Download Weather: A First Look

Weather: A
First Look
1 videocassette............................................... 17 minutes
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CREDITS
Author and Producer: Peter Cochran
Videography:
Peter Scheer
Dan Duncan
David Huot
Narrator: Randye Kaye
Consultants:
Alan McCormack
Michael Worosz
Produced for Rainbow Educational Media by
Cochran Communications
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duplicate, in whole or in part, this teacher's guide and the blackline
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this video program. Any reproduction or duplication in whole or in
part of this guide and the blackline master handouts for any purpose
other than for use with this video is prohibited.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...................................................................4
Program Summary......................................................... 5
Objectives...................................................................... 7
Review Questions.......................................................... 8
Activities...................................................................... 10
Glossary....................................................................... 14
Bibliography................................................................ 15
Related Rainbow Videos for Young Viewers ............. 16
Script............................................................................ 17
INTRODUCTION
"What is it like outside?" This is a question we ask almost
daily. What we do each day and how we plan for the future
are influenced by the weather. Weather plays an important
role in determining how we design and build our homes, the
plants we grow, the food that is available to us, and the
clothing we wear.
Weather: A First Look provides young students a simple
overview of what weather is, how and why it changes, and
how it affects our lives. A basic vocabulary of terms related to
weather is used and defined, and video footage shows the
characteristics and effects of different types of weather.
Throughout the video, young models demonstrate and
comment on many of the key points. Easy-to-understand
graphics clarify difficult concepts.
The program also shows how meteorologists measure
weather conditions and how they make predictions. It
includes demonstrations of simple ways students themselves can measure rainfall, wind speed, and temperature. In
this way, viewers learn not only about weather, but also
about how scientists gather and interpret information.
Grade Level: This video program is appropriate for grades 1
through 3.
SUMMARY
The video begins by showing a student rising in the morning
and looking out the window. It notes that one of the first
things we do each day is find out what kind of day it is. Is it
sunny or raining? Is it windy? How cold or hot is it?
Answers to these questions affect how we approach the
day, what kinds of activities we engage in, and how we
dress. The video notes here that we call what it is like
outside "weather."
The video then explains that long-term weather patterns are
what make up a locale's climate, and how climate, too,
affects how we live. It contrasts the climate in southern
Arizona to that of Vermont.
The program describes how the sun is the source of heat on
the earth. Using a flashlight and a globe, a student demonstrates how different places get varying amounts of heat
from the sun, depending on their position on the earth, and
why the areas around the equator are warmer than those
nearer the poles. The video goes on to explain how seasons
affect climate. Graphics clarify why seasons occur as the
earth orbits the sun. The program shows children engaged
in different kinds of activities that are determined by
seasonal changes in weather.
The video then introduces a television weatherman who
describes how he depends on information gathered by
meteorologists to make his forecasts. It shows how meteorologists use information from satellites, radar, and weather
balloons. The weatherman demonstrates how temperature
readings are made at a weather station. The video then
shows how students can measure air temperature using a
thermometer and explains how a thermometer works.
The next section of the program focuses on why water is an
important component of weather. The video demonstrates
how air is full of water even when it looks sunny. A student is
shown removing a mirror from a refrigerator and breathing on
it. The water in the exhaled air condenses on the cold surface
of the mirror to become liquid again.
The video explains that clouds form in the same way when
water vapor condenses to form tiny droplets of water. A
student sprays a cookie sheet with a fine mist to demonstrate how small water droplets come together to form
bigger droplets. Similarly, when the water droplets in a
cloud become too big for the cloud to hold, it rains. The
video points out that snow and sleet form when rain freezes.
The television weatherman reappears to show how a rain
gauge at a weather station works. This section ends by
showing how a student creates her own rain gauge.
Next, the video shows different kinds of wind and explains
that wind is moving air. Dramatic images of a hurricane
show what happens when a wind is very strong. The
program explains how an anemometer measures wind
speed at a weather station. It also demonstrates how students can make their own simple instrument to compare
different kinds of wind.
