Summer Weather - Taumata 4

Weather Forecasting

Our ancestors used cloud patterns and colours to predict the weather. Amongst others things, they would observe cloud formations at sunset to tell them if it would rain the following day. 

Try some weather forecasting with your students.

• Over a week, students watch and transcribe Te Karere weather forecasts.
• Working from their transcripts have them make up individual and class weather word lists and meanings.
• Students research and collate proverbs and sayings that could be used as part of a weather forecast.
• After a week of forecasting research, make a daily weather forecasting roster where pairs of students forecast the weather.
• Daily forecasters will need to:
  • Go to www.metservice.com/national/home
  • Find the next day’s weather forecast for Aotearoa – students can choose to use either the short forecast or the extended brief forecast.
  • Script the weather forecast in Māori using words and phrases from the lists they created from research.
  • Design and make weather icons for the weather patterns they will be describing in their weather reports.
  • Set up a weather forecasting backdrop with a large map of Aotearoa. Students present the weather forecast using the map and icons they have created as visual aids.
• Film the weather forecasters in action!

• In groups, students plan a documentary:
  • Conduct more extensive research into this part of her life.
  • Develop a storyboard.
  • Collate images.
  • Include interviews – someone in your community who may have been influenced by Kāterina and her work e.g. Te Ataarangi, Kura Kaupapa Māori, readers of her books.
  • Shoot footage – both interviews and narratives.
  • Consider music e.g. What songs have been written about or by Kāterina?
• Make the documentary and have a film festival to premiere the trilogy on Kāterina’s life and work. 

He wae kai kapua

• Discuss their achievements. Students choose one of these groups (or another high achieving young Māori) to research and build a profile for. Students should pose a series of questions (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?) to focus their research.
• Students write a report about their ‘high achiever’ and make an oral presentation to the class (or small group). Ask students to answer:
  •  What have you learnt from them?
  • What about them inspires you?
  • What do you want to achieve?
• As a class view some examples of ‘vision boards’ (google ‘vision boards’, there are lots of examples). Talk about the different ‘visions’ people have set for themselves – some are short terms visions or goals and some are long-term.
• Students think about something they would like to achieve – a personal goal. Students then make a vision board related to their goal.
• Students give their board a name – names have power!
• Next, draw up a timeline and a step-by-step action plan towards achieving the goal.
• Students keep journals and record progress – all the ups and downs!
• Follow the plan, one step at a time, until they reach their goal.
• Celebrate!   

Making Clouds

Clouds form from the condensation or cooling of water vapour. Condensation occurs when a gas (water vapour in this activity) changes into liquid droplets (the cloud in this activity).

Another way that condensation occurs is on hard surfaces, e.g. dew on grass; on the outside of a glass of iced water; on the inside of windows in winter. 

What you need

• Warm water
• Metal tray
• Ice
• Glass jar
• Match
• Camera or device for filming the experiment 

What you do

• Students work in pairs. They are to conduct the experiment and film it.

1. Fill a jar with 5 cm of warm water and stir.
2. Light a match, blow it out and drop it into the jar.
3. When the smoke clears, place an ice-filled metal tray on top.
4. Watch carefully and a cloud will form near the top of the jar!

• Students repeat the experiment, but without step 2. What do they notice?
• Pairs discuss what they think is happening.
• Pairs to research condensation and create a diagram showing cloud formation and the water cycle.
• Students edit the film:
  • Add narration
  • Explain what is happening in the experiment
  • Include a diagram (and narrative) explaining condensation and the water cycle.
  • Titles, subtitles, credits.
• Present videos to the class. 

This link has a lesson plan that includes a number of other experiments to show ‘changing state: condensation’.

http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/lessonplans/chapter2/lesson3 

Identifying Clouds

Cloud identification can be challenging. Try focusing on recognising these four to start with:

• Taipua (Cumulus)
• Pūrehurehu (Cirrus)
• Pūtahi ( Stratus)
• Okewa (Nimbus). 

Use this link and download a cloud identification guide. http://scool.larc.nasa.gov/pdf/1-PageCloudChart/Cloud_ID.pdf

Te Ara has a section on clouds and Māori terminology. http://www.teara.govt.nz/mi/tawhirimatea/page-3 

What you need

• A cloud identification guide for each student pair
• A cloudy day 

What you do

• Provide cloud identification guides for each student pair (following). Get students to research the Māori names for the clouds and notes them on the chart. The four most common are:
  • Taipua (Cumulus)
  • Pūrehurehu (Cirrus)
  • Pūtahi (Stratus)
  • Okewa (Nimbus)
• As a class, go outside and look at the sky (on a day with clouds). Ask students to use adjectives to describe the clouds they see. Ask questions about clouds like:
  • How much of the sky is covered with cloud?
  • Are the clouds small or large?
  • Are there different types of clouds in the sky today?
  • How high up in the sky are the clouds?
• First, identify a cloud together as a class. Then challenge students to identify clouds on their own (using identification charts). 

Painting Clouds 

Explain that for this lesson they will explore how artists depict clouds in paintings. They will make careful observations and hone their cloud identification skills by looking at clouds in art. 

What you need

• Paint colour charts
• The Art of Clouds presentation (slideshow is in English)
  http://www.slideshare.net/LisaGardiner2/seeing-clouds-like-an-artist
• Art supplies (paint, colored pencils, colored chalks, paper)
• Cloud identification guides
  http://scool.larc.nasa.gov/pdf/1-PageCloudChart/Cloud_ID.pdf 

What you do

• Run through several (or all) paintings in ‘The Art of Clouds’ presentation. http://www.slideshare.net/LisaGardiner2/seeing-clouds-like-an-artist
• Have students use their cloud identification guide to help identify the cloud types in a piece of art. http://scool.larc.nasa.gov/pdf/1-PageCloudChart/Cloud_ID.pdf
• Get them to record their answers.
• For each painting, ask students to notice what the weather looks like, the colours and the types of brushstrokes the artist used to paint the clouds. Prompt students to use adjectives to describe what the clouds look like.
• Hand out paint colour samples to the students and ask them to find cloud colours. Ask the group:
  • Are all clouds white?
  • Are all clouds the same colors?
• Distribute art materials and allow students to paint the clouds they observe. Remind students to look at the shape and colours of the clouds, and their approximate height in the sky.
• Repeat this activity on several days when there are different types of clouds in the sky. Compare the paintings from days with different weather.
• Discuss how students conveyed changes in weather through the colour and shape of the clouds that they painted. 

Art Appreciation

• In small groups or as a class, participate in an art appreciation session. Each student presents their artwork and provide some background:
  • A particular Impressionist artist that inspired them
  • Description of the day that they chose to paint e.g. sun, light and shadows.
  • Why they chose the colours they did.
  • The techniques they used.
  • How they feel about their artwork.
• Following student presentations, the group offers feedback:
  • What they like about the painting e.g. colours; paint layering techniques.
  • How it makes them feel.
  • What types of clouds they think are represented in the work.
  • How well they think the colours worked in the painting.
  • Is the painting a good representation of the impressionist style? Why? Why not?
  • Ask questions of the artist.