Scientific Organization and Sequencing SC010407

Scientific Organization and Sequencing SC010407 Unit 3: Weather and Seasons

Lesson 7: It’s Raining! It’s Pouring!

Big Ideas of the Lesson  Rain can fall as a light rain or a downpour.  A rain gauge measures the amount of rain outside.  A rainbow is a curved light of many colors in the sky.

Abstract This is the second of three lessons on precipitation. This lesson focuses on rain. Children listen to a story about rain and to a CD with rain falling at varying speeds. They simulate light rain and heavy rain by stomping their feet. Children learn how to measure rainfall using a rain gauge. They are introduced to a prism and how to make a rainbow using one.

Grade Level Context Expectation(s) Children will:  compare daily changes in weather related to temperature (e.g., cold, hot, warm, cool); cloud cover (e.g., cloudy, partly cloudy, foggy); precipitation (e.g., rain, snow, hail, freezing rain); wind (e.g., breezy, windy, calm) (E.ES.01.21).  describe and compare weather related to the four seasons in terms of temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, and wind (E.ES.01.22).  identify the tools that might be used to measure temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and wind (E.ES.01.31).  observe and collect data of weather conditions over a period of time (E.ES.01.32).  demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models, exhibits, and activities (S.RS.01.11).

Key Concept(s) measure precipitation season

Instructional Resources Equipment/Manipulative CD of rain falling at varying speeds CD player Flour Glass (drinking) Mesh sieve Overhead projector Prism Rain gauge Shallow pan (1” deep)

The Oakland Schools Curriculum Page 1 of 5 scope.oakland.k12.mi.us January 15, 2010 Scientific Organization and Sequencing SC010407 Unit 3: Weather and Seasons

Student Resource Kahan, Janet, and Juliana Texley. Supplemental Materials (SC01040701.doc). Teacher-made material. Waterford, MI: Oakland Schools, 2009. National Weather Service Playtime for Kids. U.S. Department of Commerce. 24 February 2009 .

Web Weather for Kids. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. 24 February 2009 .

Teaching Resource Chambers, Catherine. Thunderstorm. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2002.

Dan’s Wild Weather Page. Ed. Dan Satterfield. 24 February 2009 .

Doudna, Kelly. It Is Raining. Edina, MN: Abdo Publishers, 2002.

---. It Is Stormy. Edina, MN: Abdo Publishers, 2002.

General Weather Glossary. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office – Detroit, MI. 24 February 2009 .

Hale, James G., and Franklyn M. Branley. Down Comes The Rain. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Book Group, 1997.

How The Weather Works. Ed. Mike Mogil. 24 February 2009 .

How To Make Your Own Rainbow. Digital Bits Science Lab. 24 February 2009 .

Kahan, Janet, and Juliana Texley. Grade 1 Unit 4 Teacher Background (SC010400TB.doc). Teacher- made material. Waterford, MI: Oakland Schools, 2009.

National Climatic Data Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 24 February 2009 .

National Weather Service Education Page. U.S. Department of Commerce. 24 February 2009 .

Weather Channel Education Department. The Weather Channel Enterprises, Inc. 2002. 24 February 2009 .

Sequence of Activities Advance Preparation: Purchase or borrow from the school or public library a CD of rainfall sounds. It is best if the rainfall is of varying speeds so that it sounds like a light shower at times and like a hard The Oakland Schools Curriculum Page 2 of 5 scope.oakland.k12.mi.us January 15, 2010 Scientific Organization and Sequencing SC010407 Unit 3: Weather and Seasons rain at other times. Decide how to display the monthly precipitation graph. You might want to put each month across a bulletin board or in a notebook for easy comparison.

1. Begin this lesson with a review of precipitation as presented in the last lesson. Ask the children: “Where does rain come from?” [The sky.] Read the book Down Comes The Rain.

2. Shut off the lights and listen to a CD with the sound of rain. Encourage the children close their eyes and listen closely. Ask the children if they can imagine the rain falling. After a few minutes, ask them to raise one hand if the rain is falling gently and two hands if it is falling hard. Ask the children how they could tell if the rain was a gentle shower or a downpour. [A harder rainfall is usually louder.] Next, ask the children how they could simulate the sound of a rainstorm using their feet. [Tapping their feet softly to represent a light rain and stomping them loudly to represent a heavy rain.] Lead the children in a simulated rainstorm.

3. Show the children a rain gauge and then leave it out so that they can observe it closely. Pour water into the rain gauge and show the children how to read rain in inches. Do this several times asking two or three students to read the amount of “rain.” Put the rain gauge outside in a secure spot. As a class, check the rain gauge weekly and have children assist with recording the amount of rainfall on the rainfall graph. Note: Remember that snow must be melted and then measured as a liquid. Begin a new graph for each month.

4. Use the graph to compare rainfall week-to-week and month-to-month. This activity will lend itself to discussing which months received the most rainfall and accordingly which seasons.

5. When a light rainstorm is about to begin at school, set a pan of flour (one inch deep) outside to catch some raindrops. Bring it inside after several drops have fallen onto the flour. Carefully pour the flour through a mesh sieve. Ask the children: “What do you notice?” [There are clumps of flour caught in the sieve.] Repeat this activity during several different rains to compare the size of the raindrops (larger raindrops make larger flour balls).

6. Ask the children if they have seen a rainbow. After several children have commented on their experiences, ask: “Does a rainbow always follow a shower?” [No.] “When might a rainbow appear?” [Rainbows occur when the light shines through the rain. When the sun shines following or during a rain, there is a rainbow. Stand with your back to the sun to search for the rainbow.]

7. On a sunny day, put a glass of water on the very edge of a windowsill. As the sun shines through the water the white light from the sun is bent and appears as the rainbow of colors on a white sheet of paper on the floor. Allow several children to participate in the demonstration. Ask the children to explain what they see. Note: You can also make a rainbow using a prism and bright, white light such as that from a slide or overhead projector. Have children describe what they see. Explain to children how the prism is acting like a raindrop.

Assessment

Assess the children individually as they add data to their own graphs and to the class graph. Ask them to explain what the graph means. As the end of the year approaches, ask them to describe any seasonal changes.

Application Beyond School The children could share their discoveries from the rainfall graph from month to month and throughout the seasons with their family. They might also try to make a rainbow using their garden hose at home by spraying a fine mist of water as they stand with their back to the sun.

Connections English Language Arts Children could generate words to describe the rain as they listen to and observe rain falling.

Mathematics Children could measure water puddles after it rains. Children can discover and describe the seasonal changes in their rainfall graphs.

The Oakland Schools Curriculum Page 5 of 5 scope.oakland.k12.mi.us January 15, 2010