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Have you ever watched a storm?

Weather Conditions
4.7 (16905 reviews)
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Describe this weather: Weather

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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration you just completed.
  • Lesson Assessment : Open-ended drawing/writing prompt
  • Activity: With these Vocabulary Cards, students practice reading and writing skills while learning science vocabulary.
  • Read-Aloud: These books will get your students thinking & talking about weather.
### Read-aloud books

Come On, Rain by Karen Hesse — A girl watches plants and people droop in a drought — then spring back to life when the rain falls. Questions for your students: Why did the girl want rain? How did she know that rain was coming? What happened when rain came?

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (English & Spanish) — A boy experiments in the snow — making footprints, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day. Questions for your students: What do you think happened to the snowball that Peter put in his pocket? How would you save a snowball? Available as a video read aloud.

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
sunnny path in park by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Adam MeInyk
kid staring at the sky by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Zurijeta
morning storm by Ali A , used under CC BY
thunder audio clip by juskiddink , used under CC BY
elderly man on porch by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: All kind of people
lightning in the distance by Margaret Nissen
leaves blowing in the wind by Mike Seidel
boy shivering cold by Showface
severe thunderstorm by BikeGeedMTDX
clouds in the sky by epSos.de
cumulonimbus mushroom cloud by Sfortis
flag waving in the wind by M.D. Rusch , used under CC BY
boy looking at sky with binoculars by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Blacqbook
boy looking out at the sea by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: urbans
boy pointing at sky by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Michael Levy
boy with windmill by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: mimagephotography
little boy thinking by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Olena Zaskochenko
little boy pointing up by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Olena Zaskochenko
kid looking out the window by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Tomsickova Tatyana
boy riding a bike by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: AlexussK
hiker on a mountain by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Olga Danylenko
american flag by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Quang Ho
cumulus cloud by Phillip Halling , used under CC BY
little girl on a windy day by Image used under license from 123rf.com: Franck Boston
heavy rain by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: bikeriderlondon
snowy bench by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Adam Gryko
sunny park by David Mark , used under Public Domain
Activity
view outside the window by Phillip Brewer
storm watching crew by Hokiestorm
hand pointing to the sky by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: quingquing
Credits
Have you ever watched a storm?
Weather Conditions
4.7 (16905 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“The kids loved it! I like how the videos walk us through facts, as well as discussion points, all with an activity at the end. Easy lesson without planning!”
· Rebecca · Teacher
“I thought the lesson was great as I whole. It was easy prep, the lesson and focus was well written and students where able to apply the concept immediately. They were all successful. I loved it so much that I immediately recommended it to my grade level. They are looking forward to teaching it.”
· Christina · Teacher
“They loved making the sounds of the storm and I am asking them to be weather watchers at least once a week! I have even heard from parents about children using the skills at home !”
· Wendy · Teacher
“It was great! It is so well done. The language is kid friendly and it was slow paced enough to interject and clarify. The four components of being a Weather Watcher make it very concrete. The kids loved drawing the weather. ”
· · Teacher
“My deaf and hard of hearing kids, who are usually not very verbal, had some great stories to tell and couldn't stop talking about times where they had seen a storm. They really enjoyed sitting outside and being weather watchers too. Great lesson!”
· Kendra · Teacher
“Student engagement! I work with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade special needs students. I was very surprised with how my students were excited to learn and look at the sky. They were so involved with what they learned it was hard to keep them from looking out the window. It was the perfect day, we had mixed storm showers on and off all day. They really enjoyed it!”
· Amanda · Teacher
“My daughter who has ADHD was focused the ENTIRE LESSON. Incredible! It capture her attention from the beginning. I am so amazed that I bought the entire year membership. ”
· · Homeschooler
“We've had some significant weather in our community lately: heavy rain, mudslides, power outages. The students were eager to become meteorologists to understand their experiences.”
· Jody · Teacher
“Even though I teach first grade, we started with a kindergarten level Mystery because my students didn't have much background lessons in kindergarten. It was right on their level. I loved the visuals included in the mysteries. It put everything into context for the students. We turned our weather observation into a mini science journal so that we can add a cover, the date, time, title, and vocab to the back. I also had them decorate the cover to show me their schema with weather (what did they think weather looked like?)”
· Amy · Teacher
“The kids were so excited to spot people wearing t-shirts in the snow (clearly not the appropriate clothing!)”
· Andrea · Teacher
“I have never watched the weather and now i watch every time a storm comes.”
· Jennifer · Homeschooler
“The kids liked the interactive reading part. It was also really helpful that "Doug" explained the activity. They felt like he was really talking to them and it made my life easier too! ”
· Catherine · Teacher
“My son immediately stated he wanted to become a weather watcher! ”
· Amber · Homeschooler
“Students loved drawing the weather. I've continued it over a few weeks so they can compare their pictures. I love the easy prep, with the worksheets ready to print. Thanks!”
· Chrissy · Teacher
“The excitement from my kids about being Weather Watchers. "Were you a weather watcher when you were a kid?!" We've always talked about weather, but this lesson gave four important aspects of weather to observe and record.”
· Rebecca · Homeschooler
“Getting the kids outside and having them draw their pictures. Works on not only weather recognition but art, colors, numbers ( how many clouds,trees,etc do you see?), grammar. This was our first lesson and love the site! ”
· Kelly · Homeschooler
“The detailed instructions & engaging presentation. I also loved that it wasn't too short or long. ”
· Julia · Admin
“The students enjoyed exploring outdoors being weather explorers. A great lesson they were very attentive throughout the video.”
· Ann · Teacher
“My students are totally amazed by what they can see in the sky now. We are keeping weather journals and they can't wait to come in and share what weather they have noticed!”
· Catherine · Teacher
“The kids were totally engaged! The pacing was fantastic and the intergration of lang. arts. was excellent.”
· Susie · Teacher
“Students enjoyed sitting outside and drawing. Noticed tree being moved by wind and saw smog from the city.”
· Amanda · Teacher
“just a really fun way to do science! ”
· Michelle · Teacher
“This lesson was wonderful for my 6 year old boy and 9 year old boy. They had a great time observing the weather and have continued to observe! So far we are loving Mystery Science! Simple, educational, and I love the age ranges posted for my convenience. ”
· Serena · Homeschooler
“My kids liked the video and LOVED the worksheet to go out and practice weather watching!”
· Mandy · Teacher

