738-6022DSR

Weather Instruments

delta science modules Weather Instruments 111

Weather Instruments

In the Delta Science Reader WeatherInstruments, students explore what weatheris and what factors cause changes in theweather. They explore various weathertools, such as the thermometer, barometer,wind vane, anemometer, hygrometer, andrain gauge. The book also presentsbiographical sketches of key scientists inthis fieldGabriel Fahrenheit, AndersCelsius, and Sir Francis Beaufortanddescribes the work of airport meteorologists.Students also discover how a thermometerworks and read about wind chill.

Students will

explore weather-related concepts

learn about and discuss a variety ofweather instruments

discuss the function of a table of contents,headings, and a glossary

interpret photographs and graphicsdiagrams, table, chartto answerquestions

complete a KWL chart

organize information in different ways

Reader

DeltaScience

OVERVIEW

Delta Science Readers are nonfiction studentbooks that provide science background andsupport the experiences of hands-on activities.Every Delta Science Reader has three mainsections: Think About . . . , People in Science, and Did You Know?

Be sure to preview the reader Overview Chart on page 4, the reader itself, and the teachingsuggestions on the following pages. Thisinformation will help you determine how to plan your schedule for reader selections andactivity sessions.

Reading for information is a key literacy skill. Use the following ideas as appropriate for yourteaching style and the needs of your students.The After Reading section includes an assessmentand writing link.

Delta Education LLC. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint for classroom use only.

READING IN THE CONTENT AREA SKILLS

Categorize information about weatherinstruments

Recognize cause-effect relationships inatmospheric conditions

Compare and contrast weatherinstruments

Demonstrate critical thinking Interpret graphic devices Summarize

NONFICTION TEXT ELEMENTS

Weather Instruments includes a table ofcontents, headings, photographs andillustrations, captions, diagrams, charts,boldfaced terms, table, and a glossary.

CONTENT VOCABULARY

The following terms are introduced incontext and defined in the glossary: airmass, air pressure, anemometer,atmosphere, barometer, Beaufort scale,Celsius, cirrus cloud, cloud, cold front,condensation, cumulus cloud, evaporation,Fahrenheit, front, humidity, hygrometer,meteorologist, precipitation, rain gauge,stationary front, stratus cloud, temperature,thermometer, troposphere, warm front,water cycle, water vapor, weather, weathermap, wind, wind chill, wind vane.

Build Background

Access students prior knowledge ofweather and weather instruments bydisplaying and discussing the cover. Pointout the wind vane and ask: What do youthink this object is? (a wind vane) Where isit? (on a roof ) Why? (The wind can blow onit without being blocked by trees.) Thenread the title aloud, and invite students toshare what they know about the topic from

their personal experiences and hands-onexplorations in science.

To stimulate discussion, ask questionssuch as these: What do you know aboutweather? What kinds of weatherinstruments do you know about?

Begin a class KWL chart by recording factsstudents know about weather and weatherinstruments in the K column. You may wishto copy the KWL chart and ask students tomaintain their own charts as they read.

Preview the Book

Take a few minutes to have students lookthrough the book. Explain the stepsinvolved in previewing nonfiction: thinkabout the title, read the table of contents,read the headings, read boldfaced words,and examine any photographs,illustrations, charts, and graphics.

Call attention to the various nonfiction textelements and explain how each feature canhelp students understand what they read.Point out that the table of contents lists allthe main headings in the book and theirpage numbers. Note that the headings onpages 28 are in the form of questions.Ask: How do the headings help you knowwhat you will learn about? Point to someof the illustrations and ask questions suchas: What does this picture show you?How do you think it will help youunderstand the text? Explain that thewords in boldface type are important wordsrelated to weather and weatherinstruments that students will learn whenthey read the book. Point out that thesewords are defined in the glossary. Chooseone word and have students find itsdefinition in the glossary.

BEFORE READING

112 delta science reader

KWhat

I Know

WWhat

I Want to Know

LWhat

I Learned

+What

I Want toExploreFurther

Delta Education LLC. All rights reserved.


Following the preview, ask: What questionsdo you have about weather and weatherinstruments that you would like this bookto answer? Record students responses inthe second column of the KWL chart. Explainthat they will complete the chart after theyfinish reading.

Preview the Vocabulary

You may wish to preview some of thevocabulary words before reading, rather thanwaiting to introduce them in the context ofthe book. Possibilities include creating a wordwall, vocabulary cards, sentence strips, or aconcept web.

For example, develop with students a websuch as the following, based on points madein the Build Background discussion and onthe preview.

Set a Purpose

Discuss with students what they mightexpect to find out when they read the book,based on their preview. Encourage them touse their individual questions to set anoverall purpose for reading.

