In this Read-Along Mystery, Kevin becomes a weather detective to figure out why he keeps losing his clothes. This Read-Along Mystery includes a short exercise where students observe the weather and compare it to what they remember from earlier in the day. If you want to extend the lesson, you can try this optional activity. Through poetry and observation, students start noticing which way the wind is blowing, an important factor in how weather changes over time.
This activity does not require supplies.
You’ll need access to a window or an outdoor area where students can observe the effects of any breezes or winds that are blowing. You can’t see the wind, but you know it’s blowing if you see a flag flapping or hear leaves rustling as they move.
In this Read-Along Mystery, Kevin becomes a weather detective to figure out why he keeps losing his clothes.
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Hi! My name is Kevin. I just started science camp.
I knew I’d get to catch bugs and learn about the moon. But I didn’t know I’d get to be a weather detective, too!
Here’s what happened…
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I got up early the first morning.
The sun was just up.
When I went outside, it was cold!
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We had a blast!
We caught bugs and saw an astronaut video.
Then we went out to play.
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It got hot at lunchtime, so we went inside for Show-and-Tell.
Annie brought Wilbur, her pet frog.
I’d like to have a pet frog.
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At the end of the day, Dad picked me up from camp.
Mom was making dinner, so I went out to play.
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The sun was starting to go down.
It was getting dark and cold out!
I needed my sweater, but couldn’t find it anywhere.
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I looked in the laundry.
I looked in my drawer.
I even looked under my bed.
Where did it go?
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Stop & Talk
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I never found my sweater, so I put on my jacket.
It kept me warm until dinnertime.
Then it was time for bed.
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The next morning, it was cold again!
I put on my jacket, jumped in the car, and Mom drove me to camp.
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It was amazing.
We looked at a butterfly wing under a magnifying glass.
Then we saw a video about whales.
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After that, we had story time out on the grass.
But then it got hot, so we went in to eat lunch.
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That afternoon, Dad picked me up and we headed home.
We ate dinner, and I went out to play.
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The sun was starting to go down.
It was getting dark and cold out!
I needed my sweater, but couldn’t find it anywhere.
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I was cold, but what could I wear?
I never found my sweater. Now I can’t find my jacket, either!
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Stop & Talk
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Get Up & Move
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I was cold, but I couldn’t find my sweater or my jacket.
Then I thought about my new sweatshirt. It would keep me warm!
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I started to pull on my sweatshirt, but Mom stopped me at the door.
“Where are your sweater and jacket?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I can’t find them anywhere.”
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I thought Mom would be mad, but she wasn’t.
She laughed and told me to think where they might be.
So that’s what I did.
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Stop & Talk
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I thought about my first day at camp.
“It was cold,” I said, “then it got hot, and then cold again.”
“And the next day?” Mom asked.
“The same thing!” I replied.
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Here’s what I figured out: It’s cold in the morning before the sun warms things up.
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I found my sweater and jacket right where I’d left them—back at camp.
Now I know when it will be hot and when it will be cold.
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Paying attention to the wind is one way to notice how weather changes over time.
1) Read the poem “Who Has Seen the Wind?” to your class.
2) Ask them: “Can you see the wind? Look out the window and tell me if it’s windy.”
Advance to the next slide.
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In this Read-Along Mystery, Kevin becomes a weather detective to figure out why he keeps losing his clothes. This Read-Along Mystery includes a short exercise where students observe the weather and compare it to what they remember from earlier in the day. If you want to extend the lesson, you can try this optional activity. Through poetry and observation, students start noticing which way the wind is blowing, an important factor in how weather changes over time.
This activity does not require supplies.
You’ll need access to a window or an outdoor area where students can observe the effects of any breezes or winds that are blowing. You can’t see the wind, but you know it’s blowing if you see a flag flapping or hear leaves rustling as they move.
3) Ask students how they know it’s windy. If they don’t know, suggest that they look for:
4) Ask students to stand up and pretend to be:
Advance to the next slide.
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5) Here are some wind speed indicators that a British Navy officer named Francis Beaufort came up with 200 years ago.
| Here’s what you see | Here’s what a sailor would call it | Wind speed |
|---|---|---|
| No movement of leaves or dust | Calm | Less than 1 mph |
| Smoke and dust move in wind | Light air | 1 to 3 mph |
| Leaves rustling | Light breeze | 4 to 6 mph |
| Small twigs moving | Gentle breeze | 7 to 10 mph |
| Small branches move | Moderate breeze | 11 to 16 mph |
6) Have your class pay attention to how the wind changes. How hard is the wind blowing today? Was it the same yesterday?
Advance to the next slide.
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7) Visit Weather Wiz Kids and scroll down for more wind indicators in the wind scale created by Francis Beaufort.
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You've completed the Read-Along & Recommended Activity!
If you have more time, view the optional extras.
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Below is an idea for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration you just completed.
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Please follow these steps:
