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\begin{document}

\title{Lesson: Introduction to Weather~~~~~}



\author[1]{Weihua Huang}%
\affil[1]{Journal of Conceptual and Applied STEM Education}%


\vspace{-1em}



  
  \date{May 17, 2024}


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\sloppy


\textbf{Suggested Time:} 60 minutes

\textbf{Suggested Class size:} 8-20 students

\textbf{Target Student:} Grade 1-3

~\textbf{Overview:~}

This lesson works as the starting point of a series of lessons for the
students to learn about weather on earth and the whole lesson is divided
into three parts. Students will begin by exploring various weather
phenomena they have encountered through discussion, which leads to the
definition of weather. Then they will brainstorm and present the factors
that cause different types of weather and their impact on people's daily
life and human society. Finally they will learn about the concept of
weather forecast and various ways of related application, including
using artificial tools and through observation of natural phenomena etc.
The homework of this lesson aims at either giving the students an
opportunity to further explore the concepts covered in the class, or
training of their analytic thinking skills by collecting weather related
data and perform data analysis.~

\textbf{Vocabulary:}

\begin{itemize}
\tightlist
\item
  Weather~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ Forecast~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~Wind~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
  ~ ~ Fog
\item
  Cloud~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ Rain~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thunder~ ~ ~ ~ ~
  ~ ~ ~ ~Storm
\item
  Typhoon~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~Snow~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lightening~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
  ~Gauge
\item
  Temperature ~~~~~~ Humidity~~~~~~~~~~~Thermometer~~~~~~~Anemometer
\end{itemize}

\par\null

\textbf{Next Generation Science Standards:}

~\selectlanguage{english}
\begin{longtable}[]{@{}ll@{}}
\toprule
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\textbf{Disciplinary Core Ideas}{}\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\textbf{Performance Expectations}{}\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
K-PS3-1. Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on
Earth's surface\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
K-PS3-2. Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that
will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
ESS3.B: Natural Hazards\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
K-ESS2-1. Use and share observations of local weather conditions to
describe patterns over time\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
K-ESS3-2. Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of
weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
~\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe
typical weather conditions expected during a particular season\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
~\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
3-ESS2-2. Obtain and combine information to describe climates in
different regions of the world\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
~\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
3-ESS3-1. Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces
the impacts of a weather-related hazard\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\bottomrule
\end{longtable}

\textbf{Objectives:}

1.~~~~ Students will learn about common global and local weather
phenomena.

2.~~~~ Students will learn the basic concept of weather and its impact
on human society.

3.~~~~ Students will know the major factors that affect the weather.

4.~~~~ Students will learn about basic knowledge on weather forecast.

~

\textbf{Required Project Materials:}

1.~~~Computer with internet access and projector to display multimedia
contents to the whole class.

2.~~~~Large poster board and markers for discussion and presentation.

3.~~~~Task cards specifying the requirements of homework to be assigned
to the students.

4.~~~~Data sheets for the students to fill in for their homework.

\textbf{Multimedia Materials:}

1. Cloud and weather forecast (Video):~
\url{http://new-play.tudou.com/v/XMjA3Mzk5NTMyMA==.html}?

2.~China Weather Website:~\url{http://www.weather.com.cn/}

3.~Pictures and short video clips of weather phenomena: can be obtained
through search engine such as Google or Baidu.

4.~~``Weather'', SuperScience STEM Instant Activities Grades 1-3,
Scholastic.

\par\null

\textbf{Optional Multimedia Materials:}

1.~The term ``weather'', related reading materials and references on
Wikipedia: \url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather}

