Want to create a classroom weather station? First, teach kids about features and tools. Next, ask them to record daily data. Finally, they can graph their findings. And there you have it!
Ms. Sanchez Sets Up a Classroom Weather Station
Our favorite third grade teacher and her teaching partner looked over their weather and climate activities.
“Know what I want to do?” Ms. Sanchez asked her teaching partner. “Set up a weather station.”
“Hey, that sounds like a lot of fun,” said Mr. Jones.
“Sure, but I’ve tried it before. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the right resources.”
As usual, Mr. Jones pulled out his laptop. Before long, he had found something. “Here we go. A set of materials that will support your quest.”
Weather Station Posters
Ms. Sanchez looked over his shoulder. First, he scrolled through options for setting up the weather station, lesson plans and extensions. Then, he showed her a set of vocabulary recording sheets. Finally, they landed on something really interesting: elements of weather posters.
“These teach temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity, air pressure, and clouds,” Mr. Jones said.
“Additionally, in the next section, I see that more posters teach about weather tools. See? Before they start collecting data, kids learn how to measure temperature. Then the see that wind can be measured with a wind vane, windsock, or anemometer. Of course, a rain gauge checks precipitation. And although it’s a little advanced, a hygrometer measures relative humidity while a barometer measures barometric pressure.”
“If you use these to teach about weather and tools that measure it,” Mr. Jones said, “you won’t feel guilty using data from the Internet.”
Ms. Sanchez giggled. “True. That will get me off the hook. I won’t need more science equipment. All my kids need is background information.”
Recording Sheets
As they scrolled down farther, they came to daily recording sheets for the weather station.
“Hey!” Ms. Sanchez exclaimed. “I love these. I can either set up a notebook or let them enter data online. Kids record conditions, cloud types, and other information. “For example, temperature, wind speed, and precipitation.”
“And look here,” said Mr. Jones. “They can record weekly information on these pages.”
Ms. Sanchez got a faraway look in her eyes. “Maybe we could even teach our kids to read weather maps and launch into climate!”
Graphs
Mr. Jones grinned. Then he scrolled down farther. “Additionally, kids can grab information from the weather station and graph the temperature over the course of the week.”
“I like that. Obviously, third graders need more practice with graphs. I love the opportunity to integrate other subjects with science.”
Review & Assessment
As they reached the end of the file, Ms. Sanchez smiled. “Yep, review materials and an assessment to wrap it up. These materials are perfect for my classroom!”
Why not try a weather station in your classroom this year? It makes a great addition to your earth science curriculum.
