Curated OER
Warm and Cold Air
Students conduct an experiment to discover what happens to air when it is heated or cooled, discover that wind moves from a high-pressure area (an area of sinking air) to a low pressure area (an area of rising air).
Curated OER
Air Pressure & Barometers
Fourth graders observe, measure, and record data on the basic elements of weather over a period of time (i.e., precipitation, air temperature, wind speed and direction, and air pressure). Then, they make a barometer and keep record of...
Curated OER
Air Pressure and Wind
Fifth graders study air pressure and learn how it can change the weather. In this air pressure lesson, 5th graders study the given diagrams and complete the experiments to learn how air pressure can change the weather. Students read...
Discover Earth
Weather Stations
Transform your classroom into a fully functioning weather station with this series of hands-on investigations. Covering the topics of temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and cloud formation, these activities engage young...
Curated OER
Winter-time Temps
Students measure temperature and become aware the the temperature above and below the snow is different. In this winter temperature lesson, students measure temperatures to find variation based on how the snow is packed. Students...
NOAA
Climographs
In the second lesson plan of a five-part series, young climatologists use provided temperature and precipitation data to create climographs of three different cities. They then analyze these climographs to develop a general...
Curated OER
Measuring Wind Speed
Students study wind speed and collect wind speed data. In this wind speed lesson, students visit a website to learn about the local wind speed forecast for their week. Students discuss wind and wind speed. Students collect wind speed...
Curated OER
Signs of the Wind
Learners discover the properties of wind. They name as many wind words as they can. (breezy, windy, blustery, gust, tornado, hurricane, stormy, etc.) and use vocabulary, movement, and props to illustrate winter weather concepts such as...
Curated OER
What Makes the Wind Blow?
Student study the properties of wind. They make a miniature hot-air balloon and compose diamond-shaped poems about the wind. They explain that as the sun warms air around the earth, the air rises. Colder air then moves in to fill the...
Curated OER
Air Pressure and Wind
Fourth graders explore weather by reading weather measurement text. In this barometer instructional activity, 4th graders discuss ways weather is measured on Earth and how these measurements lead to predictions. Students read assigned...
Curated OER
Wind
Fourth graders are read a story and answer the comprehension questions about sound and wind. In groups, they make their own wind vane and how to determine the direction of the wind. To end the lesson, they make their own Anemometer to...
Curated OER
Is Air a Fluid?
Students discuss the physical properties of fluids and then demonstrate that air carbon dioxide and oxygen) is a fluid by creating currents.
Curated OER
Comparing the Effects of El Nino and La Nina
Students examine the differences between an El Nino and La Nina year. In this investigative lesson students create maps and graphs of the data they obtained.
National Park Service
Fire Ecology on the Rim
An engaging unit on wildfires includes three sections, including a background section with eight lessons and five activities, a field experience section with 13 lessons and five activities, and a conclusion section featuring an...
Curated OER
Explore: 4th Grade Beaufort Wind Speed
Fourth graders measure wind speed, air pressure, humidity, temperature, and wind direction. They compare their observations with those of actual weather forecasts.
Curated OER
LAB: Temperature Inversion - Pollution Simulation
Students, after identifying and examining the relationship of temperature and air masses in association with smog and pollution, create a temperature inversion in a long aquarium jar. They experience what happens when smog builds up and...
Curated OER
Everyone Knows It's Windy
Students create an anemometer, an instrument that measures wind speed.
Curated OER
The Power of Atmospheric Pressure Process
Students are introduced to the basic principles of atmospheric pressure. After watching demonstrations, they discover the capability of air pressure and how it affects weather. In groups, they use an inquiry template to solve different...
Curated OER
Rain Shadows and Sea Breezes
Students plot the average rainfall for a variety of cities in the United States. Using the map, they work together to determine patterns on which toxicants are transported through the air. They determine the impacts of various weather...
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Weather Watch Activity Guide: Groundhog Day
Exactly what do groundhogs know about weather? Not as much as your science students will after completing these lessons and activities that cover everything from the earth's rotation and the creation of shadows, to cloud...
Curated OER
Weather Forecasting
Fourth graders explore the concepts of weather forecasting. Students locate the current weather in a specified city. In groups, they record the specified weather information and make predictions of weather. Students justify their...
Curated OER
Teaching about Diel Temperature Variation
Learners explore temperature variation in lakes and deal with the data.
Curated OER
Energy Transfer
Young scholars investigate the properties of heated air. They make predictions about what they think makes the wind blow on a worksheet, and conduct two experiments to demonstrate the properties of heated air. Students heat a bottle...
Curated OER
Build Your Own Weather Station
Studens experiment with temperatures. In this science lesson plan, students make their own weather station by heating one bottle and keeping the water in another bottle at room temperature.