Have you ever watched a storm?

Have you ever watched a storm?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS: This is what the sky looks like when a storm is coming.
What do you notice?
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DISCUSS: To be a weather watcher, you need to pay attention to the wind. You can tell it’s getting windy when you see the leaves and branches moving. What are other ways to tell if it is getting windy?
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Step
01/14
Get your supplies.
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Step
02/14
Peel each sticker off the paper and stick it to the edge of your desk
or table, like this. Just stick one end of the sticker to the table, so it’s
easy to pick the sticker up again.
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Step
03/14
Fold your note card in half, like this. Line up the corners carefully. Run
your finger over the fold to make sure it’s really folded. Then unfold it.
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Step
04/14
Loop a streamer over your finger. Find the ends and pull them until
they are about even. Lay the streamer on the table. Do the same
thing with the other streamer.
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Step
05/14
Find the folded end of one streamer. Put that folded end right at the
fold in the card. Tape it in place with a sticker, like this.
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Step
06/14
Find the folded end of the streamer. Put that folded end right at the
fold in the card. It can overlap with your other streamer. That’s okay!
Tape it in place with a sticker.
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Step
07/14
The ends of a pipe cleaner are sharp. Take a little bit at the end of
your pipe cleaner and fold it over like this. Do the same thing with the
other end.
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Step
08/14
Lay your pipe cleaner on the card, like this.
Fold the card with the pipe cleaner inside.
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Step
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Hold the card closed with one hand. Stick one end of a sticker to the
card. Turn the card over. Fold the sticker over like this. Repeat with
the other sticker.
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10/14
Bend the ends of the pipe cleaner so they make an "X". Wrap one arm
of the "X" around the other arm of the "X" three times, like this.
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Step
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Write your name on one side of your Breeze Buddy.
On the other side, draw whatever you like.
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Step
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Pick up your Breeze Buddy. Pretend you’re a gentle breeze and blow
at your Breeze Buddy gently. Now pretend you’re a big wind.
Watch what the streamers do.
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Step
13/14
Your Breeze Buddy shows you how hard the wind is blowing.
Discuss:
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Step
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Hang your Breeze Buddy outside where you can see it through the
window. Then you can look and see how windy it is!
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Slide Image
Slide Image

weather


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what the air is like at a particular time and place
Slide Image

cloud


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a puffy, white object floating in the sky

storm


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weather that usually includes strong wind and rain or snow
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thunder


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a rumbling sound during a storm, often after a flash of lightning
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lightning


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a spark that causes a flash of light during a thunderstorm
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wind


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moving air
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windy


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when there is lots of wind
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Slide Image

observe


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to pay close attention to something
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experiment


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a test used to discover new information about a question

Featured Reviews

“Making the wind buddy and testing the wind outside! Observing direction and strength, and then moving to shelter and making MORE observations!”
· Melissa · Teacher
“They LOVED it! :O) The breeze buddies were a big hit! Thank you!”
· Jen · Teacher
“The students were so excited to make their buddies, they listened very well and the directions were easy for them to follow! ”
· Carissa · Teacher
“The kids were so engaged and the breeze buddy was the star of the show.”
· Dusti · Teacher
“hands on and we were able to test our work during outdoor learning in NH! The students were very engaged and proud of their work!”
· Ashlynn · Teacher
“Easy for the students to put together. They had a blast checking the breeze with their breeze buddy”
· Melanie · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
THIS LESSON WAS REVISED ON JULY 1, 2021. Here is a link to the previous version.
In this lesson, students observe changes in the weather when a storm is coming. In the activity, Breeze Buddy, students make a simple tool that lets them see how windy it is.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Markers
Crayons or colored pencils will also work.
Details
2 markers per student
File Folder Labels (Stickers)
We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in the classroom. Tape also works.
Details
4 stickers per student
Index Cards (3x5)
1 card per student
Pipe Cleaners
1 pipe cleaner per student
Crepe Paper Streamer
4 feet per student
Prep Instructions

Prep Your Streamers

Cut two 2-foot streamers for each student.

Exploration

10 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

Activity

Activity

Wind in the Trees Ask your students: “Look out the window and tell me if it’s windy. How do you know?”

Here are some possible answers: Your Breeze Buddies show you the wind is blowing. So does a flapping flag or fluttering leaves!

Now ask everyone to think about what it's like to be a tree in the wind. Have everyone stand up and pretend to be a tree on a calm day. That’s easy. Now pretend to be a tree when the wind is blowing really hard! That’s a lot more fun — and a great way to burn off excess energy.

The Beaufort Wind Scale. Two hundred years ago, a British Navy officer named Francis Beaufort made observations that told him how fast the wind was blowing. He created what people now call the Beaufort Scale, a simple way to judge the wind’s speed.

Check out a simple chart of the Beaufort Scale here. Challenge your students to figure out how fast the wind is blowing!

Mini-lessons

Mini-lessons

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

Transcripts

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline:
Credits
 
Storms Tx Lesson 2: Have you ever watched a storm?

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