A brief summary ends the program.
OBJECTIVES
After viewing the program, students will be able to:
- describe the effects of heat from the sun on
weather.
- describe the effects of water on weather.
- describe the effects of air on weather.
- explain what climate is.
- explain how and why weather changes with the
seasons.
- describe different kinds of precipitation.
- discuss how weather affects their lives.
- understand how meteorologists collect data on
weather.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is weather?
Weather is what the atmosphere is like at a particular
time and place with respect to conditions such as
temperature, moisture, wind, and barometric pressure.
2. What is climate?
Climate is the average weather over a long period of
time.
3. What are some ways in which weather can be different?
Answers will vary. The program discusses temperature, different kinds of precipitation, and different
kinds of wind. Some students may note amount of
cloud cover, humidity and other factors.
4. Why is the climate warmer around the equator than
near the poles? Sunlight is more concentrated at the
equator.
5. Why do seasons occur?
As the earth orbits the sun, the tilt of the earth causes
some parts of the earth to get more sunshine during
part of the year than at other times. For example, the
northern part of the earth is tilted towards the sun
during the summer, and away from the earth during
the winter.
6. What is temperature?
Temperature is how hot or cold it is.
7. How can you measure temperature?
You can measure temperature with a thermometer.
8. What is condensation?
Condensation occurs when water in the form of a gas
or vapor turns into a liquid.
9. How do clouds form?
Clouds form when water vapor in the atmosphere
condense to form tiny droplets.
10. Why does it rain?
Tiny droplets of water in clouds come together to form
bigger droplets that fall to the earth.
11. Why does it snow?
It snows when water in clouds freezes.
12. What is a rain gauge and how does it work?
A rain gauge measures the amount of rainfall by
collecting water in a container where it can be measured.
13. What is a hurricane?
A hurricane is a very strong wind. Some students may
be able to note that a hurricane is a wind with a speed of
over 74 miles or 119 kilometers an hour.
14. What is an anemometer and how does it work?
An anemometer measures wind speed by catching the
wind in cups that spin around. By measuring how fast
the cups spin, you can measure wind speed.
ACTIVITIES
1. In the video, a student shines a flashlight on a globe to
show how a beam light is more concentrated around the
equator than near the poles. Students can easily do this
exercise. In addition, they can use a pencil or erasable
marker to trace an outline on the globe to mark where the
light hits near the middle of the globe and where it hits
the top or bottom. This will make it even clearer how the
same amount of light is spread out over a larger surface at
the earth's poles than at the equator.
2. The program describes briefly how many thermometers
work. The thermometer consists of a tube that holds a
liquid (usually alcohol). As the temperature gets warmer,
the liquid expands and moves up the tube.
With your help, students can construct their own thermometer, using the following materials:
-
bottle or vial
stopper with a hole in it
glass or plastic tube
colored rubbing alcohol.
Fill the bottle or vial with the rubbing alcohol. It is
important to use rubbing alcohol instead of water because alcohol's coefficient of expansion is much greater,
and the results will be more impressive. You can use
food coloring to give it color.
Insert the glass or plastic tube through the stopper and
put it into the vial as shown on the next page.
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glass or plastic tube-
colored rubbing alcohol
Have students place their thermometers in various settings with different temperatures and tell them to note
whether the alcohol in the tube rises or falls.
3. The video shows a Stevenson screen at a weather station. A
Stevenson screen is used to shield a thermometer from
direct sunlight so that it records only the temperature of
the air. If you put a thermometer in direct sunlight, the
sun will warm the materials that make up the thermometer
itself. This is why you should always measure
temperature in the shade.
Have students measure the temperature outside their
homes or school. They should record temperatures at
different times of year and at different times of the day
and keep a log.
At the end of the year, they can try to answer these
questions using the data that they collected:
- What time of year was the highest temperature they
recorded? The lowest?
