Lesson 1: Whatever the Weather
Activities
Activity 1: Whatever the Weather
Materials: dictionary
Ask your child to read the vocabulary list on the sheet titled "Whatever the Weather" and match each definition with a word. She can look up definitions of words she is not familiar with in a dictionary. Help her understand how to pronounce each word. Over the next week, review the definitions daily. Ask her to use each word in a sentence related to the weather. She can write the sentence or say it out loud.
Answer Key:
- wind: air that is moving
- hurricane: a violent tropical storm with rain and high winds
- meteorologist: a scientist who studies weather
- precipitation: water than falls from clouds in the form of rain, sleet, hail, or snow
- tornado: a violent spiraling wind storm
- barometer: an instrument used to measure air pressure
Student Activity Page
Activity 2: Perfect Weather
Materials: colored pencils or markers
Ask your child to write a paragraph or poem that describes her favorite type of weather and why she enjoys it. She can write or copy her work on the "Perfect Weather" sheet. Remind her that people enjoy different types of weather. Some people love cold, snowy weather because they love skiing, while others like hot, sunny weather because they enjoy surfing. When she finishes her poem or paragraph, ask her to draw and color her favorite weather in the window at the top of the page.
Student Activity Page
Materials: The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting by Mark Breen and Kathleen Friestad
Tell your child that the book for this unit was written by a meteorologist, a scientist who studies the weather. In The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting, ask her to read the following pages:
— p. 7 ("What does a meteorologist do?")
— pp. 10-11 (Keep a Weather Log")
Then have her answer the following questions. (Tell your child she does not have to create her own weather log. Weather log pages are provided in this lesson.)
Questions
- What is a meteorologist's job?They study the weather, try to predict what the weather will be, and share the information with other people.
- What do meteorologists call the weather prediction they share with other people?forecast
- Why do you think keeping a weather log would be useful?Answers may vary. Your child may say that it could help her learn more about the weather or look for weather patterns so she can predict future weather.
Activity 3: Weather Log
Materials: thermometer
A weather log is a diary of the weather. For ten days your child will use the "Weather Log" pages to record the date (example: Saturday, September 12), temperature, sky conditions (cloudy, clear, partly cloudy, snowy, rainy), how the weather feels (cool, cold, warm, hot), and an outside activity she participated in that day or would recommend for that type of weather. She should fill in the log at the same time each day.
Encourage your child to watch a couple of different weather forecasts on the television or online.
Encourage your child to watch a couple of different weather forecasts on the television or online.
Student Activity Page
Student Activity Page