Easy Make & Learn Projects: Weather © 2011 by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Where Weather
Takes Place
Learn about the layers of the atmosphere—
including the layer in which weather takes place—
with this mobile.
Weather Center
W
eather is the condition of the atmosphere at any given time or place.
The atmosphere is an ocean of air that surrounds the Earth and extends
from the surface out into space. Air is a mixture of colorless, odorless gas
molecules. Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of air, oxygen about 21 percent,
and carbon dioxide and water vapor gas make up less than 1 percent. Trace amounts
of other gases, such as argon, neon, helium, xenon, krypton, and hydrogen, as well
as dust and dirt particles, make up the rest of air.
Most of these gas molecules can be found in the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
The atmosphere has four layers. The lowest layer, or the troposphere, touches the
Earth’s surface and extends up between 5 and 10 miles (8 to 16 km). The air in the
troposphere is warmest near the Earth’s surface. The higher up it goes, the colder the
air gets. Nearly all weather takes place in the troposphere. Above the troposphere
is the stratosphere, which continues up to about 30 miles (50 km) above the Earth’s
surface. Not much weather takes place in this layer. However, ozone gas in the
upper stratosphere soaks up the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, which can cause
skin cancers in people. Extending up to about 50 miles (80 km) is the third layer,
or mesosphere. Gas molecules in this layer are spread out very far apart. The fourth
layer, or thermosphere, reaches hundreds of miles into space. There are almost no
gases in the thermosphere, and no weather takes place in it or in the mesosphere.
Materials
Making the Mini-book
❉ Reproducible pages
1 Photocopy pages 8–10. Color, if desired.
2 Cut out all the pieces along the thick, solid, outer lines. Set aside the
8–10
❉ Scissors
❉ Tape
❉ Hole puncher
❉ Crayons, colored
pencils, or markers
(optional)
circle on page 10.
3 Cut open the four solid, semicircular lines on page 1 of the mini-book,
making sure to stop where the solid lines end.
4Fold pages 1 and 2 of the book back-to-back along the center dashed
line so the text is facing out. Repeat for pages 3 and 4.
6
W h e r e W e at h e r T a k e s P l a c e
Easy Make & Learn Projects: Weather © 2011 by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne, Scholastic Teaching Resources
5 Use a hole puncher to open the four small
circles on the mobile hanging pieces on page
10. Fold the two mobile hanging pieces along
the dashed lines. Insert one of the pieces
between pages 1 and 2, as shown, and tape it
in place. Insert the other in exactly the same
position between pages 3 and 4 and tape. Tape
closed the open sides of the pages.
6 Tape pages 1–2 together to 3–4 along the left
spine to create the mini-book. The holes on
the mobile hanging pieces should be directly
on top of each other.
7 Take the circle you had set aside and cut open
the inner semicircular, solid lines, making sure
to stop where the solid lines end.
More to Do
Weather Words
Work with students to
generate a list of the
different states of the
atmosphere, or weather.
The list could include words
such as hot, warm, cool,
cold, windy, clear, cloudy,
rainy, sunny, snowy, and so
on. Once a day for a week,
have students look out the
windows and describe the
weather outside using the
list of words.
8 Turn to page 4 of the mini-book. Place the
left side of the circle piece on the spot that
says tape four-layer piece here, as shown.
Be sure the words on the circle are right side
up and readable. Tape the piece in place so it
extends over the right side of the book.
9 Turn the mini-book over to page 1 and fold
and lift the two halves of the cut-open piece,
as shown. Encourage students to hang their
book mobiles, using the holes at the top of the
mini-book.
Teaching With the Mini-book
Invite students to color, assemble, and read their mini-books. Then check
for understanding by asking them these questions:
1 What is the atmosphere? (The ocean of air that flows around the Earth)
2 What is weather? (The state of the atmosphere at any given time)
3 What is air made of? (Gases like nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide)
4What are the four layers of the atmosphere? (Troposphere, stratosphere,
Resources
What’s the Weather
(Scholastic, 2008)
By lifting flaps and
turning wheels, children
discover what weather is
and what makes it change.
Also includes a fun
weather game.
http://earthguide.
ucsd.edu/earthguide/
diagrams/atmosphere/
index.html
Click the buttons on this
site to find out about
height, temperature,
layer names, and other
information about the
Earth’s atmosphere.
mesosphere, and thermosphere)
5 Where does most weather take place? (In the lowest layer, or troposphere)
7
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n
su
m
w
ar
win
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M
S
1
An ocean of air flows around the Earth.
This is called the atmosphere (AT-muh-sfir).
Weather is the state of the atmosphere at any time.
Easy Make & Learn Projects: Weather © 2011 by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne, Scholastic Teaching Resources
2
dy
clou
rainy
ol
co
O
H E R
The weather on Earth often changes
from place to place.
cold
hot
Where Does Weather Happen?
P
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8
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Weather can be . . .
Where Weather Takes Place
n’t
see
th
Plants take in
carbon dioxide
from the air to
make food.
There is also water
in the air.
We breathe
in air to get
oxygen to
stay alive.
th e m or s
ll
me
3
Most of the water in air is in the form of gas (water vapor).
Some of it is in tiny droplets that make up clouds.
u
4
The fourth layer, or thermosphere
(THUHR-muh-sfir), reaches into
space. It has very little gas.
Air
i
s
m
a
Yo
The mesosphere (MEH-zuh-sfir)
is the third layer. The gases here
are very far apart.
ca
,
Above the troposphere is the
stratosphere (STRA-tuh-sfir).
It contains ozone gas that soaks
up harmful rays from the sun.
We live in the lowest layer, the
troposphere (TROH-puh-sfir).
Nearly all weather happens here.
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de n d c
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The atmosphere has four layers.
Tape four-layer piece here.
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Easy Make & Learn Projects: Weather © 2011 by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Where Weather Takes Place
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Where Weather Takes Place
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Easy Make & Learn Projects: Weather © 2011 by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne, Scholastic Teaching Resources
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