- Were there any patterns in the average temperature at
different times of the day? (That is, was it generally
cooler in the morning? When did the temperature
tend to be highest?)
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4. Weather stations are in many different locations. If there is
one near your school, you may be able to schedule a
tour. If you are unable to visit a weather station, invite a
meteorologist to speak to the class.
5. Students in the United States usually hear temperature
given in degrees Fahrenheit, but in most places in the
world the Celsius scale is used.
Students may be confused about the differences. Bring a
thermometer to class that has both scales side by side.
Explain to students that these are two different ways of
showing the same thing. Using the thermometer, show
what different temperatures using the Fahrenheit scale
would be using the Celsius scale.
6. The program shows how students can make a device to
compare wind speeds by using a protractor, ruler, ping
pong ball, and string.
When using this instrument, they should note the farthest point at which the string crosses the protractor.
Have them write down the number on the protractor that
the string reaches in different types of wind. After
they've made measurements in several types of wind,
they should be able to make comparisons between a
strong wind, light wind, and no wind at all.
It is also possible to translate the numbers on the protractor
into a rough estimate of wind speed by using the scale on
the next page.
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Number on the
protractor
90
95
100
105
110
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
155
160
Wind Speed
kilometers/hour
miles/hour
0
9
13
16
19
24
26
29
31
34
37
41
46
52
0
6
8
10
12
15
16
18
19
21
23
25
29
32
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GLOSSARY
anemometer: instrument that measures wind speed
atmosphere: thin layer of gases that surround the earth
climate: average weather conditions in a particular region
over a long period of time
cloud: visible mass of water droplets or ice in the air,
formed when water in the atmosphere condenses
condensation: process in which water changes from a
vapor to a liquid
desert: area that receives little rain
equator: imaginary line around the earth that lies halfway
between the north and south poles
hurricane: storm characterized by very high winds; also
called a typhoon or cyclone
meteorologist: person who studies the weather
rain: drops of liquid water falling from clouds
rain gauge: instrument that measures amount of rainfall
season: weather period of the year
sleet: mixture of snow and rain
snow: ice crystals that fall from clouds
temperature: how hot or cold it is
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thermometer: instrument that measures temperature water
vapor: water in the form of a gas
weather: atmospheric conditions that exist at a particular
time and place
wind: moving air
wind vane: instrument that indicates wind direction
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allaby, Michael. How The Weather Works. Pleasantville,
NY: Reader's Digest, 1995.
Ardley, Neil. The Science Book of Weather. San Diego:
Harcourt Brace, 1992.
Cosgrove, Brian. Weather. New York: Alfred A. Knopf:
1991.
Eden, Philip and Twist, Glint. Weather Facts. New York:
DK Publishing, 1995.
Ellyard, David. Weather. New York: Time-Life Books,
1996.
Simon, Seymour, Weather. New York: Morrow Junior
Books, 1993.
Van Cleave, Janice. Weather. New York: John Wiley,
1995.
15
Wyatt, Valeric. Weather Watch. Reading, Massachusetts:
Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1990.
Wyler, Rose. The First Book of Weather, New York:
Franklin Watts. 1966.
RELATED RAINBOW VIDEOS
FOR YOUNG VIEWERS
Air: A First Look
Earth: A First Look
Magical Mother Nature: The Four Seasons
Magnets: A First Look
Plants: A First Look
The Fabulous Five: Our Senses
The Sky Above: A First Look
Water: A First Look
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SCRIPT
Weather: A First Look
Narrator
One of the first things we do each morning is look out the
window to see what kind of day it is.
Students' voices
Is it sunny?
Is it snowing? Is it
raining? Is it
blowing?
Narrator
What it is like outside is called weather. Weather affects
what we do and how we dress.
Students' voices
Do I have to wear a coat?
Can I wear shorts? Can
I go swimming? Can I
go ice skating?
Narrator
Weather can be different in many ways. It can be different
from place to place. The weather in southern Arizona is
usually hot and dry, while the weather in Vermont is cooler,
and it rains more often.