2.~China Meteorological Administration website:
\url{http://www.cma.gov.cn/}

3.~World Meteorological Organization website:
\url{https://public.wmo.int/en}

\textbf{Before the Lesson/Background Information:}

\begin{itemize}
\tightlist
\item
  There are many proverbs in Chinese tradition summarized by ancient
  people that are related to weather forecast. Some of them are still
  used very often nowadays. The teacher may collect some proverbs
  commonly known and ask the students whether they have heard about
  them. Examples of Chinese traditional weather related proverbs are as
  below:
\end{itemize}\selectlanguage{english}
\begin{longtable}[]{@{}ll@{}}
\toprule
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\textbf{Proverb}\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\textbf{English Translation}\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\begin{CJK}{UTF8}{gbsn}龟背潮\end{CJK}\selectlanguage{english},Xia Yu Zhao {}\selectlanguage{english}\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
When a turtle's back is wet, the rain is coming\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\begin{CJK}{UTF8}{gbsn}喜鹊枝头叫\end{CJK}\selectlanguage{english},Chu Men Qing Tian Bao {}\selectlanguage{english}\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
Magpies singing on the tree, it's a good to go out\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\begin{CJK}{UTF8}{gbsn}天上乌云盖\end{CJK}\selectlanguage{english},Da Yu Lai De Kuai {}\selectlanguage{english}\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
Dark cloud in the sky means rain is coming soon\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\begin{CJK}{UTF8}{gbsn}蜻蜓低飞要下雨{}\end{CJK}\selectlanguage{english}\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
Dragonfly flying low means the rain is coming soon\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
\begin{CJK}{UTF8}{gbsn}半夜东风起\end{CJK}\selectlanguage{english},Ming Ri Hao Tian Qi {}\selectlanguage{english}\strut
\end{minipage} & \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\columnwidth}\raggedright\strut
Wind coming from east at midnight means good weather tomorrow\strut
\end{minipage}\tabularnewline
\bottomrule
\end{longtable}

\begin{itemize}
\tightlist
\item
  The teacher should prepare to express the definition of ``weather'' in
  a grade appropriate way. According to Wikipedia, ``Weather is the
  state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it
  is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy.''
  {\ref{951170}} For a student in grade 1-3, the
  definition should be easy to understand and memorize without too much
  abstraction. As for the factors affecting the weather, ``Weather is
  driven by air pressure, temperature and moisture differences between
  one place and another.''{\ref{951170}} The teacher
  should also be careful how to express it in an appropriate way. For
  example, simple terms such as ``air'', ``water'', ``dust'', ``heat''
  can be used during the class.
\item
  The teacher should get familiar with local weather characteristics and
  collect suitable pictures or short video clips to be shown to the
  students. Take Shanghai as an example. There is a regularly humid and
  rainy period between spring and summer. Extreme weather such as
  Typhoons can often be generated in Pacific Ocean near Shanghai and its
  effect can be observed in summer. By relating the topic with the
  students' experience in real life, students can be more engaged in the
  discussion and~ learning of the topic.~
\item
  The teacher should get familiar with human activities that are
  significantly affected by weather. Major types of such activities are
  as below:
\end{itemize}

\begin{enumerate}
\tightlist
\item
  Agriculture: a suitable amount of rain is good for crops to grow in
  farms. On the other hand, lack of rain or excessive amount of rain may
  cause drought or flood, in both cases crops may die and as a result
  agricultural production is affected. This is why farmers have great
  concerns about weather during their daily work.~
\item
  Traffic: a common observation is that it is harder to travel between
  home and school during rainy days. In fact, rain, snow or fog all
  bring difficulty for people to travel on roads. Furthermore, storm and
  thunder bring danger to air traffic, typhoon and hurricane are enemies
  to ships traveling in the sea. People and traffic companies should
  adjust their traffic plan based on weather forecast results.
\item
  Health issues: fog and haze are caused by small particles in the air,
  and are harmful to people's respiratory system. When exposed in
  extremely hot or cold environment, people may suffer from sunstroke or
  cold injuries. This is why people should be aware of the weather
  condition everyday to protect themselves.~
\item
  Social security and stability: large scale extreme weather such as
  typhoons and hurricanes can cause severe damages to houses and roads
  to a city, and can take people's lives. Thus scientists must closely
  monitor the possible occurrence of such extreme weather (also called
  natural hazards) so that precautionary actions can be taken by the
  government.
\end{enumerate}

\begin{itemize}
\tightlist
\item
  The teacher should go through weather forecast website which is to be
  shown to the students, such as the China Weather website. Get familiar
  with some of the pages, such as the following:
\end{itemize}

\par\null\selectlanguage{english}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.70\columnwidth]{figures/Ping-Mu-Kuai-Zhao--2018-07-13-Xia-Wu-11-25-40/Ping-Mu-Kuai-Zhao--2018-07-13-Xia-Wu-11-25-40}
\caption{{The main page of China Weather website
{\label{584211}}%
}}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

In Figure 1, we can see the main page of China Weather website which is
the most popular website that provides weather information to the public
in China. In the small~gray window on the right, there is local weather
forecast including current temperature, wind direction and level,
humidity, temperature forecast in the following 5 days including the
current date. The top area of the page is the navigation bar which
provides quick access links to sub-channels. The center area of the page
is the weather related news and updates all around China.

