Meteorology Made Easy
Grade Level: 5th and 6th Grade
Content Area: Science
Standard: Atmosphere
GLE and SPI: 0607.8.6- Use date collected from instruments such as a meteorological map,
thermometer, and barometer to describe local weather conditions.
Objective: Students will identify and define components on a meteorological map. Students
will also create a meteorological map to ensure comprehension.
Materials: My Weather Map magnetic board, weather map examples, symbols and terms, and
magnetic meteorology pieces.
Directions:
1. Obtain bag of meteorology symbols and terms.
2. Read through the terms until you’ve got a good understanding what each symbol is used
for.
3. Obtain the examples of various weather maps. Try to use the knowledge you just
gained from reading about the symbols to find patterns and make predictions.
4. After understanding how a weather map looks, obtain the My Weather Map magnetic
board and magnetic pieces.
5. Use both your prior knowledge and new knowledge to play around with the pieces on
the board until you have a meteorology map that you can use to predict the weather
and explain why you think this is.
6. Once you’ve completed the map, fill out the fact first questioning sheet.
FACT: Fact first questioning- stating a fact and then asking a question about what was learned
in the lesson or activity.
Cleanup: Place all materials back in their appropriate bags and place the magnetic board
underneath the plastic box.
Integration across the Curriculum: Reading-read “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” to get
students excited about meteorology. Math-add weather temperatures together to get new
temperatures. History- talk about record setting highs and lows and what happened on that
day.
FACT: Fact First Questioning
1. In meteorology, H stands for high pressure. What does it mean if an area has high
pressure?
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2. In meteorology, L stands for low pressure. What does it mean if an area has high
pressure?________________________________________________________________
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3. Meteorologists try and predict the weather using ocean currents. How do you think
ocean currents affect weather?
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4. Meteorologists use other tools and instruments to help predict weather. What are
some other tools and their uses?
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Directions:
1. Obtain bag of meteorology symbols and terms.
2. Read through the terms until you’ve got a good understanding what each
symbol is used for.
3. Obtain the examples of various weather maps. Try to use the knowledge you
just gained from reading about the symbols to find patterns and make
predictions.
4. After understanding how a weather map looks, obtain the My Weather Map
magnetic board and magnetic pieces.
5. Use both your prior knowledge and new knowledge to play around with the
pieces on the board until you have a meteorology map that you can use to predict
the weather and explain why you think this is.
6. Once you’ve completed the map, fill out the fact first questioning sheet.