Wandering Wandas Wonderful Weather Journey Part III

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Wandering Wandas Wonderful WeatherJourney(Par
t III)
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Our Class Joined WANDERING WANDA TO FIND OUT
WHETHER WEATHER IS IMPORTANT OR NOT?

• By Ms. Stacy Bodins 2002-03
• Second Grade Class
• Dozier Elementary Erath, Louisiana

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To help Wanda, the first thing our class
did was to found out what we knew and what we
wanted to know about weather.
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Then our class gathered weather
information from books, from the Internet and
even videos to help us understand more about
weather.
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Next came our research to answer our
questions about the weather. We found amazing
information.
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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.
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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.
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To help us better understand rain and
clouds, we gathered information about the water
cycle. We learned so much about this.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Can you see the drops that formed in
the ziploc bag? Thats 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. Thats rain.
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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.
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All these things helped our class see how
the water cycle affected the weather. Then we
learned even more after this.
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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.
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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.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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That made us think of the worst storm of all.
Now we wanted to knowWhat 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.
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After we understood rain and stormy weather, we
decided we wanted to know.How do you measure
temperature?
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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.
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That made us think of snow and sleet. What is
snow and sleet?Snow and sleet are both forms of
frozen precipitation.
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After all of the research, Wanda now feels she
knows more about weather. Dont you?
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Wanda now wants you to play a fun weather riddle
game with her. Are you ready?
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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?
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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?
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• 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?

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I am a flash of electricity in the sky. I am
dangerous. I can strike people. What am I?
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• 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?

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When water evaporates, water vapor forms. Then
clouds form. When the water droplets get too
heavy I fall from the clouds. What am I?
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• 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?

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• I am a weather instrument. People use me to
  measure temperature.
• I am bright red on hot days.
• What am I?

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Wandering Wanda learned so much about weather
through her wonderful journey with you. Hope you
had fun too!
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T H E E N D