\par\null\selectlanguage{english}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.70\columnwidth]{figures/cloud-image201807121400/cloud-image201807121400}
\caption{{The satellite cloud image of China at 2pm, 12th July, 2018
{\label{686136}}%
}}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

By clicking the ``\begin{CJK}{UTF8}{gbsn}云图\end{CJK}\selectlanguage{english}'' among the links in the navigation bar, we can
get access to dynamic satellite cloud images of China as illustrated by
Figure 2. By default the newest cloud image is displayed. The website
provides a series of cloud images with the past 12 hours, which were
taken every 5-10 minutes. We can navigate through the images, or we can
simply press the ``play'' button provided to see animated movement of
the clouds.~

\par\null\selectlanguage{english}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.70\columnwidth]{figures/heat-image/heat-image}
\caption{{The temperature map of china
{\label{105557}}%
}}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

By clicking the ``\begin{CJK}{UTF8}{gbsn}专业产品\end{CJK}\selectlanguage{english}'' among the links in the navigate bar, we can
access the temperature map of China as illustrated in Figure 3. By using
different colors to represent temperature intervals, we can clearly see
which areas in China are extremely hot in summer, and which areas are
relatively cooler.~

\par\null\selectlanguage{english}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.70\columnwidth]{figures/rain-image/rain-image}
\caption{{The precipitation map of China
{\label{941693}}%
}}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

We can also quickly change the view to show the precipitation map of
China, as illustrated in Figure 4. Different colors are used to
represent the intervals which show the amount of rain measured in 24
hours. This map can clearly show which areas in China are suffering from
heavy rain, and which areas are threatened by possible drought.~

\par\null

\begin{itemize}
\tightlist
\item
  The teacher should prepare for the activities to be organized in the
  classroom, including the required tools, background knowledge of
  weather to be clarified during students' discussion, and correct
  concepts and statements to be used to answer students' doubts.
\end{itemize}

\par\null

\textbf{The Lesson:}

\textbf{Part 1: Discussion of weather phenomena (15 minutes)}

This part belongs to the ``remembering'' level of the Bloom's Taxonomy,
which let the students know some basic facts about weather:

1.~~~~ Ask the students what weather phenomena they can think of.
Students can come up with their answers individually or through group
discussion. The answers can come from the students' daily experience or
what they see/hear from public media.

2.~~~~ Write down the list of unique answers on the poster board, after
eliminating the repeated ones. Guide the students to mention weather
phenomena for all the four seasons. Relate the answers with vocabulary
words above. The opening and discussion should last for 8 minutes.

3.~~~~ Shown pictures or video clips that illustrate typical local
weather phenomena to the students so that all students can have some
sense of what the weather phenomena look like in the real world. This
should be for about 7 minutes.

\par\null

\textbf{Part 2: Brainstorming and presentation (30 minutes)}

This part belongs to the ``understanding and applying'' levels of the
Bloom's Taxonomy, which give the students chances to dig out why
different types of weather phenomenon can be generated and how they
affect people's daily activities in the real life, bringing out why
weather forecast is important:

1.~~~~ Based on the discussion results of part 1, the teacher can give a
definition of weather that is suitable for the students' grade level.

2.~~~~ Split the students into groups of 3-4, if it hasn't been done in
part 1.

3.~~~~ Assign one specific weather phenomena to each group and ask the
group to brainstorm on the cause of the weather phenomena and its impact
on human society. To make it more fun, each group can be given a set of
red stickers each representing a weather phenomenon, and several sets of
green stickers representing basic factors such as air, water, heat and
dust etc. A group of students can place the stickers on a piece of paper
to associate green stickers with red stickers. The resulting graph made
of stickers means the factors that may cause each weather phenomenon.
The corresponding effect of a weather on human activities can be written
somewhere on the same piece of paper. The brainstorming lasts for 10
minutes.

4.~~~~ The teacher can provide guidance to each group during the
brainstorming by challenging their findings. The teacher can also guide
the students to record down the result of brainstorming with papers and
stickers.

5.~~~~ Towards the end of this session, a representative from each group
will present their findings to the whole class with their paper and
stickers. Each group can spend 3-5 minutes depending on the number of
groups. Total time should be controlled within 20 minutes, including
Q\&A.

