Lesson 5: Wind Direction and Study - petrawoolf/OutdoorScienceLab GitHub Wiki

Lesson 5: Wind Direction and Study

Objective: To observe the wind and how it changes based on various conditions as well as the time of year.

SMART Learning Goals:

K-2nd Grade: Students will build a weathervane and record wind direction for 5 days, drawing arrows to show how it changes.
3rd - 5th Grade: Students will design and build a weathervane, collect wind direction data for 7 days, and write a short reflection about what affected wind direction.

Materials:

Activities:

Begin with a class discussion: Ask: “Why do we have weather?”

Explain: Where the weather comes from

Make a Weathervane

Show sample designs of weathervanes and anemometers.
Explain what these devices do.
Have the students create their own designs in their science journals.
Discuss what parts of the designs would work well, which would not work well, and explain why.

Make!

Provide each student with:
Straws
Cups
Paper
Compass
Protractor
Walk them through on how to make a simple weathervane. Observe
Place your weathervanes outside in the lab and make observations on how they work
Make observations about how fast the wind is going depending on if it is cloudy or sunny, etc. Students should collect data and put it into a class chart or graph for one week. Reflection
Students should use their science journals to draw their weathervane and write a bit about how their design worked.

How this activity supports Common Core Science Standards

K–2:

K-ESS2-1: Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.

3–5:

3-ESS2-1: Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.

Related Lessons: