Download Wandering Wanda`s Journey

Wandering Wanda’s
Wonderful
Weather
Journey
(Part III)
By: Ms. Stacy Bodin’s 2002-03
Second Grade Class
Dozier Elementary
Erath, Louisiana
Our Class
Joined
WANDERING
WANDA TO
FIND OUT
WHETHER
“WEATHER” IS
IMPORTANT OR
NOT?
To help Wanda, the first thing our
class did was to found out what we
knew and what we wanted to know
about weather.
Then our class gathered weather
information from books, from the
Internet and even videos to help us
understand more about weather.
Next came our research to answer
our questions about the weather. We
found amazing information.
Like Wanda, we wanted to know
…. what are clouds?
We found out that
clouds are made of
tiny drops of water
and specks of dust.
We also wanted to
know what is rain?
We learned that
air holds moisture.
If the air cools, or if
it is holding too
much moisture, the
air
drops
the
moisture.
This is
rain.
To help us better understand
rain and clouds, we gathered
information about the water
cycle. We learned so much
about this.
Information
from our
weather center
told us that the
water cycle
begins when the
water from
puddles, rivers
or oceans
evaporates.
Water vapor
then forms and
clouds are made.
Our class decided to work on several
experiments
to
help
us
understand
evaporating water and condensation. First,
we put very hot water in a bowl and put
clear plastic wrap tightly on top. We saw
little drops of water form.
Then we placed water in a large
ziploc bag and blew air in it. Then we
closed it tight. We left it overnight.
The next morning we found little drops
of water had formed at the top of the
bag. This is condensation.
Can you see the drops that formed
in the ziploc bag? That’s how rain is
formed. When the water evaporates, it
forms water vapor. Then clouds are
made. When the clouds get too heavy
and the droplets bump together, water
falls from the clouds. That’s rain.
When a lot of
rains falls too
quickly or
continuously over
a long period of
time, flooding can
occur. Here is a
picture of a man
sitting on his
steps during a
1940 flood in
south Louisiana.
All these things helped our
class see how the water cycle
affected the weather. Then we
learned even more after this.
Now we wanted to
know…. what is wind?
We found out
that warm air rises.
Cool
air
moves
down. They mix
and push together.
If they move fast,
it is called wind.
So we worked on an experiment
that showed us how warm air
rises.
Our class placed
water in a container.
Then
gently
we
dropped in a blue ice
cube. Then we very
carefully dropped red
drops on the side with
warmer water.
The
red coloring went up.
The
colder
blue
coloring went down.
Then it was time for our
next weather question…..
What is lightning?
We learned that
lightning is a giant
spark of electricity
flashing through the
sky. It heats the air
so quickly that we
can see the hot air.
Then of course, we
wanted to know
about thunder.
The giant spark of
electricity in lightning
makes the air very hot.
When the air bumps into
the cooler air around it,
this causes a cracking
sound. This is called
thunder.
Then that led us to the
question…..what is a tornado?
A tornado is a storm that is shaped like a
funnel which extends from a cloud. It is
very dangerous and deadly. People
should avoid being near a tornado when it
comes near.
That made us think of the
worst storm of all. Now we
wanted to know……What is a
hurricane?
A hurricane is a very
serious and dangerous
storm.
It travels well
over water. Hurricanes
have strong winds of 75
miles an hour or more,
tornadoes, rain and an
eye. People leave their
homes when hurricanes
came into their area.
After we understood rain and
stormy weather, we decided
we wanted to know….How do
you measure temperature?
We placed warm water in a container then we
placed the thermometer in it. After we saw the
temperature, we dropped in ice and watched the
mercury on the thermometer go down. The
temperature dropped from 78 degrees to 26 degrees.
We learned the colder the weather, the lower the
thermometer will read.
That made us
think of snow and
sleet. What is
snow and sleet?
Snow and sleet
are both forms of
frozen
precipitation.
After all of the
research,
Wanda now
feels she
knows more
about
weather.
Don’t you?
Wanda now
wants you
to play a fun
weather
riddle game
with her.
Are you
ready?
I play a part in the
water cycle. When
water evaporates,
water vapor forms. I
then form. Rain
drops or snow falls
from me.
What am I?
I am very dangerous.
I am a storm which
extends from a cloud.
I have very strong
winds. People go into
ditches or in halls
when I come around.
What am I?
I occur after a
flash of lightning.
You can tell how
far away I am by
counting seconds
after the flash
occurs. I am
loud.
What I am?
I am a flash of
electricity in
the sky. I am
dangerous. I
can strike
people.
What am I?
Wanda found
out that warm
air rises and
cool air moves
down. They mix
and push
together. If
they move fast,
I form.
What am I?
When water
evaporates, water
vapor forms. Then
clouds form. When
the water droplets
get too heavy I fall
from the clouds.
What am I?
I am a very serious
and dangerous
storm. I travel well
over water. I have
strong winds,
tornadoes, rain and
an eye. People
leave their homes
when I came into
their area.
What am I?
I am a weather
instrument.
People use me
to measure
temperature.
I am bright red
on hot days.
What am I?
Wandering
Wanda learned
so much about
weather
through her
wonderful
journey with
you. Hope you
had fun too!
T
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