\textbf{Part 3: Introduction to Weather Forecast (15 minutes)}

This part prepares the students for the ``analyzing and evaluating''
levels of the Bloom's Taxonomy, by introducing existing weather forecast
applications and tools to the students:

1.~~~~Share with the students some natural phenomena people use for
forecasting weather, such as different types of cloud in the sky,
various animal behaviors etc. Some of them can be expressed with
traditional proverbs. Ask the students about any weather related
proverbs they heard of. Share some prepared proverbs to the whole class.
The sharing lasts for about 5 minutes. Then transit from traditional
ways of weather forecast to modern weather forecast methods based on
scientific technologies.~

2.~~~~ Spend 5 minutes to explain the concept of weather forecast
through displaying the content on the weather forecast web site to the
student, including the main page, the satellite cloud image (possibly
with animation), the country's precipitation map and the country's
temperature map etc.

3.~~~~ Ask the students about any other channels they can see weather
forecasts, such as mobile apps, TV channels etc. Ask them about the
differences with respect to the content and representation of the
information delivered among these weather forecast channels. The short
discussion is about 5 minutes.

\textbf{Homework:}

There are two options for the homework of this lesson, emphasizing on
different aspects of learning. The data collection and analysis homework
guides a student to properly collect data, make observations and use
analytic thinking to arrive at reasonable conclusions. The paint and
report homework guides the student to perform survey or literature
review on certain topic and express their ideas with graphical
representation, and use analytic thinking to answer short questions.~~

\par\null

\textbf{Option 1:} Data collection and analysis homework.

A student can use the data sheet provided to record down specific
weather related data. Based on the data accumulated for a period of
time, the student can come up with arguments or verify a hypothesis that
he/she obtained from external sources. Examples are as below:

1.~~~~ A cloud tracker. The student can choose a regular timeslot at the
beginning of a day to observe the sky and tell the cloud data. Then the
student can observe the weather during that day and record it down. This
can be done for seven consecutive days. Or the student can choose those
days when typical type of cloud appears in the sky. The expected result
is that certain type of cloud precedes certain kinds of weather. But
there is a chance that the result does not reflect any pattern at all.
Then the student should be reminded that first of all, weather forecast
is based on complicated scientific data collection and analysis which
cannot be perfectly precise, and secondly the reliable weather patterns
are found by the weather scientists through years of data from all over
the world, which requires patience and hard work.

2.~~~~ A weather tracker. The student is required to watch and record
down weather forecasted through TV or mobile app etc. for consecutive
days. Then the student should record down the actual weather data for
the same day, including temperature and rain etc. After the data are
obtained, the student can compare the forecasted weather and the actual
weather data to tell the difference between the two. The student will
learn concepts like ``error rate'' and ``precision'' by the comparison
and calculation. Furthermore, if the tracking of weather is during a
specific season such as summer, the student can try to summarize certain
characteristics of the weather in that season. Note that the summarized
result can vary significantly depending on the location of the student.~
~~~~

~\textbf{Option 2:} Paint and report homework.~

Provide a list of typical weather phenomena for the students to choose
from. Each student will read related books or research online (with the
help of parents if necessary), draw a picture of the weather phenomena
reflecting what they have seen/known or with their imagination, and
write a short report covering the following points:

\begin{itemize}
\tightlist
\item
  What factors may cause the weather phenomena?
\item
  What's the impact of the weather phenomena on people's daily life?
\item
  Is there any way to forecast this type of weather? If so, specify the
  method(s). If not, specify the limitation/difficulties.
\end{itemize}

Students can learn to create graphical presentation of concepts by
drawing the picture, and they can polish their analytic thinking skills
through research and literature review of a given topic.

For the two options above, the teacher can let each student choose which
one he/she prefers to work on, or a lucky draw can be organized so that
half of the students take the first option and the remaining half take
the second one.

\textbf{Followups:}

After grading the homework submitted by the students, it is suggested
that the work from all students to be publicly shared to the whole class
in the following class sessions, so that students can exchange their
ideas and findings and learn from each other.

~

References:

\subsubsection*{\texorpdfstring{{[}1{]}
\url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather}}{{[}1{]} https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather}}

{\label{951170}}

~

\par\null

~

\par\null\par\null\par\null\par\null

\textbf{}

\selectlanguage{english}
\FloatBarrier
\end{document}

