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Grade Level:
- Grade 4 - This was a great lesson where all students participated and had a basic understanding of a very difficult concept.
Objectives:
- The student will simulate and describe cold and warm fronts and list the weather associated with each.
Estimated Time for Completing Activity:
- 1 class period.
Virginia SOLs:
- 4.6 - The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include weather factors such as temperature, air pressure, fronts, formation and type of clouds, and storms.
National Science Standards:
- Earth and Space Science - Objects in the Sky: The sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds, and airplanes all have properties, locations, and movements that can be observed and described.
Vocabulary:
- Cold Fronts, Warm Fronts
Prerequisites:
- An understanding of air masses.
Class of Activity:
- Exploratory
Materials Needed:
- Cut out the following shapes from bulletin board paper:
- large red circular shape about 2 or 3 feet - write 'Warm Air Mass' in center
- large blue circular shape about 2 or 3 feet - write 'Cool Air Mass' in center
- white triangular shape-add lines to depict tornado
- yellow lightning shape
- yellow sun
- white puffy cloud
- gray puffy cloud
- yardstick
- Worksheets
Teaching Procedures:
- Pass out cutouts to different volunteers. Have students simulate cold front as you read through story. Write 'Cold Front' on board. Warm air mass and sun are standing in front of room. Cool air mass is in back of room.
Story of cold fronts Oh, what a beautiful warm day we have here in (name of city). Mr. Sun is shining and the children are playing outside, unaware of what is about to happen. A slight breeze is blowing in from the west. (Have a couple students stand behind the cool air mass and make blowing breezy motions and sounds onto the cool air mass. Motion for the cool air mass to slowly walk towards the front of the room.) The air mass moving into (name of city) has a cooler temperature.
As the two air masses collide into each other, they form a front. (Hold the yardstick up at an angle between them.) When two air masses meet like this, this line is called a front. When a warm air mass and a cool air mass come together, there is going to be a lot of motion and swirling of air (have them carefully bump together and rub elbows). The sun will disappear (sun disappears), dark clouds will move in (gray cloud comes up front and turns lights out), and the air will swirl around. One of these air masses is going to rise up and the other will be pushed down. Any guesses which one will rise? (Discuss.) The warm air mass is going to rise up and the cooler air mass is going to push down under the warm air mass. (Have students holding air masses demonstrate.)
This motion can cause a big reaction. There may be a lot of wind (have students quietly make wind noises), a tornado could occur (have tornado twirl through), there may be heavy rains (have students tap fingers on desk for rain), thunder (have students pound on desk for thunder), and lightning (have lightning symbol stand at lights and flicker them on and off). This action will happen and then be over with quickly (use a "stop" signal).
As this front ends, the area will have cooler temperatures (have cool air mass, white puffy cloud, and sun stay up at the front of the room and all others fade to the back of the room), and the children once again will go outside to play in the little town of (city).
At this time, list the characteristics of a COLD FRONT on the board:
Warm Air Mass - (could sketch these 2 on board with arrow)
Cool Air Masses moves into the area -
Winds
Heavy Rain
Possible Tornadoes
Over quickly
Clears up and leaves cooler temperatures
Do the same with WARM FRONTS. Your story will be a little different in that the cool air mass starts up front and the warm air mass moves into the area. There still will be some bumping and swirling motion, but not as severe. Thunder, lightning, or a tornado do not usually occur during this type of front. There will be a gentle summer rain and the rain may last several days (students lightly tap on desk).
Cool Air Mass - Warm Air Mass moves in (write and then sketch)
Gentle rains
May last several days
Clears up and leaves warmer temperatures and humid air
Conclusion/Summary:
- Review characteristics of each front. Ask which front a farmer would prefer and why. (A farmer would prefer a Warm Front because it would gently water his crops and the water would soak down into the ground. In a Cold Front heavy rains could damage the crops.)
Extensions:
- Discuss symbols used on a weather map for Cold Front and Warm Front. Use the weather map from Sunday's newspaper with fronts labeled.
- Discuss cloud types associated with each front. Fast rising clouds with a spreading top that usually brings thunderstorms and strong winds are called cumulonimbus clouds. Gray layered clouds that usually mean slow, steady rain or snow are called stratus clouds.
- Discuss Stationary Fronts.
Lesson Plan submitted by Karen Hooker, Williamsburg James City County Public Schools, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, for NASA's S'COOL Project.