Preview the book yourself to determine theamount of guidance you will need to give foreach section. Depending on your scheduleand the needs of your class, you may wish toconsider the following options:

Whole Group Reading Read the bookaloud with a group or the whole class.Encourage students to ask questions andmake comments. Pause as necessary toclarify and assess understanding.

Shared Reading Have students form pairsor small groups and read the booktogether. Pause students after each textsection to clarify as needed and to discussany questions that arise or have beenanswered. New questions can be added tothe KWL chart.

Independent Reading Some students maybe ready to read independently. Have themrejoin the class for discussion of the book.Check understanding by asking students toexplain in their own words what they read.

Tips for Reading

If you spread out the reading over severaldays, begin each session by reviewing theprevious days reading and previewingwhat will be read in the upcoming session.

Begin each text section by reading orhaving a volunteer read aloud theheading. Discuss what students expect tolearn, based on the heading. Havestudents examine any illustrations orgraphics and read accompanying captionsand labels.

Help students locate context clues to themeanings of words in boldface type.Remind them that these words are definedin the glossary. Provide help with wordsthat may be difficult to pronounce.

As appropriate, model reading strategiesstudents may find helpful for nonfiction:adjust reading rate, ask questions,paraphrase, reread, visualize.

weatherinstruments

thermometer

measures temperature

rain gauge wind vane

A concept web for weather instruments.

GUIDE THE READING



Think About . . . (pages 29)

Pages 2, 3 What Causes Earths Weather?and How Do We Measure Air Temperature?

Have students study the diagram on page2, and read the labels with them. Ask:What does the diagram show? (thelayers of the atmosphere) What is thebottom layer called? (the troposphere)

Before you read the body text, askstudents to pay attention to causes andeffects. When finished reading, ask: Whattwo things act together to causeweather? (sun and air) What effect doesheat energy from the sun have on Earth?(Heat energy from the sun warms Earthunevenly.) What happens as a result?(Warm and cold air masses form.)

If necessary, provide help with thepronunciation of troposphere (TROH-puh-sfir).

After students examine the photographson page 3 and read the captions, discusshow knowing the temperature is useful ineveryday life. Ask: How can knowing theoutdoor temperature help you plan whatto wear? (You would know whether towear warm clothes or cool clothes.)

After you read the body text, explain thatstudents will read about GabrielFahrenheit, who developed the Fahrenheitscale, and Anders Celsius, who developedthe Celsius scale, later in this book. Invitestudents to tell what they know aboutthese two scales.

Begin a two-column Weather Instrumentschart with the headings MeasuringInstrument and What It Measures. Listthermometer in the first column and havestudents tell you what to write in thesecond column.

If necessary, provide help with thepronunciation of Fahrenheit (FAR-uhn-hite) and Celsius (SEL-see-uhs).

Pages 4, 5 How Do We Measure AirPressure? and How Do We Measure Wind?

Have students read the text on page 4 tolearn about air pressure. Ask: What is airpressure? (the weight of the air pressingdown on Earths surface) Read the captionfor the photograph of the hikers and ask:If you were on a mountain, would theweight of the air above you be greateror less than it is here? (less) Why? (Thereis less air above pressing down.)

Explain that the reason air pressure doesnot squash us is that we have air insideour bodies. The air inside us balances, or makes up for, the pressure of theoutside air.

If a barometer is available, use it to helpstudents understand the description ofhow a barometer works. Add barometer tothe Weather Instruments chart.

If necessary, provide help with thepronunciation of difficult words, such asbarometer (buh-ROM-uh-tur).

Read page 5 to find out about wind. Ask:What causes wind? (air moving from ahigh-pressure area to a low-pressure area)

Have students compare and contrast awind vane and an anemometer. Ask: Howare a wind vane and an anemometeralike? (They are both tools to measurewind.) How are they different? (A windvane shows wind direction. Ananemometer measures wind speed.) Addwind vane and anemometer to theWeather Instruments chart.

If necessary, provide help with thepronunciation of anemometer (an-i-MOM-uh-tur).

Pages 6, 7 What Causes Clouds andPrecipitation? and How Do We MeasureHumidity?

Ask students whether they have evernoticed steam rising from a boiling pot of



water. Ask whether they have evernoticed drops of moisture on plants orother surfaces on a cool morning. Invitestudents to speculate about the causes.Explain that they will learn what causesthese conditions when they read page 6.

Have students examine the water cyclediagram. Read the title and the caption,and provide help as needed with theterms evaporation, precipitation andcondensation. Ask students to describewhat is happening in the diagram. Invitethem to discuss any questions they haveabout it.

If necessary, provide help with thepronunciation of evaporation (i-vap-uh-RAY-shuhn), condensation (kahn-duhn-SAY-shuhn), and precipitation (pri-sip-uh-TAY-shuhn).

