Student Worksheet

Overview:
First, you will go outside and observe the local weather conditions and record as many details about weather as you can in your Weather Learning Logs. You will then locate three different cities, New York City, Buenos Aires, and Moscow, on a world map and make make predictions about the weather in each of the locations. Next, you will access live web cams to use to observe the weather in the distant locations. After making some basic observations, you will access real time weather data from the same locations and compare and contrast your predictions with your observations.

Materials:

Weather Learning Log or Student Worksheet. Weather instruments (thermometer, wind vane, etc.) Drawing materials (pen, pencils, markers, etc.) Large wall map Computer with Internet access.

Instructions:

1. Make local observations
   1. Go outside and observe the local weather conditions. While you are outside, record as many details about the weather as you can. You may also use the class instruments.
   2. Return to the class and draw sketches of the sky, again including as many details as you can.
       
2. Make your early predictions
   1. Locate the following cities on a world map
      • New York City, NY, USA: 40.4º N, 73.6º W
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina: 34.2º S, 58.3º W
      • Moscow, Russia: 55.5º N, 37.4º E
   2. What do you expect the weather to be like in New York City? Why?
   3. What do you expect the weather to be like in Buenos Aires? Why?
   4. What do you expect the weather to be like in Moscow? Why?
   5. Which of the three cities do you think will be warmest / coldest? Why?
   6. Do you expect there to be any other differences between the three cities?
       
3. Make distant observations: New York City, NY, USA
   1. Access the web cam: New York City (back-up)
   2. Is it night or day? What time of day is it?
   3. What are the sky conditions?
   4. What is the visibility?
   5. What type of precipitation is occurring, if any?
   6. What do you think the temperature is? Why?
   7. What do you think the wind speed is? Why?
       
4. Make distant observations: Buenos Aires, Argentina
   1. Access the web cam: Buenos Aires (back-up)
   2. Is it night or day? What time of day is it?
   3. What are the sky conditions?
   4. What is the visibility?
   5. What type of precipitation is occurring, if any?
   6. What do you think the temperature is? Why?
   7. What do you think the wind speed is? Why?
       
5. Make distant observations: Moscow, Russia
   1. Access the web cam: Moscow (back-up)
   2. Is it night or day? What time of day is it?
   3. What are the sky conditions?
   4. What is the visibility?
   5. What type of precipitation is occurring, if any?
   6. What do you think the temperature is? Why?
   7. What do you think the wind speed is? Why?
       
6. Check your observations
   Access the following web pages for each of the cities and the world and compare and contrast your predictions and observations you made based on the web cam pictures with the weather data.
   1. New York City (back-up)
   2. Buenos Aires (back-up)
   3. Moscow (back-up)
   4. World
       
7. Publish your comparisons
   Write a short report in your Weather Learning Log. Be sure to:
   • describe and explain the similarities and differences you observed from the web cams and the real-time weather data web pages; &
   • explain which part of the world is experiencing night right now and which part is experiencing day and why.

EXTENSION:

Track daily and hourly weather changes with the web cams: Load up a web cam in the morning and and print (color printouts work best) or draw a sketch of what you observe, including as many weather related details as possible. Make predictions using the same questions above (what are the sky conditions?, etc.) Repeat this activity several more times during the day. Each time don't forget to make observations and predictions. If possible, make a poster displaying all of the images in series. This will give you a good idea of how the weather changes over the day. You can have them add the weather data for each hour as well. The next day, review your sketches and predictions and write a weather history based on what you recorded in your Weather Learning Logs. Create a mock weather broadcast for the location of one of the web cams. You can use the live image along with weather data from the weather site to develop the broadcast. If you have access to a video camera, you can even tape the event.