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Enhancing Australian Science and Mathematics education
What's the Weather
Teaching unit - lesson ideas and activities

ScienceCross curriculumPerspectives
How the weather affects usCreative ArtsIndigenous
CloudsEnglishMulticultural
Predicting the weatherHuman Society and Its EnvironmentTechnology
Severe weatherMathematics 

Science

Topic 1: How can I study the weather?

How the weather affects us

Activity - Weather - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/Students_Teachers/Worksheet19.shtml

Temperature

Air temperature - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/airt.shtml

how to measure temperature using a Thermometer - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/thermo.shtml

Precipitation

Precipitation - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/precip.shtml

Snowflakes ~ Symmetry in Motion - from Department of Education Michigan Technological University
http://www.ed.mtu.edu/esmis/id182.htm

Making Snow Crystals - from Project Atmosphere
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/paa2/deliver/content.asp?pid=753

Make-a-Flake - from Look and Feel, web designers, requires Shockwave
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/

Wind

Wind - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/beau.shtml

how to measure wind speed using a cup anemometer - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/ane.shtml

How to measure wind direction using a Compass - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/comp.shtml

Activity - Measuring Wind Speed - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/Students_Teachers/Worksheet16.shtml

Anemometer - from the Franklin Institute Online
http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/units/energy/dixie.html

Making an anemometer - from California Energy Commission
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/anemometer.html

Make a wind sock - from Windpower
http://www.windpower.org/en/kids/choose/nacelle/wvassign.htm

Air pressure

Air pressure - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/airp.shtml

How to measure air pressure using a Barometer - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/barom.shtml

How to measure air pressure using a Barometer - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/barom2.shtml

Humidity

Humidity - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/hum1.shtml

How to measure humidity using a Hygrometer - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/hygro.shtml

Keeping a Weather Log

Observation Sheet - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section3/obs.shtml

Keeping a Daily Weather Log - from Michigan Reach Out
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/caps/log1.html

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Topic 2: Clouds

Background information

Clouds - from Weather Wiz Kids
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/cloud.htm

Clouds - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/chart.shtml

What causes clouds?

A PET cloud - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/Students_Teachers/lesson15.shtml

CLOUD IN A BOTTLE - from Weather Wiz Kids
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/cloud1.htm

Classifying clouds

how to identify cloud cover and cloud types - from Weather Kit, Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/weatherkit/section2/cloud.shtml

Activity - Clouds that warm, clouds that cool - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/Students_Teachers/worksheet24.shtml

Mr McCloud's cloud quiz - interactive quiz from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/Students_Teachers/animations/cloudzstart.shtml

Cloud Identification - from Mount Logan Middle School
http://www.mlms.logan.k12.ut.us/science/weather/cloud_types.htm

Atmosphere Investigation: Clouds 1 Measurement Data Sheet - from The Globe Project
http://www.globe.gov/tctg/atmo_ds_clouds1.pdf?sectionId=287

Atmosphere Investigation: Clouds 7 Measurement Data Sheet - from The Globe Project
http://www.globe.gov/tctg/atmo_ds_clouds7.pdf?sectionId=288

Observing Cloud Type - from The Globe Project
http://www.globe.gov/tctg/atmo_ds_cloudsobs.pdf?sectionId=297

Cloud Key - a teacher reproducible from Scholastic
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/profbooks/cloudkey.pdf

Make a cloud finder - from The Space Place, North Carolina Youth Development Program
http://www.nc4h.org/teachers/enrichment/space/cloudfinder.pdf

Different Types of Clouds - from Maths/Science Nucleus, including Pre Lab - Exploring how Clouds are Formed, Lab - Analyzing the Shapes of Clouds and Post Lab - Demonstrating how Clouds are Formed in the Atmosphere
http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/html/k-6/wc/atmosphere/k/wcatk.html

Contrail Chart - from Contrail Education, The Globe Program, NASA
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/GLOBE/contrails/

Estimating cloud cover

Estimating cloud cover: A simulation - from The Globe Program
http://www.globe.gov/sda/tg02/atla-cloudcover.pdf

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Topic 3: Forecasting the Weather and Reading Weather Maps

Forecasting the weather - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/ftweather/

Meteorology - What is it? - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/Students_Teachers/Worksheet8.shtml

Precipitation Along Fronts - from World Weather 2010 Project
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/crclm/act/fpr.rxml

Short range forecasting by plants and animals - from Atmospheric Chemistry Department, Max Planck Society
http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/2f91975b7bb39340e12f4e0ff5e772d2,55a304092d09/1qx.html

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Topic 4: Severe weather

National Warnings Summary - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/warnings.shtml

Australian Severe Weather - images for cyclones, tornadoes and all weather conditions
http://australiasevereweather.com/

Severe Weather Events - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/announcements/sevwx/

Severe Storms

Severe Storms: FACTS, WARNINGS AND PROTECTION - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/thunder/index.shtml

Explanation of Graphical Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New South Wales - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/catalogue/warnings/graphicalproducts.shtml

Billy, Maria and the Thunderstorm - a colouring-in book with text, from National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/bm/bm02_title.html

Cyclones (Hurricanes)
What is a TROPICAL CYCLONE? - including cyclone safety, from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/cyclone/#introduce

Cyclones - from Queensland State Disaster Management Group
http://www.disaster.qld.gov.au/disasters/cyclones.asp

LESSON PLANS: Tracking Cyclones - 2 - from Emergency Management Australia http://www.ema.gov.au/agd/ema/emaschools.nsf/Page/RWPBBA4FE6BA9B00F21CA256C4F001C951F?OpenDocument

Hurricanes - includes background information and classroom activities from Weather Wiz Kids, however US spellings, measurements
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/hurricane1.htm

Tornadoes
Tornado near Coonabarabran 2005 Jan 20 - case study of a tornado in NW NSW, near Siding Springs, from Australian National University
http://msowww.anu.edu.au/~rmn/tornado.htm

Tornadoes - includes background information and classroom activities from Weather Wiz Kids
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/tornado.htm

Tornado in a Bottle - from Project Atmosphere
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/paa2/deliver/content.asp?pid=754

Bushfires

Bushfire Weather - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/services_policy/fire_ag/bushfire/bushfire.htm

Bushfire Weather - pdf file of the above web site, from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/leaflets/bushfire_weather.pdf

LESSON PLANS: Bushfires - from Emergency Management Australia http://www.ema.gov.au/agd/ema/emaschools.nsf/Page/RWPD9E6E4AAFB7770C0CA256C530005FC49?OpenDocument

The Bushfire Hazard - pdf file from Emergency Management Australia http://www.ema.gov.au/agd/EMA/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(63F21BC6A4528BAE4CED2F9930C45677)~HWP13_P32.pdf/$file/HWP13_P32.pdf


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Creative Arts

Miscellaneous and examples

Historic Weather Art - from National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration
http://www.history.noaa.gov/art/weather_gallery.html

Weather Poems and Artwork - from Byron Community School
http://www.byroncs.nsw.edu.au/seahorses/archive/weather/index.html

Weather art activities - from Mrs. Bee's Busy Classroom
http://www.dcrafts.com/weatherart.htm

Snowflakes and Symmetry

KaleidoDraw - demonstration module for this art software from Protozone, allows six fold symmetry, both mirror and rotational
http://www.protozone.net/kal/KalDemo.html

Make-a-Flake - from Look and Feel, web designers, requires Shockwave
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/

Snow Art - from Jill Britton's HOME
http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/snow/art.html

Music

Weather songs - from Mrs. Bee's Busy Classroom
http://www.dcrafts.com/weathersongs.htm

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English

Writing

Weather writing - from Project Atmosphere
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/paa2/deliver/content.asp?pid=704

Poetry

Weather Poetry - from Project Atmosphere
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/paa2/deliver/content.asp?pid=706

Weather Poetry - from National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration
http://www.history.noaa.gov/art/weatherpoems.html

Student Activity: Be a Haiku Writer - from Arizona State University
http://coe.west.asu.edu/explorer/weather/staffdevl/Weather.Haiku.html

Writing About Weather: - from 30 Days of Poetry, The English Room
http://www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetryday_16.htm

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Human Society and its Environment

LESSON PLANS: Reducing the Impact of Drought - from Emergency Management Australia http://www.ema.gov.au/agd/ema/emaschools.nsf/Page/RWP8548FB9B585D2B1CCA256C530007666C?OpenDocument

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Mathematics

Snowflakes and Symmetry

KaleidoDraw - demonstration module for this art software from Protozone, allows six fold symmetry, both mirror and rotational
http://www.protozone.net/kal/KalDemo.html

Symmetry of Snowflakes - images of snowflakes from private web site
http://www.wolaver.org/math/snowflakes.htm

Make-a-Flake - from Look and Feel, web designers, requires Shockwave
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/

Wilson A. Bentley (The Snowflake Man) - with Original Wilson Bentley Images
http://www.snowflakebentley.com/

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Indigenous perspective

Indigenous Weather Knowledge - from Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/

The Lost Seasons - from ABC
http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/indigenous/

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Multicultural perspective

Weather folklore

Weather folklore - from Project Atmosphere
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/paa2/deliver/content.asp?pid=668

Weather Folklore - from Weather Wiz Kids
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/Weather%20Folklore.htm

Weather folklore - from Weather World
http://members.aol.com/Accustiver/wxworld_folk.html

LESSON 6: WEATHER PROVERBS - Part B - from Athena Earth and SPave Science, NASA
http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/curric/weather/hsweathr/folklssn.html

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Technology

Snowflakes and Symmetry

KaleidoDraw - demonstration module for this art software from Protozone, allows six fold symmetry, both mirror and rotational
http://www.protozone.net/kal/KalDemo.html

Make-a-Flake - from Look and Feel, web designers, requires Shockwave
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/

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