
Read the introduction about the Beaufort Scale
You will CAREFULLY cut out the number boxes in the first column on the right hand side of the paper. They need to be cut out individually.
You will then CAREFULLY cut out the illustration boxes in the second column on the right hand side of the paper. They need to be cut out individually.
Next you will lay them on the correct place on the chart on the left hand side of the paper. DO NOT glue them down until they have been checked.

16. Weather vs. Climate
Weather describes the state of the atmosphere at any particular time
Weather can be described in terms of temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, visibility, and cloud amounts
Climate describes the average weather of a particular part of the world at different times of the year
Study Jams - Weather and Climate
Bill Nye - Water Cycle

17. Clouds

18. Clouds
Cloud – a large collection of very thin droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light, they can float in the air.
There are 4 types of clouds
Cumulus – means “piled up”
Cumulonimbus – produce thunderstorms
Stratus – means “sheets” or “layers”
Cirrus – means “feathery” or “tufted”
The word alto- means “middle height”. So an altostratus cloud is a layered cloud at middle height in the atmosphere.

19. Cumulus
- Cumulus clouds are white and puffy and look like pieces of floating cotton.
- These clouds are often called “fair weather clouds”.
- The base of each cloud is flat and the top of each cloud has rounded towers.

20. Cumulonimbus - Cumulonimbus – a type of cumulus cloud.
- Nimbus is Latin for rain cloud.
- They are tall and bring thunderstorms and sometimes hail.
- These clouds are also called thunderclouds or thunderheads.
- They are associated with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightening and sometimes even tornadoes.

21. Stratus
- Stratus clouds are uniform, grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. They resemble fog that doesn’t reach the ground. Light mist or drizzle sometimes falls out of the clouds.

22. Cirrus - Cirrus- means curls of air.
- They are made of tiny ice crystals.
- They are usually white and predict fair to pleasant weather.
- When you see a cirrus cloud, it usually means you will see a change in weather in the next 24 hours.

23. Fog Fog is a stratus cloud that forms close to the ground.
Fog is made up of very small water droplets.

24. Cloud Facts Why are clouds white?
Clouds are white because they reflect the light of the sun. Light 
is made up of colors of the rainbow and when you add them all 
together you get white. The sun appears a yellow color because it sends out more yellow light than any other color. Clouds reflect all the colors the exact same amount so they look white.
Why do clouds float?
A cloud is made up of liquid water droplets. A cloud forms when 
air is heated by the sun. As it rises, it slowly cools it reaches the 
saturation point and water condenses, forming a cloud. As long as 
the cloud and the air that its made of is warmer than the outside 
air around it, it floats!

25. Vocabulary and Notes for the Quiz
Air pressure – the weight of air pushing on everything around it
Fronts – large air masses that move around the planet, causing changes in the weather
You need to study the following:
the Water Cycle, weather instruments, cloud types, and vocabulary

26. Fronts
Air Mass- A large body of air that has the same temperature and moisture level throughout.
There are 4 types of air masses in the U.S.
When a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet a front is formed.
Study Jams - Air Masses and Fronts
Weather Fronts

27. Fronts Continued
Cold Front- happens when cold air mass pushes warm air up. Cumulus clouds form. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, or snow will form.
Warm Front- happens when warm air mass stretches over cold air mass. Stratus clouds form and slow steady snow or rain form.

28. Air Pressure
It is caused by the weight of all the air in the atmosphere pressing down on Earth.
It is also known as atmospheric pressure.
Air pressure changes with the height and also when air warms up or cools down.
Changes in air pressure cause changes in the weather.
A barometer measures air pressure.
When the barometer rises, it predicts clear, cold, and fair weather.
When the barometer falls, it predicts stormy and warm weather.
There are 2 different kinds of air pressure: Low and High

29. Differences in Air Pressure
When air rises, it leaves behind an area of lower pressure, because the upward- moving air is not pressing down so hard on the surface.
Areas of high pressure are formed where air is sinking back down, and so pushing down harder.
There are many areas of high and low pressure above the Earth’s surface due to uneven surface heating.
Air moves from high pressure areas to low pressure areas forming winds.
As a result, the greater the difference between the high pressure and low pressure areas is, the higher the wind speed is.

30. Air Pressure Diagram

31. Highs and Lows Pressure is different all over the world.
Lows are areas of low pressure with the lowest pressure at the center.
Lows usually bring wet, cloudy weather.

32. Highs are areas of high pressure with the highest pressure at the center.
Highs bring sunnier and drier weather.
The way these move from day to day causes the changes in the weather.

33. Measuring Air Pressure
Air Pressure is measured in millibars (mb) on a barometer.
The simplest kind of barometer is a mercury barometer and pressure is measured in mm (in) of mercury.
An aneriod barometer can measure move conveniently.
A barograph is a special kind of barometer, which records continuous changes in air pressure.

34. Videos!
Study Jams - Air Pressure and Wind
Brain Pop - Wind

35. Wind Wind – wind is air in motion.
Wind is produced by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun.
Speed and direction specify wind.
Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. Cold air moves in and replaces warm air. This movement of air is what makes the wind blow.
Weather moves west to east across the U.S

36. Wind Continued
Local winds- blow over small areas, can change speed and direction frequently. We feel local winds on the ground. They are influenced by local conditions and local temperature variations.
Windstorm- is a storm with high winds or gusts, but little or no rain.
Gust Front – is the leading edge of cool air rushing down and out from a thunderstorm.
Downburst – is created by an area of significantly rain-cooled air, that after hitting ground level, spreads out in all directions producing strong winds.

37. Jet Stream
- The jet stream is an air current in the upper atmosphere that flows from west to east.
- Where a jet stream flows over North America, it greatly affects the weather.
- Also known as “rivers of air”
- Because of the earth’s rotation, the jet stream flows west to east.

38. Global Winds
Blow across the entire world usually in belts in the upper atmosphere.
Examples : Westerlies, Easterlies, and Trade Winds
Westerlies- prevailing winds begin in the west and move towards the east. These are responsible for many weather movements across the U.S.
Polar Easterlies- cold prevailing winds begin in the east and move towards the west.
Trade Winds (Easterly Winds) – blow from east to west. Brings hurricanes off the coast of Africa.

39. Gulf Stream - Gulf stream- a warm ocean current in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Flows Northeast along the eastern coast of the U.S.
- Moves warm waters out across the Atlantic Ocean toward the north.
- Gulf stream keeps weather along the eastern coast mild by warming the air and land there during the cooler months.

40. El Nino and La Nina UNC-TV: El Nino
A change in ocean temperatures can affect weather patterns for long periods of time.
El Nino- characterized by unusual warming of the surface water in the eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator.
La Nina- unusual cooling of the same water.
These temperature changes in water temperature affect weather patterns in North and South America for long periods of time.
UNC-TV: El Nino
Science Interactive: El Nino and La Nina

41. Vocabulary Quiz words You will need to know the following words:
weather, stratus, rain gauge, atmosphere, cumulus, barometer, air masses, forecast, cirrus, stratosphere, anemometer, hygrometer, troposphere, wind vane, condensation, evaporation, precipitation, meteorologist, and nimbus