Read page 6 to find out about the watercycle. Explore causes and effects withstudents. Ask: What causes water toturn into a gas? (Heat energy from thesun warms the water.) What is thiscalled? (evaporation) What causes watervapor to change back into waterdroplets? (It rises and cools down.) Whatis this called? (condensation)

Help students extend the learning. Ask:What was happening when you sawsteam rise from boiling water? (The waterwas evaporating and turning into a gas.)What caused the dew you saw on a coolmorning? (The water vapor in the aircondensed on the cool surfaces of grassand leaves.)

Have students look again at the watercycle diagram. Ask: How does thediagram help you understand what thetext describes? (It shows with pictureswhat the text says with words.)

Before reading page 7, ask: What do youthink a desert feels like? (hot and dry)How do you think a jungle would feel?(hot and damp) Have students read tofind out what causes this difference.

Check comprehension by askingquestions such as these: What ishumidity? (how much water vapor is inthe air) Would the air be more humid inwinter or in summer? Why? (summer,because more water evaporates when itis warm) Why would close temperatureson a wet-dry bulb hygrometer meanthat the air is humid? (The temperaturein the thermometer didnt change, whichmeans that the water in the cloth didntevaporate and cool it down.) Addhygrometer to the Weather Instrumentschart.

If necessary, provide help with thepronunciation of hygrometer (hye-GROM-uh-tur).

Pages 8, 9 How Do We MeasurePrecipitation? and Other WeatherInstruments

Review with students that precipitation iswater or ice falling from clouds.Encourage students to name as manydifferent types of precipitation as theycan think of. Record their answers. Readpage 8 to learn about different types ofprecipitation and how precipitation ismeasured.

Direct attention to the photograph of therain gauge, and have students read thecaption. Ask: Which do you think wouldbe the better place to put a rain gauge,under a tree or in an open space? Why?(an open space, because a tree wouldblock some rain)

Point out that you can measure rain with arain gauge and snow with a ruler. Ask: Howcould you measure hail? (Students maysuggest measuring the size or depth ofhailstones.) Add rain gauge and ruler tothe Weather Instruments chart.

Invite students to compare the types ofprecipitation mentioned with the list theycreated. Add to the list as needed.



Have students look at the photographson page 9 and read the captions. Askwhether they have ever watched aweather report on television. Encouragethem to share their experiences. Ask: Inaddition to satellites and weatherballoons, how else do you think TVweather forecasters get information?(Students may mention radar orairplanes, such as the ones that fly intohurricanes.)

People in Science (pages 1013)

Pages 10, 11 Gabriel Fahrenheit, AndersCelsius, Sir Francis Beaufort

Before reading page 10, remind studentsthat they learned that thermometers usetwo scales, called the Fahrenheit scaleand the Celsius scale. Read to find outabout the scientists who developed thesescales.

Discuss the photograph of thethermometer, and guide students tocompare and contrast the two scales. Ask:What is the boiling point of water onthe Fahrenheit scale? (212 degrees) Onthe Celsius scale? (100 degrees) What isthe freezing point of water on these twoscales? (32 degrees on the Fahrenheitscale, 0 degrees on the Celsius scale) Whydo you think scientists use the Celsiusscale instead of the Fahrenheit scale?(Accept reasonable responses.) You maywish to point out that the Celsius scale isalso called the centigrade scale.Centigrade means 100 degrees, andthere are exactly 100 degrees on theCelsius scale between the freezing andboiling points of water.

Read the body text before having studentsexamine the chart on page 11. Afterstudents study the chart, have themobserve wind conditions outside andanswer the question posed in the text.

You may wish to explain that morescientific methods of determining windspeeds, such as anemometers, havereplaced the Beaufort scale.

If necessary, provide help with thepronunciation of Fahrenheit, Celsius, andBeaufort (BOH-fuhrt).

Further Facts

Gabriel Fahrenheit (16861736)

German physicist born in Danzig(Gdansk), Poland; died in The Hague,The Netherlands.

Invented the alcohol thermometer in1709 and the mercury thermometer in1714.

Invented a hygrometer to measurerelative humidity.

Discovered that different liquids havedifferent boiling points and that theyvary with atmospheric pressure.

Discovered that water with impuritiescan remain liquid below the freezingpoint.

Anders Celsius (17011744)

Swedish astronomer born and died inUppsala, Sweden.

Professor of astronomy at the Universityof Uppsala from 1730 to 1744; built theUppsala Observatory in 1740.

Published works on the aurora borealis(the northern lights) and helpeddetermine that the shape of the earth islike a flattened sphere, as predicted bySir Isaac Newton.

Sir Francis Beaufort (17741857)

Born in County Meath, Ireland.