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Vermont and Arizona have different climates. A place's
climate is what its weather is usually like over a long period of
time...
but even in the same place, weather can be different from
day to day or even from hour to hour. Weather changes all
the time. It can be hotter one day than the next. It can be
sunny in the morning and raining in the afternoon.
There are many things that make weather what it is. Among
the most important is the sun. The sun provides heat.
Without the sun, the earth would be very cold...too cold for
us or for anything to live. Without the heat that comes from
sunshine, there wouldn't be weather as we know it; but not
all places on the earth get the same amount of sunshine.
Pretend this globe is the earth and this flashlight is the sun.
Shine the flashlight on the globe so that the beam of light
hits the area near the middle. Notice how the beam makes a
small circle there.
Now shine the flashlight more toward the top or the bottom
of the globe. Notice how the light is more spread out.
The same thing happens when rays of sunlight hit near the
equator, an imaginary line around the earth that lies half
way between the north and south poles. There, light and
heat are concentrated in a small area; but when rays of
sunlight hit closer to the earth's poles, the light and heat are
more spread out.
This is why countries like Costa Rica, which is near the
equator, are warm all year round, even in the winter; but
other places near or at the earth's poles are cold all year
round. Even in the summer, Antarctica is cold.
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In many parts of the world, the weather and climate aren't
cold—or warm—all year round. The climate changes from
one season to the next. Places like Vermont and Wisconsin
can be very cold in the winter.
Students' voices
You can build a snowman,
or go sledding.
Narrator
But in the summer, these same places can be warm...even
hot.
Students' voices
You can play catch...
swim... ride a
bike.
Narrator
The seasons change so much in some places because the
amount of sunshine and heat they get from the sun changes.
As it circles the sun, the earth is tilted at an angle. Around
June, the northern part of the earth is tilted towards the sun. It
gets more sunshine then, and it is warmer; but as the earth
continues to orbit around the sun, the situation changes.
Around December, the northern half of the earth is lilted
away from the sun. Then it gets less sunshine, and it is
colder.
How hot or cold it is, is called temperature. Temperature can
change a lot from season to season, but temperature also
changes from day to day, even hour to hour.
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Would you like to know what the temperature will be
tomorrow or even three days from now? Many people
would. Knowing what the weather will be helps people
plan what they'll do and how they dress.
George Wright (on television)
We'll be getting into the mid and upper 80s early next week
on Monday or Tuesday. Right now we have partly cloudy
skies...
Narrator
This is George Wright, a television weatherman and meteorologist. A meteorologist is someone who studies the
weather.
George Wright (interview):
As a meteorologist, what I try to do is look at the weather
conditions today and then project or predict what the
weather will be like in the future.
Narrator
To make his predictions, George depends on information
gathered by other meteorologists at the National Weather
Service on Long Island, New York.
George Wright
Weather data from all over the world comes here. That
weather data is analyzed, and it is sent out to newspapers,
and to radio and TV stations.
Narrator
Meteorologists have several different ways to gather the
information they need. For example, they can use radar to
track clouds. This radar allows them to see where it is
raining or snowing.
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They can get information from satellites orbiting above the
earth.
They can release weather balloons high into the atmosphere, the layer of air that surrounds the earth. Tiny radio
transmitters are attached to the balloons, and these transmitters send information back to the ground.
Meteorologists also have instruments that gather information
about temperature.
George Wright
This is a Stevenson screen. It is used to keep the sunlight off
the thermometers that are inside. It's painted white to
reflect the sunlight, and it has openings to let the air go in.
Let's take a look inside. Here we have a thermometer that
measures the highest and lowest temperatures of the day.
Narrator
You, too, can use a thermometer to measure temperature.
This kind of thermometer has a red liquid in it that rises
when it gets hotter and falls when it gets colder. By reading
where the liquid stops, you can tell what the temperature is.
Besides being hot or cold, can you think of other ways
weather can be different?
Students' voices
It can be dry.
