Rain+or+Shine

=Rain or Shine? Grades 2 - 5=

Anyone who spends time outdoors understands the importance of first checking a weather forecast before heading out the door. A forecast helps you plan on what supplies to bring and what to wear. Students can follow their local weather predictions. Is the weather forecaster always right?


 * Learning Goals**
 * Record the daily forecast and compare it to actual weather conditions.
 * Build and use a weather station.
 * Use a webcam site to observe weather in another location.
 * List several ways to save energy at home and school.

Download blank calendars or have students create their own. Each Friday, students can record predicted temperatures and weather conditions for the upcoming week. Provide stickers to indicate the accuracy of the predictions. If the temperature is correct or very close, put a sticker on the date. If the weather conditions are correct, add another sticker. At the end of the month count the stickers. Challenge older students to find the percentage of accurate prediction for the month. Discuss the ways that the weathr forecast helped your students.
 * Activities**


 * [|Blank Calendars]
 * [|USA Weather]
 * [|USA and International Weather Forecasts]
 * [|World Weather]
 * [|Wroclaw Weather Underground]

What is the weather like in another country? visit the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. With your class, observe the temperature and precipitation data for different regions of the continent. Your students might discover for themselves that Australia's seasons are opposite of those in Poland.


 * [|Australian Government: Bureau of Meteorology]
 * [|Weatherzone: Australia]

Use these sites to teach students to read a weather map, review weather safety, and study cloud types. Students can use what they learn to write their own forecasts.


 * [|Web Weather for Kids]
 * [|Southeast Regional Climate Center: Climate Kids (USA)]
 * [|Weather Wiz Kids]
 * [|Tips for Forecasting the Weather]

Build a weather station in your classroom. Print out the various materials lists and ask students to bring some of the items from home, such as coffee cans, straws, plastic wrap, paper plates, and paper cups. After constructing the instruments for the weather station, students can keep a log of the information the station provides. After a few weeks, ask students to write a report summarizing their data.


 * [|Make Your Own Weather Tools]
 * [|Make Your Weather Station]

Web cams provide real-time photos of the weather in various parts of the world. Use the sites listed here or search for others. Share them with your class, but be sure to preview the sites before every viewing.


 * [|Alaskan Region Weather Cams (USA)]
 * [|Cheyenne, Wyoming (USA)]
 * [|Cincinnati, Ohio (USA)]
 * [|Current New Zealand Weather and Webcams (live)]
 * [|Harbor Web Cam: Hawaii (USA)]
 * [|Pine Mountain Club, California (USA)]
 * [|The Rynek, Wroclaw Poland] (Live)
 * [|Weather Webcams, Poland]

Global warming is a frequent weather news topic. We can all help reduce emission into the atmosphere by learning how to limit our energy consumption. Students can use the Internet to find several ways they can make their homes more energy efficient. discuss the results and review ideas for making your classroom more energy efficient.


 * [|What's Up with the Weather?: Your Carbon Diet]
 * [|A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change]

What is like to be a meteorologist? Contact your local television stations and organize a visit with the weather forecaster.