Began his naval career at the age of 13as a cabin boy; served in the BritishNavy until he was 81.

Started keeping a weather journal afterthree years at sea; continued thispractice until his death.



Appointed hydrographer to theAdmiralty in 1829 (hydrography is thestudy of the geographic features ofbodies of water).

The Beaufort Sea, a sea of the ArcticOcean off Alaskas northern coast, wasnamed after him.

Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1846, andtwo years later knighted by QueenVictoria for service to England.

Pages 12, 13 Airport Meteorologists

Ask students where they think ameteorologist might work besides in atelevision station as a TV weatherforecaster. Where might it be importantto know about weather conditions inother parts of the country or the world?Explain that students will read about thejob of an airport meteorologist.

Ask students to examine the photographsand read the captions. Discuss theinformation presented.

Review what students have learned aboutweather instruments by asking: Whatkinds of tools do you think an airportmeteorologist uses to gather data for aweather map? (Students should name theweather instruments discussed in the text.)

Also ask if students see any cloudsoutside today. Can they tell what kind ofcloud?

If necessary, provide help with thepronunciation of difficult words, such asmeteorologist (mee-tee-ur-OL-oh-jist).

Further Facts

Kinds of Meteorologists

There are many different kinds ofmeteorologists:

Research meteorologists study specialfields of meteorology, such as tropicalweather systems.

Regional forecasters specialize in theweather of one area.

Consulting meteorologists provideinformation to businesses, industries,and governments on how weatheraffects areas of specific interest to them.

Broadcast meteorologists inform thepublic about the weather through radioor television reports.

Synoptic meteorologists study globalweather observations, interpretcomputer output, and monitor large-scale weather systems.

Physical meteorologists study theelectrical and chemical properties of the atmosphere.

Dynamic meteorologists create modelsof how the atmosphere circulatesaround the globe.

Did You Know? (pages 1415)

How Thermometers Work and About Wind Chill

If possible, have several different types ofthermometers available for students toexamine. Invite them to share their ideasabout how a thermometer works.

Read page 14 about how a thermometerworks. As needed, explain the termsexpand and contract. Guide students toidentify cause-effect relationships. Ask:What makes the liquid in a thermometerrise when the temperature rises? (Itexpands.) Why do you think the metalinside the round thermometer getslonger when the temperature rises? (Theheat makes it expand.)

Ask students: Have you ever noticed thatit feels much colder when the wind isblowing than when the air is calm? Whydo you think this is so? Have studentsread page 15 to learn about wind chill.



Discuss the Wind Chill Chart and askquestions to have children use the chart,for example: If the air temperature is 25degrees F and the wind is blowing at 45miles an hour, how cold does the windchill make it feel? (5F)

Summarize

Complete the KWL chart you began withstudents before reading by asking them toshare the answers to their questions. Call onvolunteers to retell each text section. Thenhave students use the information in the KWLchart and the Weather Instruments chart towrite brief summary statements.

Discuss with students how using the KWLstrategy helped them understand andappreciate the book. Encourage them toshare any other reading strategies thathelped them understand what they read.

Direct attention to the fourth column in thechart and ask: What questions do you stillhave about weather and weatherinstruments? What would you like toexplore further? Record students responses.Then ask: Where do you think you might beable to find this information? (Studentsmight mention an encyclopedia, sciencebooks, and the Internet.) Encourage studentsto conduct further research.

Review/Assess

Use the questions that follow as the basis fora discussion of the book or for a written ororal assessment.

1. What causes weather? (Heat energy fromthe sun warms Earths surface, which heatsthe air above it. Because the heating isuneven, hot and cold air masses form.Pressure differences make the air move andcause changes in weather.)

2. Name three weather measuring tools andtell what they measure. (Students maymention the following: thermometerairtemperature, barometerair pressure,wind vanewind direction, anemometerwind speed, hygrometerhumidity, raingaugeamount of rain.)

3. What is the water cycle? (Heat energy fromthe sun warms Earths water, which causesit to evaporate and become water vapor.Water vapor rises and cools. When watervapor cools, it condenses into drops ofwater that fall back to Earth as rain orsnow. This water flows into Earths rivers,lakes, and oceans, and the cycle beginsagain.)

Writing Link/Critical Thinking

Present the following as a writing assignment.

Think about where rain comes from. Whydoes Earth never run out of rain? (It neverruns out of rain because the same water isbeing used again and again. Water fromrivers, lakes, and oceans evaporates to form water vapor that returns to Earth as rain or snow.)

Science Journals: You may wish to havestudents keep the writing activities related tothe reader in their science journals.

References and Resources

For trade book suggestions and Internet sites,see the References and Resources section ofthis teachers guide.

AFTER READING


738-6022DSR

Documents

Transcript of 738-6022DSR