It can rain.
Narrator
Water is another important part of weather. Even on a
sunny day, the air around us is full of water. This water is
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in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. We can't
see water vapor, but it is there.
Here is a way to show you that there is water in the air, even
when we can't see it. Breathe on a mirror that you have left
in the refrigerator.
Student
It fogs up!
Narrator
The fog you see on the mirror is made up of tiny droplets of
water. Like the air around you, the air in your lungs contains
water vapor. You can't see the water vapor, but when the air in
your breath hits the cold mirror the water vapor changes
from a gas to a liquid you can see. This is called condensation.
Go outside and look at the clouds.
Students' voices
Some are kind of thin.
Some are fluffy, like cotton.
Narrator
Clouds have many shapes and forms, but all clouds are
made of tiny droplets of water. They form when water
vapor condenses in the cold air, just as the water vapor in
your breath condenses on a cold mirror.
Here's something you can try. Using a spray bottle like this
one, spray water on a metal cookie sheet so that it is covered
with a fine mist. The mist is made up of very small drops of
water. They stay where they are; but if you spray more, the
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tiny droplets of water come together to form bigger droplets, and they begin to run down the sheet.
The same thing happens in clouds. Small drops come
together to form bigger drops.
What happens when the drops get too big for the clouds to
hold?
Students' voices
It rains.
Narrator
Rain isn't the only way that water falls from clouds. What
happens when it's cold outside?
Students' voices
It snows.
Narrator
Just like the water in a pond or stream freezes, the water
droplets in clouds can freeze and fall to the earth as snow or
sleet, a mixture of snow and rain.
One of the things meteorologists do is measure how much it
rains or snows at different places.
George Wright
This is a rain gauge. The rain falls into this funnel. Then it
collects in this cylinder. Then we take a ruler, and we
measure how much rain has fallen.
Narrator
Here's a way you can make your own rain gauge. Have an
adult cut the top off a plastic soda bottle. Put a piece of tape
near the bottom of the other part. Put the top part into the
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bottom...like this. Then pour water into the bottle until it
reaches the top of the strip of tape, and leave it outside.
When it rains, water falls into the top part of the bottle and
drains into the bottom. When you check your rain gauge
after the rain ends, you can measure how much the level of
the water has risen inside by using a ruler to measure from
the strip of tape. Here the level has risen a little less than one
inch or about 20 millimeters. This is how much it rained.
Besides being hot or cold, or wet or dry, weather can be
different in still other ways.
Look at this grass.
Students' voices
Wind!
Narrator
Wind is moving air. Wind is another way the weather can
change. Think of different kinds of wind.
Students' voices
Wind can blow my hair, just a little.
Wind can move a flag. Wind can
knock over trees.
Narrator
When a wind is very strong, it is called a hurricane.
Hurricanes are winds that reach over 74 miles or 119
24
kilometers an hour. They are so powerful they can blow
down trees and tear the roofs off houses.
Meteorologists get information about wind with different
kinds of instruments. This is a weather vane. It shows the
direction of the wind.
This instrument, called an anemometer, measures wind
speed. It catches the wind in cups which spin around. By
measuring how fast the cups spin, meteorologists can tell
how fast the wind is blowing.
Here's a way you can compare how strong different winds
are. Get something called a protractor. Schools have them
and so do most stationery stores. Tape a ruler to it... like
this. Then attach a ping pong ball to it with a piece of
string...like this.
Take it outside and point it into the wind. When the wind
blows, the ping pong ball moves. Note where the string
crosses the protractor in a light wind. Compare this to how
far the string reaches in a strong wind. The stronger the
wind, the farther the ping pong ball and string will move.
Weather is many things. Weather is
different from place to place, and from
season to season. Weather is hot, and
weather is cold. Weather is dry,
25
and weather is wet.
Weather is windy,
and weather is still.
Weather affects how we dress and what we do.
Two things will always be true about weather.
We will always have weather,
and weather will always change.
The End
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