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Hands-On |
| Hands-On
Activity:
Students must have a “cloud journal” to record all their observations of each day. Tell the students that they will be going outside to observe the clouds for a week. Ask the following questions before observing the clouds and tell the students to keep them in mind. What is a cloud made of? How are clouds formed? How many different types of clouds are there? How can you tell the difference between the different types of clouds? Tell the students to record any information they observe about the clouds each day. Make sure to tell them that pictures are wonderful way to help remember what they observed. Also, tell the students to pay attention to the weather each day. Remember to tell the students to answer the above questions in their journal. After students observe the clouds and weather outside, discuss any observations or patterns found. Ask what are the similarities and differences in the clouds each day. 1. After the first week of observation and recording in the journal, do the following experiment. Have students in groups of four. The teacher will assist in this project, so you must wait for any directions. Take out a jar and have a black piece of paper on one side of the jar. Ask one student to pour warm water into the jar until it is one third full. The teacher will light a match and hold it in the jar for a few seconds and then drop it in for each group. After the teacher drops the match in, one student will quickly cover the jar with a bag of ice. Have another student shine a flashlight on the jar while the other students record their observations. 2. Next, have the students explore and observe patterns that occured in their activity. Ask the following questions: What did you see in the jar? Where did the cloud come from? How did the warm water effect the cloud formation? What did the ice cubes do to help the clouds form? What role did the match and its smoke play in the cloud formation? What patterns did you see when each group made their cloud? Now, can you tell me what a cloud is made of? Ask the students to write these in the cloud journal. Then, discuss as a class the observations and patterns found in each group. 3. Each group must explain what they learned in the process of the cloud formation. Each group must explain how clouds form in their "cloud journal." 4. Once the class has observed all the different types of clouds and made a cloud formation, have the students make their own clouds with cotton balls on blue construction paper. Students must use their "cloud journal" to decide how to make each type of cloud. Have each student make the three different types of clouds they have observed in the sky. Make sure each student labels his or her cloud type on the construction paper. Have each student share his or her clouds with the class. This lesson
was adapted from sample lessons on the following website:
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