Weather and the atmosphere

In this visualization, the blue and red raindrops show how water is constantly moving through different stages of the water cycle. Shared by McDougal Littell, a Houghton Mifflin company.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere.

Please note Flash is required for this interactive.

In this activity, students will see that the liquid water can change state again and freeze to become ice. Shared by the American Chemical Society.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere; 7:2 Energy and Matter.

Steve Spengler Science shares experiments to help understand the different states of matter. 

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere and 7:2 Energy and Matter.

These activities encourage students to explore the different states of matter. By the American Chemical Society.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere; 7:2 Energy and Matter.

This lesson, from the American Chemical Society, explains how the weight of the object does not always correlate to its density.  This lesson includes a hands on experiment on a tea candle and a piece of clay.  

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere and 7:2 Energy and Matter.

Find a number of different weather-related lessons to use with your students.  Provided by the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education by Stevens Institute of Technology. 

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere.

This lesson explains how alcohol thermometers work.  Note, the videos are hosted by YouTube. 

Students match the precipitation or temperature graph to the correct biome through this online "mission."  Students are able to search details about the biomes on the same NASA site. 

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere and 8:4 Human Impact on the Environment and Health: Needs and Tradeoffs.

Students explore the relationship between weather and climate by graphing weather temperature data and comparing with climate averages.  Shared by The National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere.

Students learn about the following: thermometer, hygrometer, anemometer, barometer, rain gauge, and the wind vane. Created by Scholastic Study Jams.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere. 

Resources (including lesson plans) about weather, satellite meteorology, and Earth science for middle and high-school students.  SciJinks (short for Science Hijinks) is a joint NOAA and NASA educational website.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere.
 

Information on tornadoes written for students. Written by Weather Wiz Kids.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere. 

Some tips on tornado preparation from the Department of Homeland Security.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere. 

The Tornado FAQ is a quick-reference summary of tornado knowledge. This list has been compiled from questions asked of the Storm Prediction Center as well as basic tornado research information and different scientific resources.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere.

This task describes how to make your own tornado in a bottle by using two plastic soda bottles, duct tape and food coloring.  This activity could be used by the teacher as a demonstration or by students.  From Bill Nye's website.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere.

This video on the science of hurricanes provided by the History channel

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere.

The National Severe Storms Laboratory provides information on multiple aspects of weather and severe weather conditions.  

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere. 

This NASA site includes satellite images of current scientific events happening on earth.  The images can be used as launching phenomena in various grades and units.  For example, blooming phytoplankton growth or the wildfire smoke images can be used to elicit questions from 6th grade students before teaching them about the interdependence between organisms in an ecosystem.   The images related to invasive species could be used for 8th grade students learning about the relationship between humans and their environment.

Scope and Sequence connection: 6:2 Weather and the Atmosphere; 6:4 Interdependence; 8:4  Human Impact on the Environment and Health: Needs and Tradeoffs.