Elizabeth Koepke
Sources: http://seasons.pppst.com/index.html
http://www.econet.org.uk/weather/whatis.html
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/lessons/thermometer.html
Content Paper on Weather
Weather is all around us, all the time. It is an important part of everyone’s
life that nobody can control. Weather controls many of the things that we do,
such as, where we live, what activities we can partake in, how we dress, and
even what we eat. Weather changes daily. The parts that make up the weather
are temperature, clouds, wind, humidity, pressure, precipitation, wind chill, and
the atmospheric conditions. In my unit, I will only implement some of these parts.
We will focus on temperature, the sun, the clouds, the wind, and the rain. A
person that studies that weather is called a meteorologist.
The temperature is the measurement of the heat in the atmosphere. You
use a thermometer to measure the hotness or coldness in degrees. Temperature
is measured in degrees on the Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin scales. Reading a
thermometer is essential in learning about the weather, so students can tell what
the temperature is. Thermometers are commonly made from a glass bulb
connected to a tube of glass with a numbered scale written on the outside. Inside
the glass tube is a liquid like mercury or colored alcohol that rises and falls in the
tube as the temperature around it warms or cools. When the temperature rises,
the liquid in the glass tube warms up and molecules expand, which in turn takes
up more space in the tube. Most thermometers have two temperature scales:
Fahrenheit and Celsius. Both scales are divided in two-degree increments. When
you read the temperature on a thermometer, it should be vertical and your eyes
should be level with the top of the liquid in the glass tube. People must avoid
handling the thermometer when they readings. The heat from their hands will
transfer to the glass causing its temperature to rise.
The amount of sunshine the earth gets affects the weather. The amount of
sunshine we get depends on how many clouds are in the sky and what season it
is. The sun is the start nearest to the earth. It is a huge ball of burning gas. The
sun is one million times the size of the earth. The sun is 93 million miles away
from the sun. The earth rotates around the sun, so the sun only lights half of the
earth at a time. The sun provides heat and light for the earth. Plants use sunlight
to make food. People use the sun to get energy from the things that we eat. The
sun has several layers; the surface is bubbly and covered with flares.
Another thing that affects the weather is cloud coverage. Clouds are made
up of millions of tiny water droplets. Clouds are formed when warm, moist air
rises into the sky where it cools down and condenses. Clouds can form as fast as
in a few minutes, or it can take up to a couple of hours. There are many different
types of clouds. People can look at the clouds and predict the weather. There are
high, medium, and low clouds according to their altitudes. Cirrus (thin, silky, and
feathery), cirrocumulus (ripples and bumpy), and cirrostratus (fat, smooth,
transparent sheets) are all white clouds that mean fair weather. They have a very
high altitude. Altocumulus (layers of waves, often separated by blue sky),
altostratus (thin sheets and layers), and nimbostratus (thick sheets) are all
medium level altitude clouds. They are all varying shades of grey. These clouds
typically mean that rain is on the way or it is and will continue to rain. The four
types of low-level clouds are stratocumulus (layers in rounded rolls with no
breaks), stratus (thin sheets blanketing the sky), cumulus (puffy clouds), and
cumulonimbus (very tall puffy clouds). They are all grey/white in color.
Stratocumulus weather is dry and dull. Stratus clouds weather is drizzling.
Cumulus clouds weather is good. Cumulonimbus weather is stormy with heavy
rain/hail/snow.
There are four simple observations that can be made about the cloud
coverage. Clear means no cloud coverage at all. Partly cloudy means less than
half of the sky is covered with clouds. Mainly cloudy means more than half cloud
coverage but with some breaks in the clouds. The term overcast means complete
cloud coverage.
Another important part of the weather is the wind. Wind is the movement
of the air caused by the rising of warm are and the sinking of cold air. Sometimes
it moves slowly causing a gentle breeze; other times it can be stronger and more
powerful. We cannot see the wind, but we can see the affects of the wind on the
things around us, such as the trees. People can feel the wind on their skin. A
weather vane can be used to measure the direction of the wind. Weather vanes
are usually placed on top of a building that shows the four cardinal directions,
North, South, East, and West. There is a moveable piece that spins around and
points in the direction the wind is blowing, so the observer can figure out the
direction of the wind.
The last part of the weather that I will focus on in my unit is precipitation.
Precipitation is the release of water from the atmosphere down onto the earth’s
surface. Precipitation can be rain, snow, hail, sleet, or dew. A rain gauge is used
to measure how much rain fell from the sky. Snow falls during the winter when
the tiny droplets of water freeze on the way down to the ground. Every snowflake
is a different shaped ice crystal with six sides. Hail falls as hailstones, like little
balls of ice. They can be small or large; hail can damage cars, buildings, glass
roofs, gardens, and crops.
There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, fall, and winter. The
season that is being experienced by different parts of the earth depends on the
rotation and tilt of the earth. How far the earth is from the sun is what causes the
shadows, direct sunlight, or indirect sunlight that creates the seasons.
March, April, and May are the three months of the spring. In the spring,
the sun shines more and the days begin to get warmer. Spring is when plants
and trees wake up after a long winters nap. Flowers, bushes, and trees begin to
bloom in the spring. Spring is a time when baby animals are born. You begin to
hear the birds chirping. Spring showers help to warm the earth, moisten the soil,
and help new plants to grow.
Summer comes after spring. The three months of summer are June, July,
and August. The days are longer, and the temperature is hotter. Summer fruits
and vegetables are ready to be picked. There are many bugs out during the
summer, like bees and butterflies that fly from flower to flower.
Fall comes after the summer season. The months of fall are September,
October, and November. The temperature begins to cool off, and the days
become shorter once again. The leaves change from green to yellow, orange,
and red. Fall is harvest time for many fruits and vegetables, such as pumpkins.
The animals begin to get ready for winter by storing food.
The next season is winter; the three months of winter are December,
January, and February. It is cold. Most places get snow in the winter. People
wear big coats, boots, and gloves to keep warm and play in the snow. Many
animals hibernate in the winter.