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students start to notice changes in the weather. In the activity, Be a Weather Watcher, they learn the different factors involved in describing the weather, then observe and draw the weather around them.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Weather Drawing printout 1 per student
Clipboard
1 clipboard per student
Crayons
Choose 3 different colors for the sky, clouds, and sun. Colored pencils or markers also work.
Details
3 crayons per student
Prep Instructions

If the weather is nice, take your students for a walk and let them draw while they are outside. If that’s not possible, you’ll need a window that lets them observe the weather while drawing.

When students are drawing, you may need to remind them to pay attention to the four aspects of the weather that are discussed in this lesson: what you see in the sky, the temperature, the wind, and rain/snow. We’ve included icons in the corner of the drawing sheet as a reminder.

Consider having students repeat this activity when the weather changes. Drawing gives them a tool that will help them pay attention to changes in the weather that they may otherwise overlook.

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

15 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Extend this lesson

Reading

Reading

These books will get your students thinking and talking about weather.

Come On, Rain by Karen Hesse — A girl watches plants and people droop in a drought — then spring back to life when the rain falls. Questions for your students: Why did the girl want rain? How did she know that rain was coming? What happened when rain came?

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (English & Spanish) — A boy experiments in the snow — making footprints, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day. Questions for your students: What do you think happened to the snowball that Peter put in his pocket? How would you save a snowball? Available as a video read aloud.

Activity

Activity

With these Vocabulary Cards, students practice reading and writing skills while learning science vocabulary.

Transcripts

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Watching Lesson 1: Have you ever watched a storm?

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